University of Macau / Faculty of Science and Technology / Department of Computer and Information Science

Acute and chronic pain conditions have a significant impact on the individual who is experiencing pain and resolution of pain continues to present a challenge to nurses and other health care professionals. It is widely accepted that pain education for nurses is necessary if nurses are to deliver effective, evidenced based pain care. Although it has been shown that participation in pain education improves nurses’ pain knowledge, very little is known about the way in which nurses use their improved pain knowledge in their practice or about the conditions that promote application of that pain knowledge. The aims of this study are (a) to explore the transfer of pain knowledge from a continuing education nursing course into practice, and (b) to investigate the impact that the nurses’ participation in action research has on their ability to improve aspects of their pain practice. Participants are 14 registered nurses who successfully completed two accredited pain course units as part of their BSc / BN degree in Nursing. The nurses formed two groups of inquiry, who used both their participation in the pain course and in action research to investigate and change aspects of pain assessment and management practices within their clinical areas. The inquiry groups were located in two different Health Board locations in Scotland. Following involvement in a pain course, the strategies used by the participating nurses to enhance their pain assessment and management practices are examined. Qualitative data was obtained through individual and group interviews, and analysis of significant incidents. An action research approach contributes to an understanding of conditions that promote application of pain knowledge into practice following participation in the course, and focuses on the possibilities for action and improvement of pain care. The findings from this study demonstrate how nurses develop a more patient-centred approach to pain care and become more accountable for their pain practice. The research also identifies a range of strategies used by nurses to improve collaborative working practices with their colleagues that help to reduce some of the obstacles to delivery of effective pain care. From the outcomes of the inquiry, it is evident that these nurses’ participation in action research has increased the possibilities of their involvement in pain practice interventions. Conditions are created through pain course participation and involvement in action research, which supports nurses’ transfer of pain knowledge into practice Additionally, findings demonstrate the potential action research has for identifying problems with pain care and its potential for helping to develop relevant and workable solutions for improving aspects of care. The findings from this study are significant because they inform teaching and learning approaches which can be used with pain education that helps to prepare nurses to deliver more effective pain care within their health care settings.

The purpose of the study was to identify factors affecting student retention at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia. It has been estimated that 35% of university students leave higher education before completing their studies (Al-Saud, 2006). This study was guided by Tinto’s (1975) Student Integration Theory. Berger and Braxton (1998, p. 104) have stated that Tinto’s integration model ‘has been the focus of much empirical research and has near-paradigmatic status in the study of the college student departure.’ This theory is longitudinal and dynamic and views student retention decisions largely as the results of interactions between the student and the academic and social systems of the institution (Tinto, 1975, 1993). This study used a mixed methods approach. Using the terminology of Creswell (2003), the appropriate description of the overall design of this study is a mixed methods concurrent triangulation strategy. This means that ‘qualitative and quantitative data are collected and analyzed at the same time. Priority is usually equal and given to both forms of data. Data analysis is usually separate, and integration usually occurs at the data interpretation stage’ (Hanson et al., 2005, p. 229). This strategy was selected because it allows the findings to be confirmed, cross-validated, and corroborated within a single study (Creswell, 2003). This strategy consisted of two phases. The first phase was the quantitative approach. Quantitative data were collected from 414 freshman students using two questionnaires administered on two occasions and from the university admission office. The quantitative data were analysed using a structural equation modelling (SEM) technique using the AMOS software package. The results of the SEM indicated that Tinto’s model were not useful in predicting the Saudi freshman student retention process. The variables in the model explained only 30 percent of the variance in student retention. The results of the SEM indicated that four of the nine hypotheses proposed in Tinto’s model were supported by statistically significant results. Moreover, only three variables had direct effects on retention. The largest direct effect on retention was accounted for by initial goal and institutional commitment (0.49), followed by later goal and institutional commitment and pre-college schooling as measured by high school scores (0.10). The second phase of this study utilised a qualitative approach. Qualitative data were obtained from three sources: non-persister students, persister students, and staff members. Seventeen non-persister students were interviewed over the phone; 15 persister students were interviewed using a focus group technique; while staff members were asked to complete a survey. Of the 200 surveys distributed, 37 were returned including responses from 16 lecturers, 12 administrators, 5 librarians and 4 academic advisors. A comparison was made between those students who persisted and those who dropped out using constructs from Tinto’s theory. In relation to students’ levels of goal and institutional commitment, it was found that persister students appeared to be more motivated and to have higher levels of goal commitment than non-persister students. Similarly, persister students appeared to have higher levels of institutional commitment than non-persister students, in part it is suggested, due to the fact that the majority of persister students had been able to select their desired majors whereas the majority of non-persister students had not. In relation to the students’ levels of academic integration, there was no significant difference between both groups of students. Persister and non-persister students both exhibited low levels of academic integration into the university system. In addition, there was no significant difference between both groups of students in terms of social integration. Both groups of students indicated low levels of social integration into the university system. In addition, the participants (persister students, non-persister students, and staff members) were all asked to indicate what they perceived to be the major factors affecting student retention at King Saud University. The findings from the qualitative data not only help to explain and confirm the quantitative findings but also identify why Saudi freshman students leave the university before completing their studies. The most important factors were: difficulties of selecting majors, difficulties of transferring between subjects, lack of academic advice and irregularity of monthly reward.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is being adopted increasingly as a learning and teaching strategy within the United Kingdom. Although facilitation is recognised as being central to PBL, much of the current literature on facilitation in PBL is conflicting. This study explored the espoused and actual conceptions of PBL adopted by facilitators on a newly-developed pre-registration nursing diploma programme that employed PBL. To explore the lived experience of the PBL curriculum, a constructivist interpretist qualitative research design was adopted. For facilitation in PBL to be effective in promoting independent learning and developing critical thinking, teachers were required to sustain the newly espoused pedagogy and to adapt their actions to match. All participants possessed facilitation skills before the start of the study, however expertise in PBL facilitation took time and practice to acquire as existing skills had to be applied in new ways. Findings identified four broad approaches to facilitation: directive conventionalist, liberating supporter, nurturing socialiser and pragmatic enabler. Over time, most facilitators converged from a directive conventionalist approach towards that of a pragmatic enabler. The transitions were influenced by the need to resolve dissonance between espoused theories and theories-in-use; increased understanding of the dialogic nature of PBL; the use of communicative spaces to share and reflect on experience and an enhanced awareness of student diversity. While the findings relate specifically to PBL facilitation, they also contribute to the understanding of the types of teaching and learning strategies required by the large and increasingly diverse student body.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Full text release at OhioLINK's ETD Center delayed at author's request

Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 130-140).

Multicultural countries such as England have recognised the need to multiculturalise their mathematics curricula to cater for the needs of all ethnic/cultural groups, to encourage racial harmony and have pupils of a specific culture learn about, and accord respect to, another culture (Duncan, 1986;Dyson, 1986; Gilbert, 1984). However, in South Africa, a multicultural country with its large Black majority, such an approach has not been given the necessary attention. Laridon (1990) has criticised the way in which curriculum development in mathematics is conducted in South Africa. He describes it as a "top-down" approach and based on input from non-representative samples of teachers and not taking into account the needs of all cultural groups in South Africa. He criticises the manner in which topics are added to or removed from the syllabus and calls this "syllabus tinkering". With a number of, mostly English medium, schools opening their doors to all races, it is possible that certain cultural groups are at a disadvantage when compared with others if modifications to the syllabus, to accommodate their needs, are not made. This study is a small scale case-study, conducted at Woolhope Secondary, a predominantly Indian school, but with a significant number of Black pupils (approximately 25%). The study focusses on the need for a multicultural approach to mathematics curriculum design. The views of the senior mathematics pupils and mathematics teachers are considered in this regard, and together with the relevant literature, broad guidelines for a multicultural mathematics curriculum design in South Africa are suggested.

The theme of my diploma thesis is: "Natural Science walks and excursions - the current state and their implementation at the second stage of elementary school." It has two basic parts. The first part defines the different approaches of different authors to the main topic, ie. the conception of walks and excursions and it is associated with major subtopics. The second part involves self-evaluation of realized draft of Natural Science walks. It is based on an analysis of surveys that were used for collecting of data. I drew from the study of specialized literature, Natural Science textbooks for second stage of elementary school, and selected substrates from Elementary school Horažďovice.

