Curriculum Support Research Articles

Support mechanisms and obstacles for developing public health practitioners’ core competences

Abstract Community health needs assessment is one of the central activities for local governments in Estonia, specifically under the health promotion strategic planning, and this includes developing health and well-being profiles for evidence-based public health promotion. For effective implementation of the profile, sufficiently trained public health practitioners are needed. Therefore, analysis of the needs of the additional study programmes according to the core competences of professional standard for health promotion was carried out among public health practitioners and the leaders of local governments. The study was based on the 19 semi-structured interviews carried out in 2022-2023 with leaders (10) and public health practitioners (9) in Estonian local governments. Based on the local government’s size, status of the health and well-being profile and the employment and educational background of the public health practitioner three sub-groups were developed. The collected data was analysed using qualitative content analysis with focus on support mechanisms and obstacles of core competences of public health practitioners. The respondents indicated the need for training on communication (leadership and advocacy) and analytical skills (evaluation and research). Core competence training is however limited by resources (time, energy, motivation, funding), employer expectations (overload at work) and working full-time. Training is supported by personal motivation (e.g., wish to stay competent, understanding the need for training), employer support (including flexible work arrangements), and curriculum support (funding is covered). The results indicate there is a need for flexible education as the need for developing and maintaining core competences emerges in practical work. The results can be used for developing the public health curriculum, to assess and provide training for public health practitioners to better meet the needs of the labor market in the future. Key messages • Local government employees performing health promotion tasks feel the need to upgrade various core competences: e.g., communication, management, data analysis and assessment. • In health promotion, there is a growing need for flexible education, which creates challenges for higher educational institutions to meet the needs of the labor market.

Support for a Weight-Inclusive Curriculum? Exploring Partner Perspectives and Influences on Nutrition Education in Vermont High Schools.

The weight-normative approach to nutrition education dominates health education programming across the United States, despite evidence that this paradigm contributes to negative outcomes including weight cycling, bias and stigma, the development of disordered eating behaviors, and weight-based bullying. This study investigates perspectives of 10 potential partners with interest in and potential to influence nutrition education. Through qualitative interviews and document analysis, researchers explored support for a weight-inclusive curriculum and factors that influence high school nutrition curricular content and implementation. Findings indicate that partners hold both weight-inclusive and weight-normative values, guidance around nutrition curricular content is lacking, and state-level policy is crucial to the valuing and implementation of consistent curricula. Lack of guidance or mandated curricular content contributes to inequities across the state. Weight-inclusive curricular materials are needed. Administration must take an active role in providing access to professional development and state policy support for curricular implementation is essential. Weight-inclusive curriculum could serve to improve health outcomes for adolescents. However, successful implementation of, or changes to, health and nutrition curricula will require support and engagement from partners at all ecological levels.

Collaborations to Support the SJ4A Curriculum in Archival Studies and Social Justice Intersections: Training of Community-Embedded Paraprofessional Archivists Who Are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color

The Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program recently awarded a $463,238 grant titled “Training of Community-Embedded Social Justice Archivists” (SJ4A) to the School of Library and Information Studies atthe University of Alabama. The grant’s goal is to recruit/train 17 community-embedded paraprofessional archivists who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color to complete their master’s degree part-time from January 2023 – December 2024 in the SLIS’ synchronous distance education program. SJ4A meets an urgent need to diversify the professions and for archivists to apply social justice competencies in work experience and community-embedded practice with graduate instruction and curriculum support. This paper identifies ongoing collaborations to support curriculum development in the SJ4A phases, including recruitment of students,needs assessment of archives-related professionals about social justice services, implementation of educational activities, mentoring, evaluation of program outcomes, dissemination of results, and post-graduation career tracking.

Evaluation of Units Established for Curriculum Support: A Collaborative Action Research

The curriculum includes educational activities that determine the struggle for survival and sustainability of a university's departments. Approaches that seek more flexible solutions and have a post-positivist understanding are needed to manage this system. One of these approaches is action research, first used by Kurt Lewin (1946) to solve social problems. In this study, four offices were established to make the curriculum at a state university in Turkey more functional, and the contributions of regulating these offices with Collaborative Action Research (CAR) were discussed. The most valuable outcome of the study is that it has presented a model for collaborative teaching in higher education that can be used as a guide to support curriculum studies. On the other hand, CAR has made valuable contributions to office operations, collaboration, consultation, continuous improvement cycle, and problem identification (needs assessment). This research, which lasted for two years, has provided important services to participants in addressing current difficulties in office operations.

