Beyond "study skills": a curriculum-embedded framework for metacognitive development in a college chemistry course

BACKGROUND

There is a critical need for evidence-based metacognition instruction models with an ease of implementation. Three issues involved in advancing the implementation and assessment of metacognitive interventions are: (i) the lack of an operational framework for the development of metacognition; (ii) metacognition instruction models that lack a focus on explicitly engaging students' self-perceptions; (iii) a lack of metacognitive interventions that are easy to implement and require minimal training. This study describes the development and implementation of a 10-week discussion-based module to promote metacognitive development as part of a general chemistry course at a community college. This curricular metacognition instruction model involved the explicit engagement of self-efficacy beliefs in addition to introducing metacognitive awareness and regulation through individual and group reflection. This approach involves a systematic framework which allowed students to confront their beliefs about their abilities, learn various task strategies, and practice these strategies along with their peers. This case study was designed to address the following: can explicit cognitive and metacognitive instruction and discussion serve as a catalyst for students to (1) build and adapt metacognitive knowledge about cognition, and (2) incorporate effective study strategies?.

RESULTS

Students' individual and collaborative reflections were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Written journal responses indicate that the module facilitated a shared discourse about cognition where metacognitive awareness was observed shifting from a tacit to explicit awareness. In addition, the framework facilitated the formation of support networks (cognitive and emotional) where students were observed exchanging cognitive strategies and encouraging one another to persevere through challenges.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the metacognitive instruction model described here can serve as a mechanism to encourage student reflection on their beliefs and behaviors. Instructors looking to include metacognition instruction could use the framework presented as a template. The discussion-based module is embedded in the curriculum, delivered through the course management system, and has a low barrier to implementation.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40594-022-00376-6.

Relationships between Prediction Accuracy, Metacognitive Reflection, and Performance in Introductory Genetics Students

Cognitive scientists have previously shown that students' perceptions of their learning and performance on assessments often do not match reality. This process of self-assessing performance is a component of metacognition, which also includes the practice of thinking about one's knowledge and identifying and implementing strategies to improve understanding. We used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the relationship between students' perceptions of their performance through grade predictions, their metacognitive reflections after receiving their grades, and their actual performance during a semester-long introductory genetics course. We found that, as a group, students do not display better predictive accuracy nor more metacognitive reflections over the semester. However, those who shift from overpredicting to matching or underpredicting also show improved performance. Higher performers are overall more likely to answer reflection questions than lower-performing peers. Although high-performing students are usually more metacognitive in their reflections, an increase in a student's frequency of metacognitive responses over time does not necessarily predict a grade increase. We illustrate several example trends in student reflections and suggest possible next steps for helping students implement better metacognitive regulation.

Systemic Challenges in Internship Training for Health-Service Psychology: A Call to Action From Trainee Stakeholders

The challenges observed in health service psychology (HSP) training during COVID-19 revealed systemic and philosophical issues that preexisted the pandemic, but became more visible during the global health crisis. In a position paper written by 23 trainees across different sites and training specializations, the authors use lessons learned from COVID-19 as a touchstone for a call to action in HSP training. Historically, trainee voices have been conspicuously absent from literature about clinical training. We describe longstanding dilemmas in HSP training that were exacerbated by the pandemic and will continue to require resolution after the pandemic has subsided. The authors make recommendations for systems-level changes that would advance equity and sustainability in HSP training. This article advances the conversation about HSP training by including the perspective of trainees as essential stakeholders.

Brief Focused Interprofessional Encounters in a Developmental-Behavioral Rotation Facilitate Pediatric Resident Experiences, Foster Interprofessional Relationships, and Improve Confidence in Mental Health and High-Risk Developmental Conditions

Experiences with mental health (MH) and high-risk developmental conditions (HRDC) are challenging to obtain during pediatric residency. This study describes Brief Focused Interprofessional Encounters (BFIE) during a developmental-behavioral pediatric (DBP) rotation. Postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pediatric residents recorded diagnoses of children they interacted with at each BFIE site and completed a self-assessment at the start and end of their rotation. Of 48 residents, 67% (32/48) completed daily encounter records and 81% (39/48) completed self-assessment surveys. Residents' self-reports showed significantly higher levels of confidence in 12 learning areas, with the highest gains in bereavement, autistic spectrum disorders, juvenile justice, and teen pregnancy (Ps < .001). By establishing BFIE customized to the local community, a DBP curriculum can effectively provide measurable, innovative curriculum content that addresses less commonly accessed areas of MH and HRDC; foster interprofessional relationships; and improve resident confidence.

