Bachelor-Arbeit Univ. St. Gallen, 2004.

In this diploma thesis is compared effectiveness of problem-based and traditional education of high school students as an example of thematical unit ?human respiration?. The effectiveness was compared with research work contains pretest,posttest I and posttest II. Student`s test`s results were statistical evaluated with two-sample tests and correlation analysis. This diploma thesis also contains preparations for both education alternatives and practical exercises (including presentation in PowerPoint) and czech and foreign autohors opinions of problem-based education and the effectivness of school.

Technological innovation in mobile devices has upgraded the potential uses of the devices for living and learning. Mobile learning provides opportunities for mobile users to learn at any time in any location. A certification that confirms computing and Internet technology skills and knowledge provides more opportunities to students in higher education for their future careers. Students can attend a training course to better prepare for a certification exam. However, most students spend their time preparing for and reviewing their regular courses and have less time for the training course. The problems of time limitation and space restriction cause students' insufficient learning toward the preparation for the certification exams. Mobile learning may augment the face-to-face training course to solve these problems. The purpose of this study was to investigate undergraduate students' perceptions and the effectiveness of instruction using mobile devices to prepare for a standard certification exam in a blended certification-training course. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: the experimental group received the treatment and the control group was treated as usual in a face-to-face class. Using a mixed-method research design, a pretest and a posttest collected data from all the participants and a survey and interviews gathered information from the students of the experimental group. The results showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the posttest scores. In the pretest, the experimental and control groups did not differ significantly, which means that they were at the same level before the intervention. Then in the posttest, the experimental and control groups were significantly different, meaning that the treatment was instrumental in the difference. Further, the results revealed that learning via mobile devices provided the students more learning opportunities and improved interaction with other students; though using short message service for learning had positive effectiveness, multimedia messaging service may supplement it to demonstrate manipulation. Suggestions of experts familiar with the field and review of literature can assist development of using short message service messages for preparation of various certification examinations. Using mobile learning in an institute with integrated planning may decrease cost by sharing of resources.

Engaging children in natural settings enhances learning and promotes development while utilizing protected natural areas. However, many schoolchildren, especially from economically disadvantaged areas, lack support for environmental education (EE) to develop skills and attitudes to increase rates of appropriate, resource-protective behaviors. This causes resource degradation wherever children visit protected natural areas. Improved EE should reduce the amount of resource degradation when children visit natural settings. This project proposes a model program of replicable, low–cost, widely accessible critical thinking activities and materials designed to directly address this problem. The Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois, Camp Ondessonk, and Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge were partners in this project. The objectives were to create, test, evaluate, and disseminate tools for teachers in the form of a pre–visit program with three specific engagement methods to engage children in activities that cultivate critical thinking and encourage resource–appropriate behaviors. Original activities involving a discussion–based journal, handmade wristband, and interactive games were conducted during small–group interactive workshops at Camp Cedar Point in Makanda, Illinois and Camp Ondessonk in Ozark, Illinois (n=225). Pre/post program evaluations were administered, and camper behavior on a hike was observed. It was hypothesized that campers would shift towards a more pro–environmental attitude and exhibit lower rates of depreciative behaviors after any combination of activities than the control group of campers, and that a combination of all three methods of engagement would be the most effective approach in reducing depreciative behavior and changing attitudes towards resource protection, by addressing multiple motivations. The most effective combination of activities in changing attitudes was found to be the journal and games (p<0.01), although all combinations of the program activities resulted in attitude scores that were higher than the initial score (p<0.01). There was no significant change in behavior between treatments or between the control group and treatments. Possible causes and other considerations are discussed, including recommendations for future research on the effect of adult behavior modeling, reminders, and factors such as weather, gender, and group size on the depreciative rates of children. The activities will be combined into a PDF packet for distribution to teachers by land managers and environmental educators in the area.

Stroke is a devastating disease. Stroke care has advanced greatly in the past 20 years with innovations in radiologic imaging, development of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), organized systems of care, telestroke, and best practice guidelines via Get with the Guidelines Stroke (GWTGS). However, stroke remains the 5th leading cause of death in the United States. To provide current and quality care for stroke patients, nurses need ongoing stroke education. Additionally, stroke centers must provide a sustainable stoke education program to their nurses to keep their knowledge current. Guided by Rosswurm and Larrabee's model, this quality improvement project addressed whether an educational program based on evidence in GWTGS could increase nursing knowledge of stroke. A convenience sample of 50 medical-surgical nurses from a stroke telemetry unit participated in this program. Nursing knowledge was assessed by using a student-developed tool based on the GWTGS best practice evidence to evaluate for increased knowledge regarding stroke and stroke management. Using simple descriptive statistics, the percent difference from pretest to posttest was calculated. The results revealed a 16.79% increase in nurses' knowledge. The practicum organization therefore adopted the program. Implications for nursing practice and social change include organizations adopting the educational program as a sustainable learning opportunity for nurses in regards to stroke care.

