Self-perceived Competence Research Articles

Investigating the graphical IEC 61131-3 language impact on test case design and evaluation of mechatronic apprentices

Abstract Mechatronic on-site technicians are responsible for maintenance and thus adequate testing of automated production systems. Hence, they must derive test cases from the IEC 61131-3 control code, which requires systematic testing skills. But despite the industry’s high demand for such skills, testing is not established in mechatronic apprentices’ educational curriculum. For the design of a teaching strategy for mechatronic apprentices on testing, this paper investigates the impact of the IEC 61131-3 language on test case design and evaluation. Comparing Sequential Function Chart (SFC) and Function Block Diagram, a trend towards SFC in apprentices’ self-perceived and real competence is shown.

The growth of knowledge and self-perceived competence during long-term internships: comparing preparatory versus accompanying seminars in teacher education programs

Pedagogical field experiences offer valuable learning opportunities in teacher education programs. While most previous studies have exclusively addressed self-perceived competencies, less is known about the extent to which competence objectively changes during internships. With this in mind, this study aims to examine the development of knowledge on instruction, self-perceived competence, teacher self-efficacy, and their interrelationship during a long- term internship with accompanying or preparatory seminars in educational sciences. Therefore, 275 student teachers were surveyed and structural equation modelling, IRT scaling, and analyses of variances were used as analytical methods. Results of the study revealed a significant change in self- perceived competence and teacher self-efficacy, but only a minimal change in knowledge. The results also showed that accompanying seminars lead to a substantial increase in knowledge relative to preparatory seminars. Furthermore, it turned out that self-perceived competence and its change are less related to knowledge as an objective measure of competence than future teachers’ self- efficacy. Based on these findings, the results from previous studies on student teaching and its effectiveness need to be interpreted more cautiously.

Am I incompetent or just afraid? Competence and apprehension as predictors of intercultural willingness to communicate

ABSTRACT Self-perceived intercultural communication competence and intercultural communication apprehension have been recognized as key factors affecting one’s intercultural willingness to communicate, but not much attention has been paid to their simultaneous effects. Through a cross-sectional survey of college students in the United States (N = 281), this study examined the predictive power of self-perceived intercultural communication competence and intercultural communication apprehension on intercultural willingness to communicate, as well as the possible mediating role of intercultural communication apprehension. We found that, after controlling for biological sex, both self-perceived intercultural communication competence and intercultural communication apprehension predicted intercultural willingness to communicate when examined concurrently, with intercultural communication apprehension mediating this relationship. Implications of these results are discussed.

Perceptions and Understanding of Transgender Patient Care: A Survey of Practicing Laryngologists.

Transgender individuals face significant health disparities including deficiencies in physician education, knowledge, and comfort with transgender health care. As the prevalence of the transgender population increases more individuals may seek gender-affirming surgery. Herein, we present a survey study which presents data on (1) the current practice patterns, (2) the familiarity with, (3) the perception of, and (4) the future educational goals of transgender health care among laryngologists in the United States. A cross-sectional survey study of practicing laryngologists in the United States. A total of 53 laryngologists participated in the study, with 50 (94.3%) coming from an academic practice. Survey response rate was 32.3% (54/167). The number of patients cared for and surgeries performed were significantly associated with self-perceived overall competence (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), surgical competence (p = 0.013 and p < 0.001), and comfort counseling patients on gender-affirming surgeries (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). Most obtained training through real-world experience (n = 46, 86.8%), whereas only 11 (20.7%) had formal training in residency or fellowship. Although 37 (70%) of participants felt competent caring for transgender patients, 38 (72%) want to learn more about transgender care, and 49 (93%) support incorporating transgender care into otolaryngology residency/fellowship curricula. There is a need for an increased awareness of transgender healthcare issues to address disparities experienced by this diverse population. Many laryngologists report wanting to learn more about this developing part of our field and support incorporating transgender care into training. We attempt to spotlight the degree by which practicing laryngologists are familiar, competent, and comfortable with transgender care. 5 Laryngoscope, 134:3215-3219, 2024.

