Third Year Of Study Research Articles

Implementing contract learning in a clinical context: report on a study.

This paper reports on a study of the implementation and evaluation of learning contracts in a clinical context for a group of students who were in their third year of study in a pre-registration bachelor of nursing degree programme in Hong Kong. A learning contract was implemented as a learning tool in the students' clinical placement in mental health nursing. An action research approach was used in this study. Data were collected from questionnaires and interviews with students and clinical instructors. Results showed that students and clinical instructors generally agreed that there was an increase in students' autonomy and motivation in learning with the use of a learning contract. It also increased the sharing between students and clinical instructors. The findings of the questionnaire and interviews supported each other. However, the lack of experience in using contract learning and the limited time in the clinical areas created difficulties for both students and clinical instructors. Despite the limitations, contract learning is considered beneficial to students' learning and has the potential to be used in clinical learning.

Goldberg, David. Yidish af yidish: Grammatical, Lexical and Conversational Materials for the Second and Third Years of Study

Goldberg, David. <i>Yidish af yidish: Grammatical, Lexical and Conversational Materials for the Second and Third Years of Study</i>

Increments in Bone Mineral Density of the Lumbar Spine and Hip and Suppression of Bone Turnover Are Maintained after Discontinuation of Alendronate in Postmenopausal Women

PURPOSE: Previously we have reported a significant increase in bone mineral density (BMD) of the spine and the hip and reductions in biochemical indices of bone turnover in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis treated with alendronate at various doses over 1 to 2 years. We have followed BMD and biochemical parameters in these patients for 1 or 2 years after discontinuation of alendronate to determine resolution of alendronate effects. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Participants received daily oral doses of placebo, 5 or 10 mg of alendronate for 2 years, or 20 or 40 mg of alendronate for 1 year followed by 1 year of placebo. No treatment was given in the third year of study. RESULTS: Lumbar spine BMD changes in the 5- and 10-mg groups (−1.4 and −0.4%) were similar to those in the placebo group (−1.2%) 1 year after discontinuation of drug and lumbar spine BMD changes in the 20- and 40-mg groups (−1.2% and 0.8%) were similar to those in the placebo group (−0.9%) 2 years after discontinuation of drug. BMD of the total hip followed the same pattern of resolution. The difference in BMD between alendronate and placebo groups at the end of alendronate treatment was maintained up to 2 years. Residual reductions in the bone resorption markers urinary deoxypyridinoline ( d-Pyr) and collagen type 1 cross-linked N telopeptides and the bone formation markers serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin remained for 1 year after discontinuation of 5 and 10 mg of alendronate and for 2 years after discontinuation of 20 and 40 mg of alendronate, other than return of D-Pyr to baseline 1 year after cessation of treatment with the 5- and 10-mg doses. CONCLUSIONS: A residual decrease in bone turnover may be found up to 2 years after discontinuation of alendronate. Accelerated bone loss is not observed when treatment is discontinued. However, continuous therapy with alendronate is required to achieve a continuous gain in BMD.

Yidish af yidish—Grammatical, Lexical, and Conversational Materials for the Second and Third Years of StudyGoldbergDavid Yidish af yidish—Grammatical, Lexical, and Conversational Materials for the Second and Third Years of Study Yale University PressNew Haven/London, 1996, xviii, 272, £25.00/$35.00

Yidish af yidish—Grammatical, Lexical, and Conversational Materials for the Second and Third Years of StudyGoldbergDavid <i>Yidish af yidish—Grammatical, Lexical, and Conversational Materials for the Second and Third Years of Study</i> Yale University PressNew Haven/London, 1996, xviii, 272, £25.00/$35.00