Death Anxiety: An Exploration of Professional Counselor Experiences.

This quantitative research study guided by Terror Management Theory (TMT) provides a theoretical framework to understand death anxiety among practicing counselors while providing support for implementing death education into counseling graduate programs. The total sample comprised 97 total practicing counselors and current counseling students who were recruited from online platforms consisting of professional memberships, listservs, private practice, and Facebook groups. This study explored the level of death anxiety in counselors (measured by the Death Anxiety Scale-Extended (DAS-E; Templer et al., 2006) and examined the relationships between religious and/or spiritual affiliation, death education exposure, and years of practice (measured by a demographic questionnaire) through an online survey that measured counselor's religious and/or spiritual affiliation, death education exposure, years of practice in the field, and their self-reported levels of death anxiety. A Pearson correlation indicated that religious and/or spiritual affiliation and death education were significantly positively associated with years of practice in the counseling field. A regression analysis revealed that death education significantly predicted death anxiety levels. The results of the study indicated that the more death education an individual had received the less likely they were to experience death anxiety. The findings of this study affirm the need for support of a death education curriculum and to encourage CACREP counseling graduate programs to promote knowledge and awareness around death in order to better prepare counseling master's students to serve clients.

Pioneering family medicine: A collaborative global health education partnership in Ethiopia

In 2013, Ethiopia launched its first Family Medicine (FM) residency programme at Addis Ababa University (AAU). The University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM) was invited to support Addis Ababa University’s Department of Family Medicine’s (AAU-FM) educational programme activities forming the Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration in Family Medicine (TAAAC-FM). This paper describes the TAAAC-FM partnership, a capacity-strengthening initiative that focuses on four key levers of academic engagement and transformation: education offerings for AAU-FM trainees, partnership preparation of DFCM faculty, fostering AAU-FM faculty development and leadership, and lastly scholarship, knowledge sharing and mentorship. Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration in Family Medicine operates on principles of respect, flexibility and cultural sensitivity. Monthly virtual meetings and annual in-person faculty visits fostered curriculum support, teaching and leadership training, ensuring that the programme remained responsive to evolving needs. The partnership has contributed to a Community of Practice (CoP) to advance FM in Ethiopia, promoting shared learning. Addis Ababa University’s Department of Family Medicine faculty leads in various roles, engages with global FM communities, and contributes to policy development, demonstrating significant progress in FM education and leadership. Looking ahead, TAAAC-FM aims to adapt its efforts based on the capacity built with AAU-FM, continue faculty development, and strengthen linkages within the global healthcare community. The partnership’s success underscores the importance of collaborative, culturally informed high-low resource setting approaches to FM training and healthcare system strengthening, offering valuable insights for similar initiatives.

Developing Hidden Talent: An Exploratory Study of Advanced Math Curriculum Implementation and Its Effects on Young Mathematically Promising English Learners

In this qualitative case study, we investigated the role of an advanced math curriculum with language scaffolding on the development of geometric and visual-spatial reasoning skills in young mathematically promising English learners (MPELs). Specifically, we examined the effects of providing MPELs with challenging and supportive math curriculum to facilitate the development of mathematical potential through a geometry unit. Twenty-one MPELs were randomly assigned to either an intervention or a comparison class. The data sources included audio recordings of class sessions, documents of math tasks, field notes, and test scores. Findings revealed that in the intervention class, tasks required more cognitive demands, and students were encouraged to contribute to classroom discourse more than in the comparison class. MPELs in the intervention class demonstrated greater gains in geometric reasoning compared to their peers in the comparison class. These findings underscore the point that challenging and supportive curricula can effectively nurture the mathematical potential of underrepresented gifted students.

The Influence of School Curriculum Support Materials on Academic Self-Concept of Pupils in Primary Schools in Informal Settlements in Kibra Sub-County, Kenya

The Influence of School Curriculum Support Materials on Academic Self-Concept of Pupils in Primary Schools in Informal Settlements in Kibra Sub-County, Kenya

Student responsibility after using SE in gymnastics as support for the MBKM curriculum

Background Problems: Responsibility is an important part for students to study at university. In the learning process, students arrive late to take part in learning and do not complete assignments or even do not do them. By using Sport Education (SE) students are given assignments in a role to be responsible for the success of learning. SE has a strong connection to the Merdeka Belajar-Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) curriculum with students as the center of learning. Research Objectives: The aim of this research is to find out the responsibilities of each subscale according to the student's role after using SE and to test the effect of using SE on student responsibilities. Methods: The research method uses experimentation with a one-shot case study design. The participants involved in this research were 53 students at one of the universities in the sports studies program in Indramayu who were taken using convenience sampling techniques. The research instrument used the Contextual Self-Responsibility Questionnaire for sports program students. The data analysis technique uses statistical descriptions to determine the mean and standard deviation and tests hypotheses using the one-sample t test. Finding/Results: This research provides new findings regarding student responsibilities using SE at university level, especially in Indonesia as a support for the MBKM curriculum. Conclusion: This research concludes that there is an influence after using SE on student responsibility. Further investigation is needed regarding the administration of pretests, the existence of comparison classes, and the development of instruments to facilitate all roles according to the characteristics of roles in SE.

