Unfavorable Experiences Research Articles

Pre-Service Teachers’ Reactions to Education Teacher Performance Assessment

The purpose of study was to explore the experiences of teacher candidates about being assessed by the Education Teacher Preparation Assessment (edTPA) requirements during their student teaching practicum. Fifty-six elementary and adolescent majors working for a Master of Science Degree in Education participated in the study by responding to open-ended survey questions. The study aimed at answering two research questions: (1) What are the challenges/concerns that the student teachers report about their experiences of edTPA during their student teaching placements? (2) Do teacher candidates suggest edTPA remains as part of the teacher education program requirement? The findings of the study indicate that the teacher candidates are adamant about their unfavorable experiences of edTPA implementation. They expressed that they found edTPA requirements to be an additional burden, not beneficial, a distraction, and they suggest that edTPA should be discarded from current teacher education programing. While such findings call for considerations to revisit aspects of edTPA for improvement, further studies are suggested to add insight into the nature of edTPA implementation.

Completing Studies in Alternative Ways in Adult Education. ‘Who has told me that I cannot ...?’

Every fourth young adult in Sweden leaves upper secondary school without complete grades (Statistiska CentralbyrA¥n, 2017). These young adults without a diploma are at risk of being marginalized (Hugo, 2007; Lundahl et al. 2015). Therefore, all attempts to support these students’ needs using alternative methods to help them complete their studies are of great importance for both society and the individuals. With this study, we aim to shed light on how participants with different functional variations and overall unfavourable school experiences in a project-based alternative study program in upper secondary education perceive the factors of success. Moreover, we want to understand the project’s outcome based on contextual factors. To do this, we use an abductive content analysis of project documents, field notes, and interviews with five students. Our analysis follows three steps. Firstly, we identify three major themes expressed by the participants as success factors concerning ways to attend and complete their secondary education. Secondly, we identify how contextual factors can explain the project’s outcome. Finally, we draw conclusions on how motivation theory, motivation strategies, and factors in the learning environment can explain the project’s outcome. The overall conclusions are (a) students in this target group need to participate in negotiations concerning their adaptation in their studies, (b) a symmetrical interpersonal relationship between teachers and students is a necessity, and (c) beneficial learning environments are essential for these students’ learning. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.18.7. 10

A positive student experience of collaborative project work in upper-year undergraduate chemistry

Demands are placed on undergraduate courses in chemistry to develop transferable skills, such as teamwork, alongside subject content and technical skills. Such skills can be developed by implementing pedagogies which involve students working together. Such pedagogies can, however, pose various challenges, including unfavourable student perceptions and experiences including the occurrence of dysfunctional student teams. This article presents a research-informed group project assignment delivered as part of an upper-year undergraduate chemistry course which has been found to overcome these challenges. The instructional activity is characterized by a high degree of structure and support for teamwork. Student perceptions, collected by survey and interview, and peer- and self-evaluations of contributions to the work of the groups reveal that students have experienced the activity positively. Many perceived disadvantages of working in a team to complete a project were either reportedly not experienced or could be overcome by the students, while perceived advantages were often reported to be experienced. Dysfunction within teams did not represent a significant issue.

Customer complaint behaviour (CCB) in the retail sector: why do customers voice their complaints on Facebook?

ABSTRACTWith the increasing usage of platforms such as Facebook, understanding customer complaint behaviour (CCB) in the context of the social media is imperative for any businesses. Of the two billion users on Facebook, more than half of its users have shared their product-related experiences with others on the platform. This paper aims to explore CCB in the context of social media in regards to customers’ unfavourable buying experiences in the retail sector. A qualitative research approach and 12 in-depth interviews were conducted. The findings indicate that the respondents’ initial contact with the retailer directly resulted in service recovery failures and undesirable outcomes. Such double deviation then leads to frustration and uncertainty of the situation, which furthermore led to the respondents’ need to voice their complaint by sharing their unfavourable experiences on Facebook. The main reasons for the respondents to voice their complaints on the platform is to vent frustration, to share their unfavourable experiences, a need to be seen, understood and respected, to seek revenge by damaging the retailer’s reputation as well as offering the retailer a chance to improve. A proper way to manage complaints, in which frontline employees can solve the problem before the customers feel the need to turn to the social media, is crucial. However, once the complaints are voiced on Facebook, it is imperative to respond to the complaints and acknowledge the problem rather than ignoring the situation.