Undergraduate Anesthesia Skills for a Global Surgery Agenda: Students’ Self-Reported Competence

(Anesth Analg. 2023. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000006375) To address the lack of clear guidelines for undergraduate anesthesia training, this study assessed the self-perceived competence of medical students in South Africa. Maternal mortality is a concern, with a significant portion of deaths attributed to anesthesia. The country faces a shortage of specialist anesthesiologists, putting the responsibility on nonspecialist medical officers, including newly qualified community service officers. The study investigates the readiness of medical students to provide anesthesia services, with varying exposure to training during internships. The findings aim to support South Africa’s health needs and may guide the goals of global surgery in other developing nations.

Effects of a highly intensive balance therapy camp in children with developmental coordination disorder – An intervention protocol

BackgroundChildren with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) often (<87 %) experience postural control problems, impacting all levels of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) including their daily participation, self-esteem and mental health. Due to the multisystemic nature of postural control, comprehensive therapy should target all systems which is currently not the case. Highly intensive therapy is effective and commonly used in pediatric populations, but has not been explored yet to train postural control in children with DCD. AimsTo investigate the effects of a highly intensive functional balance therapy camp at all ICF levels in children with DCD. Methods and proceduresThe effects on postural control, muscle activity, brain alterations, self-perceived competence, self-identified goals, gross motor activities and participation are evaluated. Participants are assessed pre- and post-intervention, including a 3 months follow-up. Forty-eight children with DCD, aged 6–12 years old, receive 40 h of comprehensive balance training. This intervention is fun, individually tailored, targets all postural control systems, implements different motor learning strategies and includes both individual and group activities. ConclusionNovel insights into the effects of a highly intensive comprehensive balance therapy camp designed for children with DCD will be gained at all levels of the ICF.

Family planning competency following medical school Ob/Gyn clerkships at faith-based and secular sites

Contraception and abortion topics are variably, but often poorly, addressed in medical school curricula. Restrictions on contraceptive and abortion care at faith-based hospitals may hinder comprehensive family planning training for medical students during Ob/Gyn clerkships. Here we investigated whether medical students at faith-based and non-faith-based clerkships experienced different observations during their Ob/Gyn clerkship and/or differences in self-perceived competency in patient counseling, objective knowledge, and perceived adequacy of training in contraception and abortion topics post-clerkship. A survey was distributed to third- and fourth-year medical students at New York Institute of Technology, College of Osteopathic Medicine. Across all clerkship sites (n = 102 students), observations of, and competency in, contraceptive care was higher than in abortion care. Students at non-faith-based clerkship sites (n = 54) reported the highest levels of observation of contraceptive and abortion care (19.6–90.7%), while those at Catholic sites (n = 26) typically reported the lowest (7.7–34.6%). Students at non-faith-based sites reported significantly higher competency in contraceptive care and some aspects of abortion care, than those at Catholic, and some other faith-based sites (n = 48). Clerkship training at faith-based sites, specifically Catholic sites, resulted in poorer Ob/Gyn training, particularly in contraceptive care. Training outcomes in abortion care were poor at all Ob/Gyn clerkship sites.

Effectiveness of a Phonics Instructional Guide on the PCK of Teaching Phonics among Pre-service EFL Teachers

