This exploratory study was designed to examine counseling skill acquisition for Rehabilitation Counseling education students enrolled in a distance education Practicum I course. The course utilized interactive television (ITV), Desire 2 Learn (D2L), a course management system, and some formalized group meetings for curriculum delivery. Students were asked to provide two audio recordings that served as pre-test and post-test measures of counseling skills. Recordings were analyzed by two evaluators. In addition to the recordings, students completed two survey instruments, an initial demographic questionnaire and a survey of attitudes towards the use of technology in the course that was completed along with the post-test recording. A comparison of pre-test and post-test means on the audio recordings revealed no significant change in counseling skills for students enrolled in this course. There was an increase in the number of empathetic responses, clarifying statements, paraphrasing, questions and closing statements on the post-test recordings but a decrease in attending responses and opening statements. Survey findings indicated that students perceived distance education to be an effective use of their time and improved the quality of course interactions. Students also reported that technology made interacting with their peers difficult and somewhat impersonal. Approximately half of the students agreed that they were comfortable with the course technology. A majority to students indicated they would have preferred a traditional approach to learning counseling skills. These findings have implications for counseling programs currently utilizing ITV or webconferencing to deliver clinical skills courses. It may have broader implications for other clinical skills training programs delivering training via other distance education modalities.

Card and Giuliano’s National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper on universal screening is discussed. This commentary provides a brief summary and critique of the article, proposes an explanation of the results in light of the author’s research on the role of nominations or screening tests in the gifted identification process, and discusses the methodological implications of this work for the field.

Place is highly connected with outdoor education; it is defined by the location of the learning process and it designates both practically and theoretically ways to foster to students a strong bond with natural places. Place attachment refers to this bond or, in other words, the love relationship, one can develop with a place. This research tries to investigate if there is a causal relationship between outdoor education and development of place attachment. A quasi-experimental design research was conducted to 31 teenagers, 12-13 years old. A questionnaire, for measuring the level of place attachment to the natural surroundings of their school, was distributed at two different timelines. Four different dimensions of place attachment were measured; place identity, place dependence, social bonding and nature bonding. The experimental group participated in the program “Attachment to my Local Natural Landscape”, which was developed especially for this study and promoted direct connection with the land, through outdoor activities. The control group received no intervention. The results demonstrated that the program influenced only the female participants of the experimental group. No significant differences were indicated between the two groups after the implementation of the program. The small sample and the short length program implemented were important limitations of this study, which demand further future research to extract more clear results.

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop a targeted health information package for women to use specifically as a reference during their return to health following a hysterectomy and to subsequently test its usefulness. Method: A quasi-experimental design measured the effectiveness of this package in improving the health and satisfaction outcomes of women compared to those who received the standard information. Women undergoing a hysterectomy for benign reasons who were between the ages of 20 and 60 years were included. There were 55 participants recruited into the control group and 44 into the intervention group. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire both prior to and 14-16 weeks post-surgery. Results: The study found that there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups for their self-reported health, the time taken to return to usual activities and the number of symptoms experienced after surgery. Clinical improvements, however, were noted in the intervention group. A statistically significant difference was found between the groups for the amount written information that they would have preferred for their recovery (X2 8.26 df2 p=0.011). Ninety percent (90%) of the women who received the intervention wanted the same amount of written information to take home whilst 40% of the control group would have preferred more written information. This indicated a positive effect from the intervention. An unexpected finding in this study was that almost 40% of both groups wanted more verbal information and discussion prior to discharge. Conclusion: A valuable aspect of this study was its usefulness in identifying the clinical importance of discussion as part of the discharge process. These findings will be important for health professionals to utilise in their clinical practice for women undergoing a hysterectomy.