University lecturers’ experiences of teaching in English in an international classroom

ABSTRACTDemand for English-taught courses (ETCs) is growing exponentially in non-English speaking universities. These courses require new teaching competences of lecturers, most obviously English language proficiency and intercultural skills. Given the high workloads academics are currently burdened with, it can be expected that this form of teaching is presenting them with a considerable challenge. Despite this, little is known about their ETC teaching experiences. This study addressed this issue by examining and comparing beginning and experienced ETC lecturers’ perspectives on their practices. The study was conducted at a university in Taiwan. Ten academics were interviewed in-depth, some two to three times over a two-year period. The study found the two groups’ experiences were polar opposites. This paper argues an awareness of English as a lingua franca accompanied by student-centered teacher concerns led to the senior cohort’s positive ETC teaching experiences, while a lack thereof gave rise to the beginning lecturers’ unfavorable experiences.

The Uses of Storytelling in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner

In his The Kite Runner (2003), Khaled Hosseini uses storytelling for at least two purposes: to show how the first-person narrator yearns to alleviate or at least control the profoundly destructive impact of a single past experience on his adult mind and to show how, through such a recollection and reconstruction process, the narrator feels satisfied with his atonement by the end of his narration. Storytelling helps Hosseini’s narrator to reconfigure his unfavourable experiences, which act both as the central concern of the narrative plot and as a shared quality weaving the central characters together. Cognitive narratologists, such as Monika Fludernik and David Herman, consider representation of experience an important basic element of narrativity or the qualities that make a narrative accepted as narrative. By focusing on his personal and human-like experiences, the protagonist Amir’s storytelling not only functions as a significant tool to alleviate his intense suffering, but also facilitates the readers’ emotional engagement in Hosseini’s storyworld.

A nurse researcher's guide to reflexive interviewing.

In a wider doctoral study related to unfavourable experiences of nursing students studying abroad, the researcher undertook a reflexive interview to reduce the potential for bias. To discuss a method for conducting reflexive interviews and recommend their use to nurse researchers. A reflexive interview was undertaken to reduce bias and pilot an original interview instrument. A senior researcher interviewed the researcher using original questions that would be used to interview participants in the wider doctoral study. The questions required validation and therefore the reflexive interview acted as a pilot. This process acted as a learning opportunity for the researcher, improving interview skills such as keeping in mind the respondent's feelings, paying attention to the ratio of eye-contact to note-taking and consciously slowing the speed of asking questions. Biases were revealed through the listening guide, a reflexive method of analysis underpinned by experiential education. These included the beliefs that sending institutions insufficiently prepare nursing students to study abroad, such trips may not benefit the host locations and students study abroad merely to have an adventure. The reflexive interview exposed implicit biases and enabled the researcher to pilot an original interview instrument. The recommendation for this reflexive method is justified in that it enables introspection, reduces bias and encourages social transformation.

Implanted ports in adults with primary immunodeficiency.

We sought to learn more about the utility and safety of implanted ports for monthly immunoglobulin G infusions in adults with primary immune deficiency. We reviewed charts of adults who were referred to a single practice during the interval 2006-2016 for evaluation and management of frequent or severe upper and lower respiratory tract and other infections, subnormal total immunoglobulin G or immunoglobulin G subclasses, and suboptimal responses to polyvalent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccinations; were diagnosed to have primary immune deficiency; and were advised to undergo immunoglobulin G therapy. Of 606 patients, 20 (19 women, 1 man; 16 immunoglobulin G subclass deficiency, 4 common variable immunodeficiency; 3.3%) needed implanted ports because they had inadequate upper extremity superficial venous access. Median age at diagnosis was 48 years (range: 32-65 years). In total, 17 of the 20 patients preferred monthly in-office intravenous immunoglobulin G treatment to weekly at-home subcutaneous immunoglobulin G. The other three patients could not be treated with subcutaneous immunoglobulin G (unfavorable self-treatment experiences and insurance limitations). Median duration of treatment via implanted ports was 73 months (range: 10-153 months). In the man, the first implanted port was replaced after 26 months due to catheter fracture of unknown cause. His second port has been used for 112 months. We observed no other port-related failure, infections, thrombosis, or other adverse events. The utility and safety of implanted ports in adults with primary immune deficiency for whom subcutaneous immunoglobulin G therapy is not desired or feasible are probably similar to those of ports in patients without primary immune deficiency.