Examining Skills and Abilities During the Pandemic - Psychology Students' and Examiners' Perceptions of a Digital OSCE

Finding valid and reliable ways to assess complex clinical skills within psychology is a challenge. Recently, there have been some examples of applying Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) in psychology for making such assessments. The aim of this study was to examine students' and examiners' perceptions of a digital OSCE in psychology regarding quality and students' feelings about the OSCE. Participants were 51 students enrolled in the Programme for Master of Science in Clinical Psychology during two semesters and nine examiners assessing each OSCE occasion, at Umeå University, Sweden. Web-based questionnaires were used for data collection. Psychometric analyses indicated that the subscales in the student questionnaire had adequate or close to adequate levels of item and scale reliability. Both students and examiners felt that the digital OSCE was realistic, valid and well-aligned with professional practice. Although students perceived the digital OSCE as stressful, the results showed that they were focused and concentrated and found the OSCE to be a positive learning experience, implying that the stress did not affect performance to any significant extent. Based on the examiners' experiences, it can be concluded that there are both advantages and disadvantages which need to be considered when planning future digital OSCEs.

Online teaching during COVID-19 pandemic: A phenomenological study of university educators’ experiences and challenges

To further understand how online teaching and learning can be improved during the COVID-19 pandemic, a phenomenological study was conducted on 15 educators’ experiences of online teaching in Malaysian Universities. The Community of Inquiry framework is used as a guide, as well as a data interpretation tool, to understand the educators’ experiences in terms of planning and implementing teaching and learning in using online tools, technologies, and platforms. Findings indicate that in the current situation, with all the intricacies, deficiencies and challenges, the educators’ teaching presence is clearly discernible. Nevertheless, there appears to be efforts by the educators to ensure that teaching presence, cognitive presence and social presence are integrated, albeit in an unstructured manner. Based on the data, a flexible, fluid and dynamic model of Community of Inquiry, which is suitable to crisis situations, is suggested and a supporting guideline is provided to understand the framework.

Myths in psychology: psychological misconceptions among Spanish psychology students

Myths in Psychology are beliefs that are widely spread and inconsistent with the empirical evidence available within this field of knowledge. They are characterized by being relatively stable, resistant to change, and prevalent both among the non-academic population and among students and professionals within this discipline. The aim of this study was to analyse the prevalence of these myths among Spanish psychology students and the influence of three variables: the type of university, face-to-face (UAM) and online (UNED), the academic year in which participants were enrolled and familiarity with scientific dissemination. Results show that participants from the face-to-face university, enrolled in higher academic years and that reports familiarity with scientific dissemination believe less in myths than those from the online university, enrolled in lower years and that report no familiarity with scientific dissemination.

Refuting misconceptions in an introductory psychology course for preservice teachers

This experimental field study (pre-post-follow-up design) with 184 student teachers examined the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce misconceptions about psychology within an introductory psychology course. For this purpose, over the course’s one-semester duration, all students attended six lectures and, in addition, worked individually on six assignments in between. In both, the intervention and control group, assignments covered the same learning content but assignments for the intervention group particularly addressed six topic-related misconceptions, and were designed to bring about conceptual change. These assignments included refutational texts and other tasks that triggered conceptual inconsistency and emphasized students’ use of scientific concepts. Students in the control group completed assignments designed for rehearsal of and elaboration on the topics at hand but were not exposed to the respective misconceptions. The findings demonstrate the efficacy of this slight modification of tasks in reducing students’ misconceptions around psychology. While the groups did not differ in exam performance, the positive associations found between exam performance and high-confidence rejection of psychological myths, and their correlation with evaluativist epistemic beliefs and critical thinking, underline the importance of early interventions in teacher education with the aim of dispelling misconceptions about psychology.