Teachers’ Attitude towards the Use of Computer Technology in Teaching English Vocabulary among Primary Schools in Nyamira County, Kenya

This paper investigated teachers’ perception towards use of computer technology for teaching and learning English vocabulary in primary schools in Nyamira County, Kenya. The researchers adopted the descriptive design and employed stratified simple random and purposive sampling techniques to select 62 teachers and 23 Curriculum Support Officers (CSOs) who participated in the study through questionnaire and interview. Data was analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The study revealed that teachers hold positive perception towards the use of computer technology in English vocabulary lessons. They perceived computer technology as important in improving the quality of vocabulary teaching and learning, increasing learners’ engagement and promoting innovation in English vocabulary. The study thus recommends a need to support the positive perception of teachers through provision of regular professional development opportunities on technology use for successful use of the computer technology in teaching and learning.

Formation Fit for Purpose: Empowering Religious Educators Working in Catholic Schools

The purpose of this paper is to provide curriculum support to religious educators working in Catholic schools. The paper provides a practical response to research advocating serious attention be given to religious educators because they are at the “coalface” of Catholic education, increasingly confronted by content and policy decisions, the diverse values and needs of their students, and other competing cultural and social challenges. Religious educators play a significant role in the evangelising mission of the Catholic Church as interpreters of Scripture and Tradition and can positively or negatively influence the quality of their students’ learning and its application. Entitled RECALL, the support offered to religious educators in this paper is research-led and utilises educational, standards-based principles. It is a community-minded approach that aims to build religious literacy and deepen the religious educators’ awareness and connections to the legacy of the Catholic Faith Tradition. The desired outcome is to inspire evidence-based conversations encompassing faith and reason, the perceived value and reality of the identity and mission of the Catholic Church, and its impact on Catholic culture and education. Intended to enhance rather than replace existing professional formation, the approach has structures, pedagogical processes, and practices that draw from a set of overarching theoretical considerations. Furthermore, the approach employs three guiding questions for categorising and analysing Catholic content. The questions are: (i) “Who are we as Catholics and what is our mission?” (ii) “What do we believe?” and (iii) “How do we practice?” The proposed curriculum support to religious educators may foster a culture of learning in Religious Education that is focused on improving and progressing the quality of educational outcomes for students. The premise is that if religious educators are supported to engage with the great Gospel narrative, their students may do the same.

The Construction of Learning Support Parameters for Adults with Autism

ABSTRACT Existing literature suggests adults with autism may only have limited access to support, which may fail to meet their diversified learning needs. This study thus aims to propose dimensions and parameters of a learning support system for adults with autism by means of focus group interviews (N = 30). The content analysis of interview data produced a four-dimensional learning support system for adults with autism: supporters, learners, learning resources, and learning environments. The supporter dimension was composed of four parameters, namely government support, social support, teacher support, and parental support. The learner dimension had two parameters, including satisfying interests and improving ability. The learning resources dimension comprised two parameters, involving learning aids and curriculum support. The learning environment dimension included two parameters, containing physical environment support and social-emotional environment support. The learning support system could be used as a benchmark for the development of adults with autism spectrum disorder. With parameters of learning support for adults with autism, this study is expected to provide guidance and reference for work and related research on learning support for adults with autism, so that their learning needs can be addressed and employment can be improved.