Low doses of prenatal ethanol exposure and maternal separation alter HPA axis function and ethanol consumption in adult male rats

Adverse maternal behaviors during pregnancy and unfavorable postnatal experiences during development are associated with an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders, as well as, a vulnerability to alcohol addiction in adulthood. Here, we examined the effects of combined ethanol exposure during late pregnancy and postnatal maternal separation (MS) on HPA responsiveness, anxiety behavior and preference for alcohol consumption in adult male rats. Animals exposed to both conditions revealed a decrease in blood levels of allopregnanolone accompanied by increased anxiety behavior. In addition, basal blood levels of corticosterone were markedly decreased in all experimental groups while increases in the foot-shock-induced corticosterone levels were more pronounced in MS animals. Finally, evaluating EtOH drinking behavior, MS animals exhibited a remarkable EtOH preference even at low doses (0.1–1%). Altogether, these data suggest that adverse conditions, alone or in combination, may alter anxiety–like states as well as modify behavior towards alcohol consumption.

Can a better understanding of WIC customer experiences increase benefit redemption and help control program food costs?

ABSTRACTThe Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program benefits nutritionally vulnerable populations by providing them with vouchers to buy healthful foods. In the retail sphere, the WIC program faces 2 challenges to maximizing its effectiveness: ensuring a positive retail experience that leads to full redemption of benefit vouchers and controlling food costs paid by the program. Unfavorable retail experiences may result in reductions in WIC benefit redemption, switching to other stores (even if expensive), or program dropout. We find that these WIC customer experiences depend on retailer size, store crowding, employee–customer interactions, and retailers’ WIC program management. WIC vendor managers can set normative retailer benchmarks of what is expected for WIC customer experiences resulting in WIC participant retention, thereby nudging underperforming retailers to improve and rewarding already excellent performing retailers.

Insights into the Experiences of Treatment for An Eating Disorder in Men: A Qualitative Study of Autobiographies.

Eating disorders are increasingly recognized as a problem for men but help-seeking is low and little is known about their treatment experiences. This paper sought to determine the treatment experiences of men who have suffered from an eating disorder using autobiographical data. Inclusion criteria were autobiographies of men who had experienced an eating disorder and sought any form of treatment for this, written in the English language, published between 1995 and 2015, and available for purchase in 2016. The search resulted in six books that were thematically analyzed. Analysis of data resulted in two broad themes (1. Positive experiences; 2. Negative experiences) with sub-themes. With regards to the first theme, factors such as concern of staff members, therapist’s expertise (in treating eating disorders in men), and a collaborative treatment approach were considered favorable for treatment. In contrast to the first theme, apathy of staff members, the authors’ own negative preconceptions, treatment providers being perceived as prioritizing financial concerns, perceived as incompetent and judgmental behavior of therapist(s), and time limitations of sessions were considered unfavorable treatment experiences. In this study, the perceived success of treatment depended on therapist’s features and the form of treatment provided. Further research examining these is indicated.

The Role of Sexuality in Establishing Long-Term Relationships in Late Life

Research on sexuality and ageing shows that the sexuality of aging people is shaped by the accumulation of prior sexual experiences and other favourable or unfavourable life experiences (Carpenter & DeLamater, 2012). For instance, partnered sexuality may cease due to the loss of a (sexual) partner, particularly for women (England & McClintock, 2009). The aim of the present qualitative study was to examine how sexual expectations shaped the dating strategies and the experiences of divorced/widowed people aged 60 and over who searched for a long-term partner via dating websites. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with nine heterosexual Czechs (Mage=62,9 years, five women) who were recruited via two Czech dating websites. Data was collected and analysed with the grounded theory method. Each recorded interview was transcribed and analysed before a follow-up interview. This approach led a similar proportion of men and women in order to acquire a broad range of experiences with dating.

Researcher identity and childhood memories in a study of vulnerable children in Swaziland

Contrary to conventional wisdom, which construes scientific research as objective and value-free, this article foregrounds my social identity as a female, who grew up (and was schooled) in a deep rural, impoverished context of Swaziland, and my subjective childhood memories in shaping a qualitative-narrative study of six vulnerable children in a rural primary school in Swaziland. The article denotes the significance of productive remembering as a critical basis for knowledge acquisition and production. It contributes to ongoing avant-garde theorising about the centrality of researcher’s reflexivity and positionality in the scientific processes of knowledge acquisition and production. I show how subjective remembering was at the heart of the conceptual, theoretical and methodological decisions undertaken in this study, and how, almost 30 years later, the vulnerable children’s schooling experiences still mirrored my own childhood memories about schooling in this context. Therefore, highlighting the pervasive nature and, indeed, cross-generational extent of the vulnerable children’s unfavourable schooling experiences. Just like my childhood memories and identities, the vulnerable children’s schooling experiences were entangled in complex, enduring and discursively regulated power-laden social relationships. Hence, the article recommends foregrounding and addressing vulnerable children’s identities and their power positioning within social relationships in their contexts as a basis upon which strategies for improving the quality of vulnerable children’s rural schooling experiences should be founded.