A pesquisa permeia a contabilidade e autogestão existentes nos empreendimentos econômicos solidários, em que o modelo de gestão é democrático e participativo e requer ferramentas contábeis compatíveis com suas características. O objetivo é verificar se a aplicação de técnica de ensino-aprendizagem contábil baseada nas rotinas gerenciais e demandas dos usuários contribui com a decodificação da informação contábil, colaborando com o controle gerencial dos empreendimentos. Assim, foi feito experimento em que no pré-teste foi analisado o entendimento contábil no que tange ao conteúdo informacional, sua utilidade e domínio. No pós-teste foi feita análise dos efeitos da aplicação da técnica sobre esses entendimentos. O estudo foi realizado com 16 cooperativas pertencentes à Incubadora Social da Universidade Federal de Goiás e a coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevistas estruturadas, observações e análise de registros. Estas foram transcritas e analisadas pelo método de análise de conteúdo, que consistiu em organizar categorias conceituais representantes do entendimento contábil testado, designada pela ocorrência ou expressão nos dados transcritos. A análise dos resultados foi feita pelo teste não-paramétrico, Postos Sinalizados de Wilcoxon. Os resultados apresentados não demonstraram diferenças significativas com relação ao entendimento contábil dos diretores e não diretores antes e depois da intervenção. Limitações como amostra e a rotatividade de pessoas na cooperativa denotam a necessidade de haver formações recorrentes para os cooperados. Para futuras pesquisas fica o tempo de curso ser prolongado permitindo a participação recorrente e de mais cooperados. Como implicações práticas têm-se a percepção dos cooperados na necessidade de ter e entender as ferramentas e controles para administrar à cooperativa. / The research permeates the existing accounting and self-management in solidarity economic enterprises in the management model is democratic and participatory and requires accounting tools compatible with its features. The objective is to verify whether the application of accounting teaching-learning technique based on management routines and demands of users contribute to the decoding of accounting information, collaborating with the management control of enterprises. So it was done experiment in which the pre-test was analyzed accounting understanding with respect to information content, its usefulness and domain. In the post-test was made analysis of the effects of the technical application of these understandings. The study was conducted with 16 cooperatives belonging to the Social Incubator of the Federal University of Goiás and the data collection was carried out through structured interviews, observations, and analysis of records. These were transcribed and analyzed by the method of analysis of content, which consisted of representatives of the organizing conceptual categories accounting understanding tested, designated by the occurrence or expression in the transcribed data. The analysis was done by non-parametric test, Wilcoxon Signed Posts. The results presented showed no significant differences with respect to the accounting understanding of the directors and not officers before and after the intervention. Limitations as sample and turnover of people in the cooperative denote the need for recurrent training for the members. For future research is the time course be extended allowing the applicant and more cooperative participation. How practical implications have the perception of the cooperative members on the need to have and understand the tools and controls to manage the cooperative.

This study compared the effectiveness, in terms of mathematical achievement and mathematics self-efficacy, of online homework to textbook homework over an entire semester for 145 students enrolled in multiple sections of college algebra at a large community college. A quasi-experimental, posttest design was used to analyze the effect on mathematical achievement, as measured by a final exam. A pretest-posttest design was used to analyze the effect on mathematics self-efficacy, as measured by the Mathematics Self-efficacy Scale. The control group completed their homework using the textbook and the treatment group completed similar homework using an online homework system developed by the textbook publisher. All class sections followed a common syllabus, schedule, and homework list and completed a common, departmental final exam. Classroom observations were also used as a way to establish the similarity between groups. The results of the study found that while the treatment group generally scored higher on the final exam, no significant difference existed between the mathematical achievement of the control and treatment groups. Both the control and treatment group did experience significant improvements in their mathematics self-efficacy, but neither group demonstrated more improvement than the other. When students were divided based on incoming math skill level, analysis showed that low-skilled students who used online homework exhibited significantly higher mathematical achievement than low-skilled students who used textbook homework. Exploratory analysis also showed that more students with low incoming skill levels and more repeating students received a passing grade when using online homework than did their higher-skilled, first-time counterparts, although the differences were not significant. Based on this study it appears as if online homework is just as effective as textbook homework in helping students learn college algebra and in improving students' mathematics self-efficacy. Online homework may be even more effective for helping the large population of college algebra students who enroll in the course with inadequate prerequisite math skills. Instructors and researchers should consider the possibility that online homework can successfully help certain populations of students develop understanding better than traditional approaches. This study has implications for mathematics instructors and for online homework system developers.

ABSTRACT Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate and study the effects of a tailored behavioural skills intervention on the amount of FaR® prescribed, and to describe self-efficacy over time for prescribing FaR® in participants from primary health care units. Method: A quasi-experimental single-case design with multiple–baseline across time and settings was used. Each baseline had an ABC design, baseline (A), intervention (B) and post-intervention (C). The intervention was introduced across two different PHCUs at different times. It was seven participants included. Primary outcome measurements were repeatedly collected for participants in settings. The method was based on behavioural medicine principles. Key concepts from SCT theory was used in the intervention. Result: The result seemed to demonstrate an effect on the prescribing behaviour in terms of a slightly increased amount of prescribed FaR® during the intervention phase, even though not for all participants. It was no or short latency for the changed behaviour during intervention. Adopted behaviour was not maintained in the post-intervention phase. Self-efficacy for prescribing FaR® varied. The variation of overall self-efficacy between baseline and post-intervention was from -10% to 81%. Conclusion: This study indicated that a tailored skills training programme might have the potential to change the prescribing behaviour among professionals in primary health care. An intervention lasting for eleven weeks seemed not enough to maintain the achieved performance. No conclusion could be done on self-efficacy. Keywords: Quasi-experimental single-case design, physical activity on prescription FaR®, behavioural medicine, implementation, primary care.