Predicting academic performance of medical students: the first three years.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to identify a cluster of variables that would most economically explain variations in the grade point averages of medical students during the first 3 years of study. Data were derived from a study of 92 students admitted to the 3rd Faculty of Medicine in 1992-1993 academic year and who were still in the medical school at the end of the sixth semester (third year). Stepwise regression analysis was used to build models for predicting log-transformed changes in grade point average after six semesters of study-at the end of the first, second, and third years. Predictor variables were chosen from four domains: 1) high school grade point averages in physics, mathematics, and the Czech language over 4 years of study, 2) results of admission tests in biology, chemistry, and physics, 3) admission committee's assessment of the applicant's ability to reproduce a text, motivation to study medicine, and social maturity, and 4) scores on the sentimentality and attachment scales of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. The regression model, which included performance in high school physics, results of the admission test in physics, assessment of the applicant's motivation to study medicine, and attachment scale score, accounted for 32% of the change in grade point average over six semesters of study. The regression models using the first-, second-, and third-year grade point averages as the dependent variables showed slightly decreasing amounts of explained variance toward the end of the third year of study and within domains, changing the structure of predictor variables. The results suggest that variables chosen from the assessment domains of high school performance, written entrance examination, admission interview, and personality traits may be significant predictors of academic success during the first 3 years of medical study.

A Report of Orthodontic Undergraduate Education in Two Dental Schools: Toronto, Canada and Liverpool, England

The undergraduate orthodontic courses at Toronto and Liverpool are compared. Each course comprises more than 250 hours of teaching and within that, more than 100 hours involve clinical tuition. Both courses contain laboratory modules for the teaching of removable and fixed appliance technique. Undergraduates treat their own patients with both simple and complex appliances, within their clinical training period which extends over at least 2 years. Liverpool undergraduates treat more patients per student than their counterparts in Toronto (P < 0.05). During the third year of study, the clinical experience of the Liverpool students (P < 0.001) is made up of a greater proportion of patients treated with removable appliances. In both centres, senior students treat patients with a greater preponderance of fixed appliance techniques and two-arch treatments.

Biannual Radiographic Assessments of Hands and Feet in a Three‐Year Prospective Followup of Patients with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis

In a prospective followup study of 147 patients with rheumatoid arthritis of recent onset, we assessed the progression of radiographic evidence of joint damage on films of the patients' hands and feet obtained biannually. Patients were receiving first-line and second-line treatment. Ninety patients were followed up for 3 years, and 57 were followed up for only 2 years. Radiographic damage was determined by a modification of the method described by Sharp, and to ensure comparability of findings, we determined the percentage of damage per joint group (actual score divided by the maximum possible score). After 3 years, radiographic damage was present in 70% of the patients, all of whom could be identified after 1 year of study. Overall, 18-20% of the joints of the hands and feet were affected after 3 years, with relatively little abnormality per joint (approximately 8% of maximum possible score). During the entire followup, more foot joints than hand joints were affected. The rate of progression in the first year was significantly higher than in the second and third years of study, indicating a flattening of the curve of radiographic progression of joint damage.

Engineering geophysics at Simon Bolivar University

While many geophysical engineering departments around the world have suffered a drastic drop in enrollment, the newly established degree in geophysical engineering at Simon Bolivar University in Caracas, Venezuela, has attracted more than 50 undergraduates. Eighteen of these students are in their third year of study, having switched their majors from such other areas as electrical engineering or computer science. The other students are in their second year.

AIDS: Screening of possible carriers and human rights

In the healthcare context empathy is the cognitive ability to understand a patient's perspectives and experiences and to convey that understanding back to the patient. Some medical conditions are frequently stigmatised or otherwise detrimentally stereotyped with patients often describing healthcare practitioners as intolerant, prejudiced and discriminatory.The purpose of this study was to find how a group of paramedic students and nursing/paramedic double-degree students regard these types of patients and to note any changes that may occur as those students continued through their education.The 11-questions, 6-point Likert scale version of the Medical Condition Regard Scale was used in this prospective cross-sectional longitudinal study. This study included paramedic students enrolled in first, second, third and fourth year of an undergraduate paramedic or paramedic/nursing program from Monash University.A total of 554 students participated. Statistically significant differences were found between double-degree and single-degree students (p < 0.0001), year of course (p < 0.0001) and gender (p = 0.02) for patients presenting with substance abuse. Similar results were found for patients with intellectual disability and attempted suicide. No statistically significant results were found for acute mental illness.This study has demonstrated significant differences in empathy between paramedic and nursing/paramedic double-degree students in regard to patients with these complex medical conditions. Paramedic/nursing students generally showed a positive change in empathy towards these complex patients by their third year of study; however, they also showed some alarming drops in empathy between second and third year.