Exploring the Connection of Brain Computer Interfaces and Multimedia Use With the Social Integration of People With Various Motor Disabilities: A Questionnaire-Based Usability Study

We have designed a platform to aid people with motor disabilities to be part of digital environments, in order to create digitally and socially inclusive activities that promote their quality of life. To evaluate in depth the impact of the platform on social inclusion indicators across patients with various motor disabilities, we constructed a questionnaire in which the following indicators were assessed: (i) Well Being, (ii) Empowerment, (iii) Participation, (iv) Social Capital, (v) Education, and (vi) Employment. In total 30 participants (10 with Neuromuscular Disorders-NMD, 10 with Spinal Cord Injury-SCI, and 10 with Parkinson's Disease-PD) used the platform for ~1 month, and its impact on social inclusion indicators was measured before and after the usage. Moreover, monitoring mechanisms were used to track computer usage as well as an online social activity. Finally, testimonials and experimenter input were collected to enrich the study with qualitative understanding. All participants were favorable to use the suggested platform, while they would prefer it for longer periods of time in order to become “re-awakened” to possibilities of expanded connection and inclusion, while it became clear that the platform has to offer them further the option to use it in a reclining position. The present study has clearly shown that the challenge of social inclusion cannot be tackled solely with technology and it needs to integrate persuasive design elements that foster experimentation and discovery.

Comparison of two different mindfulness interventions among health care students in Finland: a randomised controlled trial

We investigated the short- and long-term effects of two different evidence-based mindfulness training on students' stress and well-being. A randomised controlled trial with three measurement points (baseline, post-intervention, and 4 months post-intervention) was conducted among undergraduate students of medicine, dentistry, psychology, and logopaedics at the University of Helsinki. The participants were randomly assigned into three groups: (1) face-to-face mindfulness training based on the Mindfulness Skills for Students course (n = 40), (2) a web-based Student Compass program using Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment therapy (n = 22), and (3) a control group that received mental health support as usual (n = 40). The primary outcome was psychological distress measured using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure (CORE-OM). Secondary outcomes included hair cortisol concentrations and a wide range of well-being indicators. Psychological distress increased in all the groups from baseline to post-intervention, but significantly less so in the intervention groups than in the control group. At 4-month follow-up, were found no differences between the primary outcomes of the control and intervention groups, but the participants who continued practising mindfulness at least twice a week were less stressed than the others. Our results suggest that participating in a mindfulness course may mitigate health care students' psychological distress during the academic year, but only if the participants continue practising mindfulness at least twice a week.

Eleven ways to get a grip on the implementation of remote administration of high-stakes assessments

The COVID-19 pandemic rushed licensure and certification institutions, as well as many university programs, to integrate Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in their practices to allow for remote administrations of their exams independent of distancing measures. The Black Ice covered in this manuscript is the integration of ICTs to allow remote administration of high-stakes assessments in terms of its development, administration, and monitoring with the aim to promote the validity of score interpretation.

"It's hard to feel a part of something when you've never met people": defining "learning community" in an online era

Feeling part of a community of learners has been shown to foster students' engagement and sense of belonging, leading to higher retention and achievement of learning outcomes. The pivot to online teaching caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a reappraisal of all aspects of the student experience, including students' capacity and opportunity to engage in meaningful learning communities online. There has been some emergent literature which considers how to facilitate online learning communities in the emergency remote teaching context prompted by COVID-19. However, there is a notable lack of literature which considers how learning communities are defined, understood, and negotiated by students in this unique teaching context. Given how students' perceptions of learning communities contributes to Higher Education policy (e.g. through the National Student Survey), this is important to understand. In the present study (N = 309), we qualitatively investigated students' understanding and definition of the term "learning community" during a time of emergency pivot to online teaching and learning. A reflexive thematic analysis of students' first-hand responses generated three dominant themes: "Feeling connected: Bridging the gap whilst physically distanced", "Feeling included: Visible and valued", and "Feeling together: Mutuality and the shared experience". We discuss the implications for these conceptualisations of an online learning community and suggest ways forward for Higher Education pedagogy.

Redesign of the Statistics Course to Improve Graduates’ Skills

In general, college students have concerns about mastering the Statistics course. Several scientific articles suggest that methodologies in which the student is an active part of the educational process lead to their greater involvement in teaching activities and better results in their overall assessment. A modified form of the Mathematics course inspires this study. The Mathematics course precedes the Statistics course. This study presents students’ results from both affected courses for the last 12 years. The authors obtained the data from the Modular Academic Information System (MAIS). The study describes the Statistics course, which is a combination of the traditional form of teaching and learning with elements of active learning. The product is a redesign of this course. The proposed changes are based on the requirements of some stakeholders. The results are from a survey of course graduates, from the experience of online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the introduction of active-learning elements. The authors of the article point out the risks and opportunities they found in teaching the Statistics course.