Influence of Teacher’s Professional Development on the Learner’s Competency Achievements in Public Primary Schools in Suna West Sub-County, Migori County

Education is considered as the key to success in many countries. As a result, in Kenya most parents take pride in their children when they perform well in educational matters. This study aimed at investigating the influence of teachers’ professional development on learner’s competency achievement in public primary schools. This study was grounded on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. It adopted a descriptive survey design. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used in data collection. The population of the study comprised of 54 headteachers, 432 teachers, 4 curriculum Support Officers (CSOs) and 1 Sub County Director of Education (SCDE). Krejcie and Morgan table was used to sample 24 headteachers and 190 teachers while purposive sampling was used to 4 Curriculum Support Officers and 1 SCDE. The study sample comprised of 24 head teachers from a target population of 54 public primary headteachers in the sub county, 190 teachers from a target population of 432 teachers in the sub county, the Sub County Director of Education and 2 CSOs. The face and content validity of the questionnaire was done with the assistance of supervisors are experts. Reliability was done by using test re- test methods which yielded alpha of 0.67. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 21 was used to analyse quantitative data where descriptive such as frequencies and percentages were used to describe the data. While Pearson correlation was used to test hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Qualitative data from interview schedules and documents were analysed using thematic analysis and results were triangulated with quantitative data. The study found out that teachers professional development (r= 0.555, p=0.015) had a positive correlation with learners competency achievement. This implied that this variable had a significant influence on learner’s competency achievement. It was therefore recommended that teachers’ professional development programmes should be enhanced in schools.

Evaluating ChatGPT-4 in medical education: an assessment of subject exam performance reveals limitations in clinical curriculum support for students

This study evaluates the proficiency of ChatGPT-4 across various medical specialties and assesses its potential as a study tool for medical students preparing for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 2 and related clinical subject exams. ChatGPT-4 answered board-level questions with 89% accuracy, but showcased significant discrepancies in performance across specialties. Although it excelled in psychiatry, neurology, and obstetrics and gynecology, it underperformed in pediatrics, emergency medicine, and family medicine. These variations may be potentially attributed to the depth and recency of training data as well as the scope of the specialties assessed. Specialties with significant interdisciplinary overlap had lower performance, suggesting complex clinical scenarios pose a challenge to the AI. In terms of the future, the overall efficacy of ChatGPT-4 indicates a promising supplemental role in medical education, but performance inconsistencies across specialties in the current version lead us to recommend that medical students use AI with caution.

Classroom Assessment Methods and their Influence on Classroom Assessment in Early Years Education in Baringo County, Kenya

The Kenyan Government reformed its 8-4-4 curriculum into a competency-based one (CBC) which emphasized classroom assessment. This would enhance skill acquisition in learners. To accomplish this aspiration, pedagogically skilled teachers were needed. However, several studies revealed that teachers couldn’t implement classroom assessment effectively. The study sought to establish classroom assessment methods and their influence on classroom assessment in early years education in Baringo County, Kenya. The study used a mixed method approach and cross-sectional descriptive survey research design. Quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were utilized. The instruments were a questionnaire, interview guide, and Focus Group Discussion. The target population was 700 public primary schools, 650 headteachers, 2800 EYE teachers, and 45 curriculum support officers. The study established that EYE teachers used written tests to assess all learners including learners of pre-primary (pp1 and pp2). This was contrary to the requirements of the Basic Education Curriculum Framework which required teachers of pre-primary level to avoid assessing learners using written tests thus posing a negative influence on classroom assessment. The study also revealed that EYE teachers had not guided their learners to develop showcase portfolios which negatively influenced classroom assessment aim of monitoring learners’ progress over time. It hindered the promotion of creativity among learners. The study recommends that EYE teachers teaching pp1 and pp2 should avoid assessing their learners using written tests as per the CBAF. Moreover, teachers of grades one, two, and three should also vary the assessment methods they use for classroom assessment rather than dwelling majorly on written tests. During pre-service teacher training, teachers should get adequate training on how to design assessment rubrics for different learning areas based on different assessment criteria and the difficulty index of the classroom assessment.

From how to why

This is a longitudinal case study of student perspectives on Western Sydney University’s strategic initiatives to promote technology-enhanced learning (TEL) from 2012 to 2017. The study analyses data from students throughout this period, and includes consideration of how the student experience is being shaped by academic and institutional support for TEL. Initially the University focus was on use of mobile technologies and ‘blended’ learning environments; as a platform for transforming pedagogy. In 2013, teaching staff and new undergraduate students were issued with tablet devices. As well as investing in the devices and supporting campus infrastructure, the institution also provided additional support for curriculum and staff development. For two years, students’ feedback about the tablets was overwhelmingly positive about their value for learning. In 2015, most undergraduates had tablet devices and TEL was becoming business as usual. However, the evaluation feedback that year showed that use of tablets had begun to decrease and there was a corresponding increase in use of smartphones. For some activities, laptops were preferred. In 2016, multiple types of device were issued to students, with some disciplines choosing laptops and in 2017 the University provided free digital textbooks instead of devices. Students’ use of different devices for learning activity has been shifting and evidence gathered internally from students and staff has played a role in adapting to this. While TEL strategies differ between universities, the analysis provides an example of how systematic evaluation evidence can support systemic adaptation as the learning technology environment changes.