Fish Assemblage Stability in a Southern Appalachian Stream

We monitored fish populations at three sites in a southern Appalachian stream system during a 40-mo study. Assemblages at two sites, consisting of four and five resident species, were persistent in terms of relative species abundances and production. This persistence was related to low variation in abundance of the two numerically dominant fishes, mottled sculpins (Cottus bairdi) and longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae). Less abundant residents, rosyside dace (Clinostomus funduloides), rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), and greenside darters (Etheostoma blennioides), displayed lower levels of persistence. We also observed pronounced annual variation in either young-of-the-year recruitment and/or subsequent year-class strength of four resident species, possibly resulting from a severe drought during the third year of study. Abundance and production of rosyside dace and trout were greatly affected by fluctuations in recruitment and year-class strength, suggesting that environmental variability strongly influenced these populations. Density-dependent mechanisms may have regulated sculpin and longnose dace populations. The three-species asssemblage at a third site also was persistent as a result of relatively stable sculpin and longnose dace populations, whereas the rainbow trout population fluctuated among years. We observed significant intersite differences in relative year-class strength in a given year and in population structures of sculpins and longnose dace, suggesting that spatial variation in habitat characteristics affected assemblage dynamics and responses to environmental fluctuations.

Phytoplankton responses to reduction and elimination of submerged vegetation by herbicides and grass carp in four Florida lakes

Four central Florida lakes were monitored for 3 years to determine the effects of macrophyte reduction and elimination by grass carp and herbicide on phytoplankton populations. Clear Lake, in which grass carp were stocked after a year of baseline studies, had all macrophytes eliminated within 14 months. The density of phytoplankton increased significantly from an initial 24-month mean of 165 000 cells 1 −1 to a mean level of 787 900 cells 1 −1 in the third year. In Little Lake Fairview, stocked with grass carp in both the first and third years of study, vegetation was not eliminated until the 34th month. Phytoplankton density increased significantly from a 24-month mean of 64 200 cells 1 −1 to a mean of 370 200 cells 1 −1 in the third year. Lake Orienta, stocked with grass carp in the first year, had all vegetation eliminated within 6 months. Phytoplankton abundance did not change significantly over the course of the study (mean: 2 700 000 cells 1 −1). Lake Mann was treated with herbicide alone after an initial year of baseline data collection. Submerged vegetation was reduced in the second year but increased to near initial biomass levels in Year 3, with Nitella sp. replacing Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle as the dominant macrophyte. No significant yearly changes were noted in density of phytoplankton in this lake. Lake Orienta was the only lake in which the number of phytoplankton species collected differed significantly between years. Cyanophytes (notably species of Anacystis, Microcystis and Anabaena) and the diatom, Fragilaria sp., predominated in all lakes as macrophytes were removed. Most changes observed were in the direction of apparent increased trophic state. Major shifts in the phytoplankton assemblage (e.g., Shannon diversity indices and abundance) coincided with periods of maximal fluctuation in vegetation. Reversals of these tendencies were observed during prolonged stable periods of both high and low macrophute biomass.

Review of the Survey's activities in 1982

In recent years there has been an increase in interest in the development of hydropower in the vicinity of the towns in Greenland. To meet this commitment GGU has had to expand its glaciological activity. Since existing knowledge of hydrological basins is insufficient to meet all the new requests, mass balance studies have been started at two additional glaciers - Buksefjord (64°), and Pakitsup ilordlia (69°) north of Jakobshavn. The existing projects at Johan Dahl Land in South Greenland and Qamanarssup sermia at the head of Godthåbsfjord are now in their fifth and third years of study, respectively. Landsat images have been used to help define basin sectors on the Inland Ice where the ice sheet forms lobes used in basin analyses. On a local basin in the region of Jakobshavn Isbræ a series of stakes has been set out extending from the edge of the Inland Ice to as far as 80 km inland, and up to an altitude of 1500 m above sea level.

Seasonal variation in reproductive hormones of rhesus monkeys: anovulatory and short luteal phase menstrual cycles.