Accessing Faith-Based Organizations Using Public Transportation: A Qualitative and GIS Study

Nondriving aging adults are at risk of experiencing mobility barriers that inhibit access to important community resources for managing health and wellbeing. This multimethod study explores bus transportation experiences of older adults who live in extended stay hotels and use faith-based organizations to access resources. Interviews from 17 nondriving older adults were analyzed for perspectives about using faith-based organizations and residents' experiences navigating to faith-based organizations through available bus transportation in their communities. Residents described both favorable and unfavorable experiences when reaching out for help from faith-based organizations. Although they report reliance on faith-based organizations for a variety of resources, residents were challenged by an ineffective bus system that interfered with resource accessibility. Suggestions for improving bus transit systems and providing alternative, aging-friendly transportation options are discussed.

Improving service quality through customer journey analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a framework based on customer journeys for a structured portrayal of service delivery from the customer’s point of view. The paper also introduces customer journey analysis (CJA) for empirical investigation of individual service experiences in a multichannel environment.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents case studies for onboarding new customers on broadband services. CJA starts with modeling of the service process in terms of touchpoints. The individual customer journeys are reconstructed through methodological triangulation of interviews, diary studies, and process tracking.FindingsThe paper provides empirical insights into individual customer journeys. Four types of deviations during service delivery are identified: occurrence of ad hoc touchpoints, irregularities in the sequence of logically connected touchpoints, occurrence of failures in touchpoints, and missing touchpoints. CJA seems effective in revealing problematic and incoherent service delivery that may result in unfavorable customer experiences.Practical implicationsFor a service company, the proposed framework may serve as a unifying language to ease cross-departmental communication and approach service quality in a systematic way. CJA discloses the gap between the planned and actual service delivery and can be used as a tool for service improvement.Originality/valueThe framework provides concepts, definitions, and a visual notation to structure and manage services in terms of customer journeys. CJA is a novel method for empirical studies of the service delivery process and the associated customer experience.

Burnout and health behaviors in health professionals from seven European countries.

Within an underlying health-impairing process, work stressors exhaust employees' mental and physical resources and lead to exhaustion/burnout and to health problems, with health-impairing behaviors being one of the potential mechanisms, linking burnout to ill health. The study aims to explore the associations between burnout and fast food consumption, exercise, alcohol consumption and painkiller use in a multinational sample of 2623 doctors, nurses and residents from Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Croatia and Macedonia, adopting a cross-national approach. Data are part of the international cross-sectional quantitative ORCAB survey. The measures included the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Health Behaviors Questionnaire. Burnout was significantly positively associated with higher fast food consumption, infrequent exercise, higher alcohol consumption and more frequent painkiller use in the full sample, and these associations remained significant after the inclusion of individual differences factors and country of residence. Cross-national comparisons showed significant differences in burnout and health behaviors, and some differences in the statistical significance and magnitude (but not the direction) of the associations between them. Health professionals from Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria reported the most unfavorable experiences. Burnout and risk health behaviors among health professionals are important both in the context of health professionals' health and well-being and as factors contributing to medical errors and inadequate patient safety. Organizational interventions should incorporate early identification of such behaviors together with programs promoting health and aimed at the reduction of burnout and work-related stress.

The Usability of Diabetes MAP: A Web-delivered Intervention for Improving Medication Adherence.