Over the last 5 decades, the retrospective pretest has been used in behavioral science research to battle key threats to the internal validity of posttest-only control-group and pretest-posttest only designs. The purpose of this study was to compare outcome measures resulting from four research design implementations incorporating the retrospective pretest: (a) pre-post-then, (b) pre-post/then, (c) post-then, and (d) post/then. The study analyzed the interaction effect of pretest sensitization and post-intervention survey order on two subjective measures: (a) a control measure not related to the intervention and (b) an experimental measure consistent with the intervention. Validity of subjective measurement outcomes were assessed by correlating resulting to objective performance measurement outcomes. A Situational Leadership® II (SLII) training workshop served as the intervention. The Work Involvement Scale of the self version of the Survey of Management Practices Survey served as the subjective control measure. The Clarification of Goals and Objectives Scale of the self version of the Survey of Management Practices Survey served as the subjective experimental measure. The Effectiveness Scale of the self version of the Leader Behavior Analysis II® served as the objective performance measure. This study detected differences in measurement outcomes from SLII participant responses to an experimental and a control measure. In the case of the experimental measure, differences were found in the magnitude and direction of the validity coefficients. In the case of the control measure, differences were found in the magnitude of the treatment effect between groups. These differences indicate that, for this study, the pre-post-then design produced the most valid results for the experimental measure. For the control measure in this study, the pre-post/then design produced the most valid results. Across both measures, the post/then design produced the least valid results.

Global health is an emerging concern in a rapidly changing world in which health issues transcend international borders. This study developed and validated a new self-report questionnaire to assess self-perceived global health competencies among international medical students and how they are influenced by international clinical experiences. A tool consisted of two scales and four subscales with moderate internal consistency. Comparisons between participants who completed retrospective pretest (after the intervention retrospectively) and those who completed traditional pretest (before the intervention) revealed that those participants who completed the questionnaires retrospectively provided lower pretest scores, suggesting that response-shift bias had occurred. Significant increases in scores after international clinical experience were reported for the majority of global health competency measures in IFMSA group. Linear regression identified participant’s age, gross national income (GNI) of country of medical studies, GNI of the country visited, duration of international clinical experience and years of medical school completed, as significant predictors of global health scores. This study contributes valuable information about the newly developed global health competencies measurement tool.

The lifetime prevalence of clinical depression in patients living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is approximately 22% compared to 3% to 10% in the primary care population. The nursing practice problem at the project site concerned nurses' lack of knowledge and understanding of procedures to help ensure that all patients living with HIV/AIDS were properly screened for depression and referred for further evaluation and treatment. The purpose of this project was to implement a staff education module to address the use of the PHQ-9 screening tool to identify depression in people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The theoretical framework for this educational module was the theory of planned behavior. The practice-focused question explored the extent to which the implementation of an evidence-based practice education model in a primary care clinic treating patients living with HIV/AIDs would increase staff knowledge on the use of the PHQ-9 tool to screen for depression. A staff education project incorporating a pretest and posttest design was conducted to determine whether a significant change existed in the test scores of the participants between the pretest and the posttest. After completion, the posttest measures showed an improvement of 35%. The implications of this project for social change might include improvement in the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the nurses in the treatment of depression in adults living with HIV/AIDS.

Global health is an emerging concern in a rapidly changing world in which health issues transcend international borders. This study developed and validated a new self-report questionnaire to assess self-perceived global health competencies among international medical students and how they are influenced by international clinical experiences. A tool consisted of two scales and four subscales with moderate internal consistency. Comparisons between participants who completed retrospective pretest (after the intervention retrospectively) and those who completed traditional pretest (before the intervention) revealed that those participants who completed the questionnaires retrospectively provided lower pretest scores, suggesting that response-shift bias had occurred. Significant increases in scores after international clinical experience were reported for the majority of global health competency measures in IFMSA group. Linear regression identified participant’s age, gross national income (GNI) of country of medical studies, GNI of the country visited, duration of international clinical experience and years of medical school completed, as significant predictors of global health scores. This study contributes valuable information about the newly developed global health competencies measurement tool.

This study focuses on prisoners’ experiences of HIV/AIDS pre-and posttest counselling. The objective of this study was to explore and report on prisoners’ experiences, perceptions and views on HIV/AIDS pre- and posttest counselling. It is a narrative exploratory study which was conducted in the Atteridgeville prison in Pretoria. This work highlights the complexity of the issues involved in HIV/AIDS testing and counselling, and emphasises alternative stories about prison and HIV/AIDS. Such stories include themes like the positive aspects of being HIV-positive and incarcerated; prison as a safe haven; a quest to live despite being an HIV-positive ex-con. The aim was not to interpret the narratives, but rather to share them as they were told. Conclusions suggest that HIV/AIDS testing has a potentially overwhelming psychosocial impact on individuals; it is therefore crucial that proper pre- and posttest counselling accompany the testing procedure. / Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Psychology / unrestricted