The usability evaluation on mobile learning apps with gamification for middle-aged women

Mobile learning and gamification are becoming increasingly popular, especially in education. Numerous researches suggest that mobile learning apps with gamification can improve student learning. However, there are fewer studies that analyze the gamification effects and usability of mobile apps for middle-aged women. The aim of this study is to propose a new mobile learning app with gamification aspects for the use of middle-aged women in memorizing Arabic words. In the preliminary study, pre and post-tests were conducted to determine the effect of the use of the gamification application on 61 middle-aged women using Kahoot! game. The results from the Kahoot! game shows that participants enjoy learning and can memorize Arabic words effectively, indicating that gamification can motivate learning among middle-aged women. Then the usability of a new mobile app prototype containing learning notes and quizzes for user self-learning purposes was evaluated using three (3) criteria namely effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. The considered indicators to measure the application's effectiveness are (a) tapping behaviour (number of taps used to perform a specific task), (b) number of attempts (how many times users tried to complete the task successfully), and (c) quiz score (score obtained by user after self-learning using the mobile app). Two variables were used to measure the efficiency of the application: the duration of task completion and the number of requests for help. In order to evaluate the satisfaction, a questionnaire was used to determine how respondents rated the mobile app's usability. The usability evaluation results show that the proposed mobile app was effective as users could utilize all the modules provided and successfully answer the quiz questions.

How to Change Epistemological Beliefs? Effects of Scientific Controversies, Epistemological Sensitization, and Critical Thinking Instructions on Epistemological Change

The present study investigates the combination of an epistemological sensitization and two different critical thinking instructions, i.e., the general and infusion approach, in the context of epistemological change induced by the presentation of resolvable scientific controversies. In a randomized study, we tested the hypothesis that the presentation of resolvable controversies generally reduces absolutism and multiplicism and increases evaluativism. We assume that these effects are strongest when the controversies are presented with an epistemological sensitization and the infusion approach. The results indicate an increase in absolutism when the general approach is employed without an epistemological sensitization. Combined with an epistemological sensitization, the increase in absolutism is only detected when the infusion approach is used. Concerning multiplicism, there is a reduction in all conditions, but the reduction is more effective without an epistemological sensitization. The general approach yields a larger increase in evaluativism without an epistemological sensitization, while the infusion approach fosters evaluativism only in combination with the sensitization. However, an argumentation task revealed that the desired level of an evaluativist argumentation only seems to emerge without an epistemological sensitization in combination with the infusion approach. In sum, the results show that there is no general way to reduce absolutism and multiplicism and increase evaluativism.

Learning to Plan by Learning to Reflect?—Exploring Relations between Professional Knowledge, Reflection Skills, and Planning Skills of Preservice Physics Teachers in a One-Semester Field Experience

Following concepts describing lesson planning as a form of anticipatory reflection, preservice physics teachers’ reflection skills are assumed to be positively connected with their planning skills. However, empirical evidence on this is scarce. To explore how relations between these specific skills change over the course of a field experience controlling for influences of professional knowledge, we conduct a pre-post field study with N = 95 preservice physics teachers in a one-semester field experience. Content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) (paper-and-pencil tests), and reflection and planning skills (standardized performance assessments) were assessed before and after the field experience. Path analyses revealed almost no influence of reflection skills on planning skills. Reflections skills did not contribute to preservice teachers planning skills beyond knowledge, indicating both constructs might represent rather independent abilities. The results show the need for further development of models describing the development of teachers’ professional knowledge and skills in academic teacher education and for the development of concepts for a better integration of reflection and lesson planning in field experiences.