BackgroundWeb-delivered interventions are a feasible approach to health promotion. However, if a website is poorly designed, difficult to navigate, and has technical bugs, it will not be used as intended. Usability testing prior to evaluating a website’s benefits can identify barriers to user engagement and maximize future use.ObjectiveWe developed a Web-delivered intervention called Diabetes Medication Adherence Promotion (Diabetes MAP) and used a mixed-methods approach to test its usability prior to evaluating its efficacy on medication adherence and glycemic control in a randomized controlled trial.MethodsWe recruited English-speaking adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from an academic medical center who were prescribed diabetes medications. A trained research assistant administered a baseline survey, collected medical record information, and instructed participants on how to access Diabetes MAP. Participants were asked to use the site independently for 2 weeks and to provide survey and/or focus group feedback on their experience. We analyzed survey data descriptively and qualitative data thematically to identify participants’ favorable and unfavorable experiences, characterize usability concerns, and solicit recommendations for improving Diabetes MAP.ResultsEnrolled participants (N=32) were an average of 51.7 ± 11.8 years old, 66% (21/32) female, 60% (19/32) non-Hispanic White, 88% (28/32) had more than 12 years of education, half had household incomes over $50,000, and 78% (25/32) were privately insured. Average duration of diagnosed diabetes was 7.8 ± 6.3 years, average A1c was 7.4 ± 2.0, and 38% (12/32) were prescribed insulin. Of enrolled participants, 91% (29/32) provided survey and/or focus group feedback about Diabetes MAP. On the survey, participants agreed website information was clear and easy to understand, but in focus groups they reported navigational challenges and difficulty overcoming user errors (eg, entering data in an unspecified format). Participants also reported difficulty accessing the site and, once accessed, using all of its features. Participants recommended improving the site’s user interface to facilitate quick, efficient access to all features and content.ConclusionsAdults with T2DM rated the Diabetes MAP website favorably on surveys, but focus groups gave more in-depth feedback on the user experience (eg, difficulty accessing the site, maximizing all of the site’s features and content, and recovering from errors). Appropriate usability testing methods ensure Web-delivered interventions work as intended and any benefits are not diminished by usability challenges.

The Essence of Notetaking

<p>The study specifically attempted to describe the essence of note-taking and the favorable and unfavorable experiences of the students who take and do not take notes. This work employed a qualitative phenomenological approach to explore and describe the experiences of two groups of college students who take and do not take notes. They came from the departments of Liberal Arts, Engineering, Pharmacy and HRM (Hotel and Restaurant Management) of the University of the Immaculate Conception, Davao City. The first group was composed of eight students who keep the habit of note-taking. The second group is composed of eight students without the habit of note-taking. The basis of selection of students to comprise the grouping was purposive. It was determined in the initial invitation that they either take or do not take notes and with the gauge of their open attitude to expressing or communicating their experiences clearly. The results of the study revealed that note-takers consider notes to activate the mind, to make learning personal, to help in test preparations, to complete their learning materials, and to work well with the visual and kinesthetic learners. On the other hand, non-notetakers unveiled their positions that notes were limiting and limited, burdensome, time-consuming, and unnecessary for auditory learners. The finding revealed that notetaking is both necessary and depending on the types of learners. For the visual and kinesthetic, it is indispensable; but for auditory learner it is not needed it. The study suggests that teaching strategies must adjust with the types of learners a mentor has. In addition, notetaking must not be a compulsory requirement of all students; it shall rather be taken just as one of the multiple ways of learning.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Education, essence, notetaking, qualitative, focused group discussion, learners, Philippines</p>

Inflation Targeting Experience: Lessons for Ukraine

In the past three decades, many advanced market and emerging market economies have modernized their monetary policy frameworks. We research the experience of these economies for lessons relevant to the monetary policy in Ukraine, which has recently embarked on a similar modernization program. Most countries we study have adopted some form of inflation targeting, given unfavorable experiences with previous regimes based on money and exchange rate, however with the exchange rate continuing to play an important role. Most of the pillars of effective IT monetary policy developed over time through determined efforts led by central banks, and the initial conditions did not matter for success. Countries have experienced numerous challenges with regards to communication, credibility, policy transmission, and fiscal dominance. Overcoming these challenges gave rise to new practices, which now form the stateof- the art monetary policy, irrespective of whether it is called an IT regime. A general lesson for Ukraine (as well as other future modernizers and IT adopters) is that determination and speed in building the pillars of IT policy is paramount for success and credibility of the new framework.

Optimal life cycle portfolio choice with variable annuities offering liquidity and investment downside protection

This paper assesses optimal life cycle consumption and portfolio allocations when households have access to Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit (GMWB) variable annuities over their adult lifetimes. Our contribution is to evaluate demand for these products which provide access to equity investments with money-back guarantees, longevity risk hedging, and partially-refundable premiums, in a realistic world with uncertain labor and capital market income as well as mortality risk. Others have predicted that consumers will only purchase such annuities late in life, but we show that they will optimally purchase GMWBs prior to retirement, consistent with their recent rapid uptick in sales. Additionally, many individuals optimally adjust their portfolios and consumption streams along the way by taking cash withdrawals from the products. These products can substantially enhance consumption, by up to 10% for those who experience highly unfavorable experiences in the stock market.