ABSTRACT: The present study constitutes a reflection about the Teaching of Science by research as a practice that facilitates Scientific Literacy in the early years of elementary school. Seeying the teaching of physical knowledge is little explored in the early school years, we applied a learning sequence addressing the theme "Where does the rainbow?" The idea of working with the theme appeared from the series of videos “where it comes from?” shown on School TV. In view that Lorenzetti e Delizoicov (2000) define the scientific literacy as a process in which the language of science wins meanings, enabling the expansion of culture, we started working with the idea of proposing ways of organizational learning appropriate to that purpose. The qualitative research and action research type was developed on days 04th and 05th August from 2014 in a 5th year of elementary education in a Municipal School of Palmeira dos Indios, AL. For both, we used questionnaires and made use of the audio recording of the lesson. We worked with the transcript data and how to interpreting the same procedure we used content analysis. The results revealed that students when invited to do investigations, similar to those made by scientific culture, develop conceptual content in a context endowed with meaning and significance. In this way, students become able to use scientific concepts as tools for reading, understanding and meaning of the world, that is, alphabetize scientifically theyself. / O presente estudo é uma reflexão acerca do Ensino de Ciências por investigação como uma prática que facilita a Alfabetização Científica nos primeiros Anos do Ensino Fundamental. Considerando que o ensino do conhecimento físico é pouco trabalhado nos primeiros anos escolares, aplicamos uma sequência didática abordando a temática “De onde vem o arco-íris?”. A ideia de trabalhar com o assunto surgiu dos vídeos da série “De onde vem? veiculados na TV Escola. Tendo em vista que Lorenzetti e Delizoicov (2000) definem a Alfabetização Científica como um processo em que a linguagem da Ciência ganha significados, possibilitando assim a ampliação da cultura, passamos a trabalhar com a ideia de propor maneiras organizativas de ensino adequadas a essa finalidade. A pesquisa de cunho qualitativo e do tipo pesquisa ação foi desenvolvida nos dias 04 e 05 de agosto de 2014 em um 5º ano do ensino Fundamental de uma Escola Municipal de Palmeira dos Índios, AL. Para tanto, utilizamos questionários, bem como fizemos uso da gravação em áudio da aula. Trabalhamos com a transcrição de dados e como procedimento de interpretação dos mesmos fizemos uso da análise de conteúdo. Os resultados revelaram que os alunos quando convidados a fazerem investigações, semelhantes às feitas pela cultura científica, desenvolvem conteúdos conceituais em um contexto dotado de sentido e significados. De tal modo, os alunos se tornam capazes de utilizar conceitos científicos como instrumentos de leitura, compreensão e significação do mundo, isto é, se alfabetizam cientificamente.

Nursing has undergone major changes under the influence of recent social events. Due to the influence of new circumstances, it was also necessary to radically approach to the new concept of nursing fields. Then we can register attempts to make the nursing profession independent. That is why the main representatives of this profession have adopted more efficient approach to the care for the patient. The development of the research in nursing helps them significantly, as well as high level of education of nurses, new management techniques and monitoring of the quality of provided nursing care. All mentioned elements lead to support and strengthening of autonomy of the nursing field. We dealt with this issue, because we perceive the position of nursing and the social status of nurses as unsatisfactory. With creating our diploma thesis we would like to contribute to a few literary sources, that are directly engaged in the issue of autonomy of the nursing field. The theoretical part of our thesis was divided into two parts. In the first part we focus on the explanation of the concept of autonomy of nursing and the impact of activity of the nurse with regards to the autonomy of the profession. The second part of the thesis makes clear elements, which significantly strengthen the autonomy of the nursing field. The aim of this thesis is the following: 1. To explore whether nurses and doctors consider nursing as an autonomous scientific field. 2. To map barriers preventing the perception of nursing as an autonomous scientific field. 3. To determine current possibilities for strengthening the autonomy of the nursing field. The empirical part of the thesis is formed by the combination of quantitative and qualitative research. In the quantitative part of the investigation, we were interested in three research hypotheses. 1. Nurses perceive education as a potential acquisition of skills in order to ensure the autonomy of the profession for the benefit of the patient. 2. Nurses present nursing in public as a separate profession. 3. Status of the autonomy of nursing allows to promote results of the research in providing the nursing care. The method of querying with the assistance of questionnaire was used for the data processing of the quantitative part of the research. It contained 41 questions. There were used closed, half-open and open questions in the questionnaire. There were used pie charts and tables for processing of responses. The 2nd degree classification was used for the statistical evaluation of the results. The researched group for the quantitative part of the investigation were nurses from ambulant and bedded sectors of two health care facilities. There were distributed 220 questionnaires in total, 134 (100 %) correctly completed pieces were kept for processing. The querying method using the technique of semi-structured questionnaire containing seven open questions was used for the qualitative part of the research. Four chairwomen of sections of ČAS, who received the questionnaire via e-mail, actively participated on the investigation of the research. Individual responses were analyzed and subsequently processed into diagrams. In this empirical investigation we identified the answers to three research questions. 1. What is the position of chairwomen of sections of ČAS for promoting and defending nursing as an autonomous profession? 2. What obstacles perceived by chairwomen of sections of ČAS slow down the enforcement of autonomy of the nursing field? 3. What can be done to strengthen the autonomy of nursing in the group of other science or professional disciplines? The research questions sent in the form of half-structured questionnaire were answered by four chairwomen of sections of ČAS. We found out on the basis of obtained results, that nurses do not consider nursing as an autonomous scientific field.