Previous studies have revealed that a newly compiled phonics instructional guide was able to improve the content knowledge level of pre-service EFL teachers by 23 per cent. Based on this and to further investigate how this guide indirectly impacted the pedagogical content knowledge of these teachers, a longitude and continuous quantitative study was conducted on the same sample in the same teaching college in China. In total, 140 pre-service EFL teachers were assigned to two equivalent groups as before, namely the experimental (N=70) and control groups (N=70), who conducted a trial phonics instruction and completed self-evaluation questionnaires, respectively. The trial instruction aimed to assess their pedagogical content knowledge of teaching phonics, while the self-evaluation form aimed to investigate their self-perceived competencies and efficacy in phonics instruction. The results indicated that based on the content knowledge they already possessed, the pre-service EFL teachers in the experimental group had higher levels of pedagogical content knowledge and self-perception; in comparison, those in the control group had lower pedagogical content knowledge and self-perception levels. In other words, the linear regression results demonstrated that the content knowledge of pre-service EFL teachers is a reliable predictor of their pedagogical content knowledge and self-perception levels. These findings suggest the necessity of enhancing pre-service EFL teachers’ content knowledge of phonics instruction via the guide to further improve their phonics instruction competency, which forms part of their pedagogical content knowledge.

First-contact physiotherapists' perceived competency in a new model of care for low back pain patients: a mixed methods study.

A new advanced practice model of care enables French physiotherapists to perform medical acts for low back pain (LBP) patients as first-contact physiotherapists (FCPs). The aim of this study is to determine the self-perceived competency of FCPs and to further explore factors underpinning this feeling. A mixed-methods explanatory sequential design was conducted. A survey was used to self-assess the perceived competency of FCPs in performing medical tasks. Semi-structured interviews were then performed to explore determining factors of perceived competency. Inductive thematic analysis was performed. Nine FCPs answered the survey and were interviewed (mean age 40.1, standard deviation [SD]: ±10.0). FCPs felt very competent with making medical diagnosis (3.44/4, SD: ±0.53), analgesic prescription (3.11, SD: ±0.78) and referring onward to physiotherapy (3.78, SD: ±0.55). They did not feel competent with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug prescription (2.78, SD: ±0.67) and issuing sick leave certificate (2.67, SD: ±1.0). The main identified influencing factors were previous FCPs' experience, training, knowledge, collaboration with family physicians, high responsibility and risk management associated with decision-making. French FCPs appeared to have the necessary skills to directly manage LBP patients without medical referral. Future training focusing on analgesic prescription and issuing sick leave certificate is however needed.

Analysis of self-perceived digital competences in future educators: A study at the university of Granada

Digital competence is a key aspect to be taken into account in training at all stages. It is especially necessary to emphasize higher education stages and specifically on initial teacher training, as future teachers have the responsibility to promote these competencies and to be the first to introduce them into their programs. However, for this to happen, they must have previously established a framework of reference on which to train in digital competence, and they must be prepared to transmit this knowledge in this context that framework is DigCompEdu. For this reason, in the present research a correlational study is carried out with a retrospective ex-post-facto design to analyse the digital competencies of future teachers in the Faculty of Education Sciences at the University of Granada.The main results of the research carried out are that the self-perceived digital competence varies according to the sex of the students, being more positive in the case of men, while other factors such as the course or degree do not have a significant relevance. However, the majority of students at the Faculty of Education of the University of Granada have a self-assessed level of B1 as their level of digital competence, which is insufficient for transmission to future generations. This is also maintained because, according to the students, spaces, and training related to this aspect are not generated, although there are disparities according to the degree of this thinking.

Practitioners' capacity-building for parent empowerment: A pilot non-randomized controlled trial.

Although research has increasingly recognized that parents benefit from parent empowerment programs, studies on the outcomes of the capacity-building of practitioners of such programs are generally lacking. Using the results of a non-randomized controlled trial, this study examined the possible outcomes of a related capacity-building program. A total of 56 practitioners were recruited from 10 social service agencies in Hong Kong to participate. Most of them were females with more than 10 years of social work experience. Of these, 28 participated in a 15-session capacity-building program on parent empowerment (serving as the experimental group), while the others did not participate in the capacity-building program (serving as the control group). MANCOVAs were performed to identify any differences between the two groups at different time points. The post-test assessment showed that the level of attitudes around parent empowerment of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group with a large effect size, but no difference was found in their self-perceived competence. Furthermore, the follow-up test revealed that the level of self-perceived competence of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group, with a large effect size. A serial mediation of the levels of favorable attitudes at the post-test and follow-up test on the association between the capacity-building program and self-perceived competence at the follow-up test was also found. This study can contribute to the limited body of knowledge on how to equip practitioners with the professional attitudes and skills to implement parent empowerment programs.