Experiences and views of clinical psychologists working in non-urban areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The process of integrating mental health care into primary health care remains slow in many non-urban areas of low to middle-income countries. The present study explored clinical psychologists’ experiences of working in non-urban areas of KwaZulu-Natal to assess the progress of integrating mental health into primary health care. Twenty-nine clinical psychologists participated in this study and provided input on the following areas: clinical psychologists’ preparedness, through training, to work in resource-constrained non-urban areas; availability of mental health resources; and understanding of the clinical psychologists’ role in their work context. Over half (51.7%) of the participants reported that their training did not prepare them to work in resource-constrained non-urban areas and more than two-thirds (72.4%) reported a lack of basic resources needed for optimal mental health care in non-urban areas of KwaZulu-Natal. The findings reflect the need for comprehensive training of clinical psychologists to enhance their competency and confidence to work in resource-constrained settings. Furthermore, investment in the promotion of clinical psychology services and more conducive mental health service environments is necessary.

Personality and satisfaction with online courses: The relation between the Big Five personality traits and satisfaction with online learning activities

Online courses have become widespread in higher education. Yet, despite their prevalence, they may not suit all learners. Personality influences learner satisfaction and therefore affects learning experience. This study explores the relation between personality traits (using Costa & McCare's Big-Five model) and student satisfaction with various of learning activities offered in online courses, called Techno-Pedagogical Learning Solutions (TPLS). The tested TPLS were discussion groups, digital books, online assignments, surveys/polls and media. Questionnaires were used to measure personality types and satisfaction of 108 university students enrolled in a credited online academic course. Significant correlations were found between all five personality traits and satisfaction with several TPLS. Cluster analysis method was applied to identify learners with similar personality traits. Four groups were formed and group's satisfaction score was measured. It was found that learners assigned to the "neurotic" group exhibited low satisfaction with all TPLS, contrary to learners assigned to the "non-neurotic" group. The findings clearly indicate that personality plays a significant role in online learner satisfaction. Thus, personality traits should be considered when designing learning activities for online courses. Such personality-based personalization may ensure that no learner is left behind, regardless of his\ her attitude toward online learning.

Embodied Interaffectivity in the Emergence and Maintenance of Group Cohesion

Group cohesion is an affect-laden construct, with a large body of research indicating its importance for success of teams. Surprisingly, it has received scant attention in collaborative learning contexts, and little is known about its development as dynamically emergent in the spontaneous, interdependent actions of actors during groupwork. This paper details an illustrative case analysis which took an embodied perspective to explore the role of interaffectivity in the emergence and maintenance of cohesion in one small group of university students who reported a highly positive and productive experience of collaborative science activities over a semester. The case analysis made visible group cohesion as unfolding and enactive in the myriad ephemeral and seemingly inconsequential microlevel behaviors that evolved into macro-temporal patterns of positive embodied interaffectivity, magnifying their visibility and collective impact. A fine-grained embodiment lens unveiled how participants cocreated collaborative affordances in actions that involved corporeal orientation as well as use of space, task, and other material artifacts. Task-related humor within routine task interaction offered the potential for establishing group cohesion in early group life, but also posed a potential threat to task-focused cohesiveness, requiring careful modulation at critical task points. Attentiveness not only to the task but importantly, to one another as interpersonal attentiveness, appeared to be a key factor in developing and maintaining group cohesion, also demonstrating collaborative learning as a process of orienting to and understanding tasks through one another. An embodiment lens highlighted mutual attentiveness in the ongoing orienter-orientee microprocesses that facilitated group orientation early in group life, and in reorienting to positive embodied interaffectivity when the group reconvened for their joint science activities in subsequent weeks.

Cultivating Academic Help-Seeking Behavior Among First-Semester Nursing Students

BACKGROUND

To improve retention rates, many nursing programs are placing greater emphasis on providing students with a range of opportunities for learning support. Although offering academic support is critically important, these services can be effective only if students use them. This article describes an exploratory study that investigated nursing student academic help-seeking behavior.

METHOD

Thirty-one first-semester nursing students enrolled in an Associate Degree nursing program participated in the study. Survey data were analyzed to identify key factors that influence academic help-seeking behavior.

RESULTS

The findings revealed personal, social, and environmental factors that influence students' decisions to seek help and highlighted the interconnections between and among factors.

CONCLUSION

Implementing new models for student success may help nursing programs cultivate academic help-seeking behavior among first-semester nursing students. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(7):403-407.].