Rhesus monkeys show a period of low fertility and decreased ovulation during the spring and summer months. In the present study, menstrual events and reproductive hormone concentrations associated with this period were examined to determine if secretion of gonadotropins was lower in the anovulatory cycle and if the !evel of gonadotropin was related to secretion of estrogen. A maximum of 90 mature rhesus monkeys was observed during portions of the period from January 1973 through August 1976 for the occurrence of menstruation and for the frequency of irregular lengths of menstrual cycles as related to the winter (October through March) and the summer (April through September). The onset ‘of summer was marked by a decline in the fraction of the colony menstruating in April and May each year. Although lengths of menstrual cycles were more irregular during the summer than during the winter months, this variability was less pronounced in the second and third years of study. Two types of irregular reproductive hormonal patterns were found in menstrual cycles during the summer. One type, the anovulatory cycle, was characterized by low concentrations of estrogen in serum compared with ovulatory cycles, by an absence of surges of gonadotropic hormone, and by undetectable levels of progesterone. The other type, the short luteal phase cycle, was characterized by a limited interval of secretion of progesterone (3.2 ± 0.5 days) and luteal phases of 8.1 ± 0.3 days. These intervals were shorter than the respective intervals observed in ovulatory cycles (13.1 ± 0.8 and 16.4 ± 0.8 days). Although gonadotropic hormones during the follicular and “luteal” phases of both types of irregular cycles appeared to be secreted at levels somewhat higher than those observed in ovulatory cycles when measured by radioimmunoassay, luteinizing hormone concentrations were similar when determined by the rat interstitial cell testosterone bioassay. Thirteen monkeys were injected during the summer with estradiol benzoate to determine if the absence of surges of gonadotropic hormone was due to decreased aenaitivity of the hypothalamopituitary axis. Ten animals secreted surges of luteinizing hormone and nine of these also secreted surges of follicle stimulating hormone. These results, as well as the low concentrations of estrogen, suggest that insufficient estrogen is secreted to evoke surges of gonadotropins in anovulatory cycles.

Conceptual Systems of Undergraduate Nursing Students as Compared with University Students at Large and Practicing Nurses

Phase I of a longitudinal study compared characteristics of abstractness-concreteness of junior-level baccalaureate nursing students at the University of Colorado with characteristics of practicing nurses and other college students. Three measurement instruments were used: Harvey's Conceptual Systems Test, the Role Survey, and the Self-Esteem Questionnaire. Nursing students were found to be more abstract than practicing nurses; no difference was found on abstractness-concreteness between nursing and the other students. More nursing students than practicing nurses or other students were found to have a need for structure and order. And, nursing students showed higher overall expanded role orientation than practicing nurses. Phases II and III of the study will examine nursing students' changes in abstractness-concreteness during the second and third years of study.

Multimedia Strategies for Improving the Effectiveness of Managerial Staff Meetings

The application of a communication training program designed to reduce nonproductive time and to increase the level of individual participation during managerial staff meetings is described. The program was applied to a group of 20 staff members of a 152-bed hospital and was evaluated over a two-year period. After a preliminary communication anlaysis, multimedia feedback techniques were employed to reduce individual communication errors. Performance analyses, audio- and video-tape recordings and playback were techniques employed. Results showing a 46% average time decrease in staff meetings and a 100% increase in individual participation during meetings are being maintained in the third year of study.

Periodic Evaluation of Outpatients

Two hundred patients, under long-term care in an urban hospital outpatient clinic, were re-evaluated with complete history, physical examination, and selected diagnostic procedures. The history and physical examinations were performed in the first and third years of study and the diagnostic procedures were done in each of the three years. New diagnoses were elucidated for 116 different patients throughout the study period. In many cases, the reevaluation affected the physicians’ management of the patients. Numerous problems arose in the processing of patients in the program. Costs are discussed, but cost effectiveness of the program cannot be determined without data to indicate whether disability and hospitalization are decreased for patients in periodic evaluation programs. The several factors mentioned and others must all be weighed 10 fully assess the value of the periodic health examination.