Evidence of How Physicians and Their Patients Adopt mHealth Apps in Germany: Exploratory Qualitative Study.

The enactment of the "Act to Improve Healthcare Provision through Digitalisation and Innovation " (Digital Healthcare Act; Digitale-Versorgung-Gesetz [DVG]) in Germany has introduced a paradigm shift in medical practice, allowing physicians to prescribe mobile health (mHealth) apps alongside traditional medications. This transformation imposes a dual responsibility on physicians to acquaint themselves with qualifying apps and align them with patient diagnoses, while requiring patients to adhere to the prescribed app use, similar to pharmaceutical adherence. This transition, particularly challenging for older generations who are less skilled with technology, underscores a significant evolution in Germany's medical landscape. This study aims to investigate physicians' responses to this novel treatment option, their strategies for adapting to this form of prescription, and the willingness of patients to adhere to prescribed mHealth apps. Using an exploratory qualitative study design, we conducted semistructured interviews with 28 physicians and 30 potential patients aged 50 years and older from August 2020 to June 2021. The findings reveal several factors influencing the adoption of mHealth apps, prompting a nuanced understanding of adoption research. Notably, both physicians and patients demonstrated a lack of information regarding mHealth apps and their positive health impacts, contributing to a deficiency in trust. Physicians' self-perceived digital competence and their evaluation of patients' digital proficiency emerge as pivotal factors influencing the prescription of mHealth apps. Our study provides comprehensive insights into the prescription process and the fundamental factors shaping the adoption of mHealth apps in Germany. The identified information gaps on both the physicians' and patients' sides contribute to a trust deficit and hindered digital competence. This research advances the understanding of adoption dynamics regarding digital health technologies and highlights crucial considerations for the successful integration of digital health apps into medical practice.

On knowing what you do (not) know

Overseas educated nurses’ (OENs) professional identity becomes threatened when limited communicative competence in the local language of their host country results in communication problems. While training is essential for increasing OENs’ communicative competence, their own perceptions of their competence should not be neglected. This article focuses on the impact of an English-language training programme on the self-perceived communicative competence of OENs (n = 68) in the United Kingdom. The effects of the training on their actual and self-perceived communicative competence, comprising competence in Task Focus (TF) and Rapport Building (RB), was examined using quantitative analysis based on pre- and post-training questionnaire and test data. It was found that there was a significant increase in the OENs’ self-perceived communicative competence from pre- to post-training. Further, Actual Task Focus (ATF) and Perceived Task Focus (PTF) competence correlated before and after training, whereas Actual Rapport Building (ARB) competence and Perceived Rapport Building (PRB) competence were not correlated before training, but did correlate after training. The pre-training lack of correlation seems to be due to an overestimation of competence. In sum, participants formed more accurate perceptions of their ARB competence through training. The results hold implications for developing OENs’ accommodative competence.

Self-perceptions as mechanisms of achievement inequality: evidence across 70 countries

Children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds tend to have more negative self-perceptions. More negative self-perceptions are often related to lower academic achievement. Linking these findings, we asked: Do children’s self-perceptions help explain socioeconomic disparities in academic achievement around the world? We addressed this question using data from the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey, including n = 520,729 records of 15-year-old students from 70 countries. We studied five self-perceptions (self-perceived competency, self-efficacy, growth mindset, sense of belonging, and fear of failure) and assessed academic achievement in terms of reading achievement. As predicted, across countries, children’s self-perceptions jointly and separately partially mediated the association between socioeconomic status and reading achievement, explaining additional 11% (ΔR2 = 0.105) of the variance in reading achievement. The positive mediation effect of self-perceived competency was more pronounced in countries with higher social mobility, indicating the importance of environments that “afford” the use of beneficial self-perceptions. While the results tentatively suggest self-perceptions, in general, to be an important lever to address inequality, interventions targeting self-perceived competency might be particularly effective in counteracting educational inequalities in countries with higher social mobility.