Integrating a hybrid mode into kindergarten STEM education: its impact on young children’s critical thinking skills during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Critical thinking is essential for young children and can be enhanced through appropriate and supportive curricula. With the rich affordance of digitalization, this study evaluated the effects of a hybrid STEM curriculum on critical thinking skills in 74 kindergarteners (42 boys and 32 girls) aged 5.83–7.25 years (Mean = 6.44, SD = 0.31) from a Chinese kindergarten during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing a quantitative design across two classes, we collaborated with teachers, children, and parents to co-develop a series of STEM activities throughout an academic year. Despite the absence of a pre-test due to pandemic restrictions, no significant age differences or differences in their related assessments prior to participating in this study. Results showed that the experimental class demonstrated significant improvements in interpretation, explanation, inference, and self-regulation skills compared to the control group. These findings suggest the STEM curriculum effectively enhances critical thinking in early childhood education.

Inclusive Education in South Korea

Over the past few decades, inclusive education in South Korea has continued to grow both in quantity and quality. The purpose of this article is twofold: (a) to report on the legal basis and the current status of inclusive education in South Korea and (b) to synthesize policy tasks and prominent outcomes related to inclusive education in South Korea. The major findings are as follows. First, according to the 2022 Special Education Annual Report provided by the Ministry of Education, approximately 73% of students eligible for special education received either part-time (56% of students) or full-time (17% of students) inclusive education. Second, it was found that there were significant outcomes in the five elements of support (i.e., human support, social climate support, physical environment support, curriculum support, and financial and operational support), which are quality indicators of inclusive education. Based on these findings, we discuss issues of inclusive education, future directions, and suggestions for the further development of inclusive education in South Korea.

Relationship Between Proficiency in Kenyan Sign Language and Signed Exact English and Performance in English by Learners with Hearing Impairment

Students with Hearing Impairment (HI) encounter various challenges in learning due to their hearing loss, significantly impacting their academic performance, particularly in exams such as the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). This study aims to explore the correlation between proficiency in Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) and Signed Exact English (SEE) with English performance among HI learners. Conducted in four special secondary schools for the deaf in Kenya's Nyanza region, the study involved 48 participants, including 33 Form 3 students, 7 English teachers, 4 Curriculum Support Officers, and 4 School Principals. Utilizing a qualitative multiple case study design, the research employed purposive sampling to select schools, saturated sampling for English teachers, and stratified sampling for Form 3 students. Data collection methods included in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, classroom observations, and document analysis. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, revealing that pre-lingual HI students, deaf before speech development, exhibit greater proficiency in KSL than SEE and Standard English (SE). Conversely, post-lingual HI students, deafened after speech acquisition, may struggle with KSL initially but tend to excel in SEE due to their prior speech development. Over time, post-lingual students may achieve proficiency in KSL after integrating into the Deaf community.

Influence of Self-Image on Learning Efficacy among the Learners with Physical Impairments in Public Regular Primary Schools in Kitui County

Learners with physical impairments have a right to quality education within regular schools. However, learning efficacy among learners with physical impairments in regular public schools has been on a downward trajectory. Therefore, the objective of this study was to find out how self-image affected learning efficacy among learners with physical impairments in regular public primary schools in Kitui County. Correlational and phenomenological research designs were triangulated to give a unified perspective of the study. A mixed research methodology whereby quantitative and qualitative data were concurrently collected was applied. The target population was 89,745 participants, which included 56,875 learners, 2,607 teachers, 30,221 parents and guardians and 42 curriculum support officers. Purposive sampling techniques were used in identifying the sample of the study. The sample size was 265 respondents comprising 162 teachers, 51 learners with physical impairments, 47 parents of the learners with physical impairments and 5 Special Needs Curriculum Support Officers. Data collection tools were questionnaires, an interview schedule, observation checklists and a focused group discussion guide. Quantitative data were computed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25, and results were analysed through descriptive methods and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was analysed thematically and presented in narrative form. From the findings, the researcher established that there was a significant relationship between self-image and learning efficacy among learners with physical impairments in regular schools. Poor self-image among the learners with physical impairments triggered by negative attitudes and stereotypes from the school community were impediments to the learning efficacy among the learners with physical impairments. The study recommended educational psychologists, special needs curriculum support officers and teachers to spearhead psychological makeups among the learners with physical impairments to appreciate themselves and improve their learning efficacy