Modelling students’ academic confidence, personality and academic emotions

The research presented here is founded on the Big Five trait approach to personality which has been shown to be related to academic success, students’ academic confidence or self-efficacy and the emotions related to academic achievement.To explore whether Personality characteristics would be differentially associated with Academic Confidence and both would jointly predict Academic Emotions.A bespoke online platform was used to survey undergraduate students in two Spanish universities. The data was used to assess bivariate correlation and to build Structural Equation Models.A total of 1398 undergraduate students studying Psychology, Primary Education, or Educational Psychology degree programmes completed the validated Spanish version of the Academic Behavioural Confidence scale. Of those, 636 also completed a validated Spanish language scale to assess Personality along the Big Five dimensions and 551 of the 1398 students complete a validated Spanish language scale to assess Academic Emotions. A total of 527 students completed all three scales.The correlations showed that the student Personality traits of Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion and Agreeableness were significantly and positively related to their Academic Confidence whilst Neuroticism was negatively correlated with the degree of Academic Confidence. Similarly student Academic Confidence correlated positively with positive Academic Emotions and negatively with negative Academic Emotions. Structural Equation Modelling resulted in a model of excellent fit that linked the personality traits of Conscientiousness and Neuroticism with overall Academic Confidence and Academic Emotion scores. The methodological issues around the findings along with the implications for undergraduate learning and teaching are discussed.

Online peer editing: effects of comments and edits on academic writing skills

Although the effects of online peer editing have been studied from a number of perspectives, it remains unclear how giving and receiving comments and edits affect student academic writing performance. The current study examined the influence of these aspects of peer editing on student academic writing performance in higher education during online peer editing. Participants were 76 students engaged in peer editing of one another's work in a graduate scientific writing course at a Korean university. The relationships between the giving and receiving of comments and edits, and student performance on their writing tasks were analyzed. Results showed that there is a positive correlation between the number of comments received and the student's writing score, whereas receiving edits had the opposite effect and was associated with lower student performance. Furthermore, no relationship was found between giving comments or edits and writing performance. These results add to the field's understanding of how specific elements of peer editing can impact students' performance.

Knowledge of Predatory Practices within the Substance Use Disorder Treatment Industry: Development of a Measurement Instrument

The increase in predatory practices in the substance use disorder treatment industry calls for the development of measures to assess individuals’ knowledge about these practices. Methods: This study describes the development of the Knowledge of Predatory Practices Scale (KPPS), a newly developed measure designed to assess the knowledge of predatory practices within the substance use disorder treatment industry. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to determine the factor structure of this measure. Results: The final 11-item KPPS consisted of two factors—knowledge about general predatory practices (9 items) and knowledge about unethical practices (2 items). Overall, these factors explained 61.75% of the total variance. The Cronbach’s alpha for the KPPS was 0.81. Conclusions: The KPPS is a reliable measure of knowledge of predatory practices within the substance use disorder treatment industry and can be used as a measurement tool to educate individuals seeking help for their loved ones who are misusing substances.

Theory and practice of Bayesian and frequentist frameworks for network meta-analysis

Network meta-analysis (NMA) is an increasingly popular statistical method of synthesising evidence to assess the comparative benefits and harms of multiple treatments in a single analysis. Several automated software packages facilitate conducting NMA using either of two alternative approaches, Bayesian or frequentist frameworks. Researchers must choose a framework for conducting NMA (Bayesian or frequentist) and select appropriate model(s), and those conducting NMA need to understand the assumptions and limitations of different approaches. Bayesian models are more frequently used and can be more flexible but require checking additional assumptions and greater statistical expertise that are often ignored. The present paper describes the important theoretical aspects of Bayesian and frequentist models for NMA and the applications and considerations of contrast-synthesis and arm-synthesis NMAs. In addition, we present evidence from a limited number of simulation and empirical studies that compared different frequentist and Bayesian models and provide an overview of available automated software packages to perform NMA. We will conclude that when analysts choose appropriate models, there are seldom important differences in the results of Bayesian and frequentist approaches and that network meta-analysts should therefore focus on model features rather than the statistical framework.