Early childhood pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards digital technologies and their relation to digital competence

This study examines early childhood pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards digital technologies and their relations to their self-perceived digital competence. Attitudes towards digital technologies were divided into core attitudes: general attitudes towards digital technologies; attitudes towards educational use of digital technologies; and perceived ease of digital technology use. Technological knowledge [TK] and technological content knowledge [TCK] dimensions of the TPACK framework were used to assess pre-service teachers’ self-perceived digital competence. Two structural equation models, a correlated-traits model and a second-order factor model, were used to analyse the relations between attitudes and digital competence. Based on the results, the early childhood pre-service teachers held positive attitudes towards digital technologies. Both models fit the data well, but the correlated-traits model explained a larger portion of variance in competence measures. Moreover, this model provided a more fine-grained picture of the associations between attitudes and competence. The general attitudes towards digital technologies and perceived ease of digital technology use were related to both TK and TCK, whereas attitudes towards educational use of digital technologies were not. Therefore, the correlated-traits model was viewed as better at describing the relations between attitudes towards digital technologies and digital competence. The study contributes to the development of teacher education. Instead of considering the current generation of pre-service teachers as a homogeneous group, this study aims to understand how they differ in their attitudes and how they perceive their own competence to use digital technologies.

Perspective on the role of pharmacogenetic testing in mental health care in Slovakia.

The pathophysiology of mental illnesses is not fully understood, leading to insufficient remission, frequent adverse drug reactions, and treatment resistance. Pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing, apersonalized approach recently adopted also in psychiatry, can guide effective drug therapy and minimize side effects. The objective of this study was to determine the perspective of Slovak clinicians regarding the integration of PGx testing in psychiatric clinical practice. Questionnaires covering various aspects such as prior experience with PGx testing, self-perceived competence, perceived utility, potential risks and challenges were distributed directly to attendees at two psychiatric conferences held in Slovakia in 2023 and their responses were statistically analysed. Out of 54 respondents, only 7.4% had previous experience with PGx in clinical practice. The most clinicians felt that they should possess the skills to apply PGx testing in psychiatric clinical practice and were enthusiastic about increasing their expertise. They found PGx useful in medication selection, adverse effect management, and treatment-resistant depression. The primary concerns centered around the lack of well-defined guidelines and the financial considerations linked to the testing. Considering the participants' interest in PGx and its integration into clinical practice, educational programmes based on recommendations, guidelines, and convincing evidence could be organized (Tab. 4, Ref. 30). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: pharmacogenetics, pharmacogenomics, psychiatry, personalized treatment, Slovakia, perspective.

"This is you teaching you:" Exploring providers' perspectives on experiential learning and enhancing patient safety and outcomes in ketamine-assisted therapy.

This study explores therapists' perspectives on experiential learning, competencies, and training in ketamine-assisted therapy (KAT), a form of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT). We aim to understand how therapists' personal psychedelic experiences influence their self-perceived competency and therapeutic relationships regarding KAT. Licensed therapists from Numinus Wellness clinics in Canada and the USA who were trained in KAT were invited to participate in the study. Participation included a 60-90-minute semi-structured interview conducted remotely via secure videoconferencing. The interviews focused on the professional and personal impacts of providing KAT, its mechanisms, and the role of therapists' personal psychedelic experiences in delivering KAT. Data analysis utilized Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and a mix of deductive and inductive coding with Nvivo software. Eight therapists (62.5% female, 37.5% male) were interviewed. All had formal training in KAT, with many also trained in other forms of PAT. All respondents endorsed the value of personal psychedelic experience for deepening understanding of clients' experiences and strengthening the therapeutic alliance. They all also expressed a desire for formal experiential training in KAT, which they viewed as a missing element in their training. Additional themes identified included the importance of relational safety and the therapeutic container, KAT's impact on professional development, competency, and purpose, and navigating risks and challenges in KAT, particularly with complex trauma clients. Our findings highlight the need for enhanced therapist training and evidence-based standardization of PAT programs that incorporate experiential learning. Such training has the potential to optimize safety and therapeutic outcomes.