POVEZANOST MUZIČKOG OBRAZOVANJA I ISKUSTVA SA PORODIČNOM KULTURNO-PEDAGOŠKOM KLIMOM BUDUĆIH VASPITAČA

Nivo muzičke kulture studenata vaspitačkih škola koji umnogome utiče na njihove kompetencije kao budućih stručnjaka, često je uslovljen postojanjem prethodnog muzičkog obrazovanja, kao i nekim aspektima kulturno-pedagoške klime porodice. U ovom radu prikazani su rezultati istraživanja koje je za cilj imalo da ispita povezanost prethodnog formalnog muzičkog obrazovanja i neformalnog muzičkog iskustva sa nivoom kulturno-pedagoške klime porodice studenata, budućih vaspitača. Pored toga, istraživanje se bavilo i značajem pojedinih sociodemografskih faktora (stručna sprema roditelja i mesto odrastanja studenata) za kulturno-pedagošku klimu porodice i postojanje prethodnog muzičkog obrazovanja i iskustva.&#x0D; Uzorak istraživanja činilo je 225 studenata druge i treće godine Visoke škole strukovnih studija za obrazovanje vaspitača u Novom Sadu. Istraživanje je rađeno metodom neeksperimentalnog tipa, tehnikom anketiranja i skaliranja, instrumentom konstruisanim za potrebe ovog istraživanja. Rezultati istraživanja su pokazali da postoji korelacija između prethodnog muzičkog obrazovanja i nivoa kulturno-pedagoške klime porodice porekla, kao i da su i obrazovanje roditelja i mesto odrastanja studenata značajni faktori koji doprinose kulturno-pedagoškoj klimi porodice i razvijenosti muzičkog obrazovanja i/ili ranog muzičkog iskustva studenata.&#x0D; Ovaj podatak otvara prostor za osmišljavanje odgovarajućih programa za povećanje muzičkih kompetencija samih vaspitača, kako bi oni mogli pružiti blagovremenu muzičku stimulaciju deci u predškolskim ustanovama. Na taj način vaspitači bi mogli da utičući na kvalitet muzičkih aktivnosti dece, potencijalno posredno kompenzuju i nisku kulturno-pedagošku klimu porodice dece iz porodica sa nižim socijalnim, ekonomskim i obrazovnim statusom roditelja.

A comparative study of pre-service teachers' teaching efficacy beliefs before and after work-integrated learning: Part two

The study, which is grounded in Bandura's concept of self-efficacy, assessed the teaching efficacy beliefs of student teachers before and after completing six months of work-integrated learning. This was necessitated by research which shows that self-efficacy is an important aspect which influences a teacher's ability to teach as well as the effectiveness of that teaching. The first part of this study measured the perceived teaching efficacy of third-year teacher education students in three construct dimensions: student engagement, instructional strategies and classroom management. This part of the investigation was performed before the participants attended their work-integrated learning at secondary schools in South Africa. The sample consisted of 136 students, with 70 males and 66 females, respectively. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the student teachers. The results showed that at the end of their third year of study, the student teachers responded with largely positive teaching efficacy beliefs with regard to their future occupation. The participants’ perceptions of their teaching efficacy were however primarily based on and influenced by their observations of other teachers and lecturers. The theoretical grounding that they received from the institution at which they studied also contributed to their perceptions of their teaching efficacy. The second part of the study engaged the same group of students, then in their fourth year, but after having completed six months of work-integrated learning at South African secondary schools. A similar questionnaire was administered in order to determine the participants’ perceptions of work-integrated learning itself as well as the extent to which work-integrated learning had influenced their teaching efficacy beliefs. Intricate changes in the perceived teaching efficacy of the participants had indeed taken place and are analysed and discussed in this article.

PERIODIC EVALUATION OF OUTPATIENTS.

Two hundred patients, under long-term care in an urban hospital outpatient clinic, were re-evaluated with complete history, physical examination, and selected diagnostic procedures. The history and physical examinations were performed in the first and third years of study and the diagnostic procedures were done in each of the three years. New diagnoses were elucidated for 116 different patients throughout the study period. In many cases, the reevaluation affected the physicians’ management of the patients. Numerous problems arose in the processing of patients in the program. Costs are discussed, but cost effectiveness of the program cannot be determined without data to indicate whether disability and hospitalization are decreased for patients in periodic evaluation programs. The several factors mentioned and others must all be weighed 10 fully assess the value of the periodic health examination.

The Content of Practice Teaching in the First Three Years of Study and How to Guide It

Student practice teaching was introduced in the second and third years of study at the Velikie Luki Teacher Training Institute in 1957-1958, as well as at several other teacher training colleges in the Soviet Union. In the three years that have elapsed we have developed a fairly complete system of practice teaching for our students. We have established what it should consist of and how it should be organized. We believe our experience will prove useful to other teacher training institutes.