The aim of this thesis was to assess the effects of providing community education and training to healthcare workers to improve community response, healthcare and support for rape survivors in the Kilombero district of Tanzania. The overall design of the project was to begin with an exploratory study (Paper I) to establish the community’s perceptions towards sexual violence and their perceived recommendations to address this issue. Using a structured questionnaire, the community’s knowledge and attitudes towards sexual violence were determined along with their associations with demographic factors (Paper II). Papers III and IV assessed the effect of healthcare workers’ training and a community information package, respectively, using a controlled quasi-experimental design. The findings highlighted the social norms and variety of barriers that impacted negatively on the survivors’ care-seeking from support services and health outcomes. Increasing age and higher education were associated with better knowledge and less accepting attitudes towards sexual violence. Training on the management of sexual violence was effective in improving healthcare workers’ knowledge and practice but not attitude. Knowledge on sexual violence among the communities in the intervention and comparison areas increased significantly over the study period; from 57.3% to 80.6% in the intervention area and from 55.5% to 71.9% in the comparison area. In the intervention area, women had significantly less knowledge than men at baseline (53% Vs 64%, p<.001).There was a reduction, though not significantly, in acceptance attitudes from 28.1% to 21.8% in favor of women. In conclusion, the current intervention provides evidence that healthcare workers’ training and community education is effective in improving knowledge but not attitudes towards sexual violence. The findings have potential implications for interventions aimed at preventing and responding to violence. The broader societal norms that hinder rape disclosure need to be re-addressed.

Using a quasi-experimental design, the author examined the effects of the Professional Development School Partnerships Deliver Success educational model on student academic achievement in science and mathematics in 12 high-needs, urban elementary, middle, and high schools in the southeastern United States. Student achievement was measured for first to eighth grade students by the State Criterion-Referenced Competency Test and for 11th-grade students by the State High School Graduation Test. 6 ANOVAs were used to compare baseline and year 1 performance data. Student ethnicity was used to disaggregate the data to investigate the extent, if any, to which achievement gaps narrowed. For the different ethnic groups, the small changes in proportion passing across the first year of implementation were not correlated with mean scale score changes as measured by Hedges’s g effect sizes. This result has national implications for the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 policy in terms of reporting results. Three of the 6 ANOVAs showed significant change in achievement means for the PDS schools when using PDS school data only. However, when data from both PDS and matched comparison schools were analyzed, the overall results indicated no statistically significant gains in mathematics and science means for the professional development schools in relation to the comparison schools for the first year of professional development school implementation.

abstract: Public Mathematics Education is not at its best in the United States and technology is often seen as part of the solution to address this issue. With the existence of high-speed Internet, mobile technologies, ever-improving computer programming and graphing, the concepts of learning management systems (LMS’s) and online learning environments (OLE’s), technology-based learning has elevated to a whole new level. The new generation of online learning enables multi-modal utilization, and, interactivity with instant feedback, among the other precious characteristics identified in this study. The studies that evaluated the effects of online learning often measured the immediate impacts on student achievement; there are very few studies that have investigated the longer-term effects in addition to the short term ones. In this study, the effects of the new generation Online Learning Activity Based (OLAB) Curriculum on middle school students’ achievement in mathematics at the statewide high-stakes testing system were examined. The results pointed out that the treatment group performed better than the control group in the short term (immediately after the intervention), medium term (one year after the intervention), and long term (two years after the intervention) and that the results were statistically significant in the short and long terms. Within the context of this study, the researcher also examined some of the factors affecting student achievement while using the OLE as a supplemental resource, namely, the time and frequency of usage, professional development of the facilitators, modes of instruction, and fidelity of implementation. While the researcher detected positive correlations between all of the variables and student achievement, he observed that school culture is indeed a major feature creating the difference attributed to the treatment group teachers. The researcher discovered that among the treatment group teachers, the ones who spent more time on professional development, used the OLE with greater fidelity and attained greater gains in student achievement and interestingly they came from the same schools. This verified the importance of school culture in teachers’ attitudes toward making the most of the resources made available to them so as to achieve better results in terms of student success in high stakes tests. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Curriculum and Instruction 2016