A global pilot comparative, cross-sectional study of clinical research nurses/research midwives: Definition, knowledge base, and communication skills related to the conduct of decentralized clinical trials.

A gap in the literature exists pertaining to a global research nurse/research midwife resources and communication skill set necessary to engage with participants of diverse populations and geographic regions in the community or home-based conduct of decentralized clinical trials. An embedded mixed methods study was conducted to examine research nurse/research midwife knowledge base, experiences, and communication skill sets pertaining to decentralized trials across global regions engaged in remote research: the USA, Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, and Australia. An online survey was deployed across international research nurse/research midwife stakeholder groups, collecting demographics, decentralized trial experience, barriers and facilitators to optimal trial conduct, and the self-perceived communication competence (SPCC) and interpersonal communication competence (IPCC) instruments. 86 research nurses and research midwives completed the survey across all countries: The SPCC and IPCC results indicated increased clinical research experience significantly correlated with increased SPCC score (p < 0.05). Qualitative content analysis revealed five themes: (1) Implications for Role, (2) Safety and Wellbeing, (3) Training and Education, (4) Implications for Participants, and (5) Barriers and Facilitators. Common trends and observations across the global sample can inform decentralized trial resource allocation and policy pertaining to the research nurse/research midwife workforce. This study demonstrates shared cultural norms of research nursing and midwifery across varied regional clinical trial ecosystems.

Cultural competence training of dieticians: development and preliminary evaluation.

Training can improve healthcare providers' cultural competence and increase their awareness of bias and discrimination in medical decision-making. Cultural competences training is lacking in the education of dieticians in the Netherlands. The aim of this study was to describe the pilot-implementation of a cultural competence training for dieticians and preliminary evaluation of the training. A training was developed based on Seeleman's cultural competence framework and previously held interviews with migrants, dieticians, and experts. The training consisted of a mixture of didactic and experiential methods, alternating knowledge transfer with exercises to increase awareness, reflection, and feed-back on recorded consultations, and communication training with migrant training actors. The training was piloted in 8 participating dieticians and preliminary mixed-method evaluation was done using a Cultural Competence Questionnaire, Experience Evaluation Questionnaire, and consultation observations. The questionnaires showed that dieticians were positive about the training. They found it valuable and educational. Participants reported an increase in self-perceived cultural competence and attitudes. Knowledge and skills remained approximately the same. The observations showed that dieticians applied the teach-back method and discussed treatment options more often after training. There was no increase in the use of visual materials. The training was well appreciated and, although a small-scale pilot, this mixed-method study suggests an ability to change cultural competence. The combination of a self-assessment instrument and consultation observations to evaluate cultural competence was highly valuable and feasible. These encouraging results justify a broader implementation of the training.

A comparison of perceptions of digital competences of Schoolteachers to school leaders in Lebanon

The study focused on examining the self-perceived digital competences of Lebanese school teachers and compared their opinions to those of school leaders. The study aimed to investigate whether the digital competence levels of school teachers meet the needs of schools as perceived by school leaders. The European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu) was used as a framework that proposes a comprehensive set of digital competences specifically designed for educators. The findings revealed that while school teachers excel in handling digital resources, they lack competence in promoting learners' digital literacy and their skills of utilizing digital tools for communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. Additionally, school leaders had a different opinion regarding school teachers' competences, indicating a lack of support for the safe and responsible use of digital tools and managing digital resources. The study used a mixed-method approach and a cross-sectional descriptive design with a survey sample size of 170 in-service teachers and an interview sample of 10 school leaders from a variety of Lebanese schools.