Virtual tree, real impact: how simulated worlds associate with the perception of limited resources

Video games have long been considered an effective educational tool. Environmental education studies have found that games positively affect the feeling of nature connectedness, producing pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors. With growing urbanization, video games also provide chances to interact with nature. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizon (ACNH) became a household name, with millions of copies sold worldwide. The article used the Bayesian multilevel model to analyze 640 survey responses of ACNH game players from various online communities. The correlations between the perception of limited resources and virtual planting and exploiting behaviors with the varying effect among ethnicities were explored. The findings suggested positive correlations between the perception and in-game actions among all ethnicities, regardless of whether the actions are planting or exploiting. While further evidence is needed, the findings suggest the restraints of game mechanics. To foster a pro-environmental culture, stakeholders can consider video games a novel technological aid to environmental education.

On the Design of Constructively Aligned Educational Unit

Modern pedagogy is moving away from traditional transmissive approaches, and it is extensively embracing constructive theory of learning. A prominent practical embodiment of this paradigm shift is a method called Constructive Alignment (CA). This approach focuses on learners’ actions and starts from a clear communication of the Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) of the focal unit. ILOs are made of content, a context, and an Educational Goal Verb (EGV). According to the Bloom Taxonomy, the EGV is the core of an ILO and refers to the action the learners are expected to be able to master after completing the educational unit. The ILO is then aligned to the course activity using the EGV (i.e., EGVs are enacted through Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs) and verified through Assessment Tasks (ATs)). Despite the ILO definition being extensively investigated and described, the extant literature has poorly explored how to devise suitable TLAs and ATs, lacking comprehensive contributions that identify and describe the different kinds of TLAs and ATs available to course designers. In view of the above gap, the authors searched and reviewed the literature (scientific papers (i.e., top-down, deductive approach)) and practices in higher education (university websites and blogs (i.e., bottom-up, inductive approach)) to identify all the possible sources of TLA and AT descriptions available. The results propose standardized templates that support the course design process, providing extensive descriptions of TLA and AT based on the best practices identified. The proposed templates include the core dimensions that proved to be suitable for designing traditional and remote-learning activities. Finally, the examples provided in the paper show how to use these templates on a few kinds of selected on-campus and digital TLAs and ATs from the educational units identified in the Erasmus+ MAESTRO project, which is based on Industry 4.0 technological enablers and their application in support of manufacturing sustainability.

Only Human: Mental-Health Difficulties Among Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology Faculty and Trainees

How common are mental-health difficulties among applied psychologists? This question is paradoxically neglected, perhaps because disclosure and discussion of these experiences remain taboo within the field. This study documented high rates of mental-health difficulties (both diagnosed and undiagnosed) among faculty, graduate students, and others affiliated with accredited doctoral and internship programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology. More than 80% of respondents (n = 1,395 of 1,692) reported a lifetime history mental-health difficulties, and nearly half (48%) reported a diagnosed mental disorder. Among those with diagnosed and undiagnosed mental-health difficulties, the most common reported concerns were depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Participants who reported diagnosed mental disorders endorsed, on average, more specific mental-health difficulties and were more likely to report current difficulties than were undiagnosed participants. Graduate students were more likely to endorse both diagnosed and undiagnosed mental-health difficulties than were faculty, and they were more likely to report ongoing difficulties. Overall, rates of mental disorders within clinical, counseling, and school-psychology faculty and trainees were similar to or greater than those observed in the general population. We discuss the implications of these results and suggest specific directions for future research on this heretofore neglected topic.

Employee Growth Mindset and Innovative Behavior: The Roles of Employee Strengths Use and Strengths-Based Leadership

This study aimed to investigate the relationship of employee growth mindset with innovative behavior and the mediating role of use of strength as well as the moderating role of strengths-based leadership in this relationship. Data with a sample of 244 employees working in diverse Chinese organizations were collected at two points in time. Results of bootstrapping analyses demonstrated that growth mindset is positively related to innovative behavior, employee strengths use partially mediates the positive relationship of growth mindset with innovative behavior, and strengths-based leadership strengthens the direct relationship between employee growth mindset and innovative behavior and the indirect relationship of employee growth mindset with innovative behavior via strengths use. This study advances growth mindset and innovative behavior theories and research.

Understanding complexity in psychological services: A modified Delphi study

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The concept of patient or case complexity is relevant-and widely used-at all levels and stages of mental health service provision, but there have been few methodologically robust attempts to define this term. This study aimed to establish a consensus on factors contributing to patient complexity in adult psychological services using Delphi methodology.

METHOD

Applied psychologists in a single urban/suburban UK National Health Service setting took part in a three-round modified Delphi study. Twenty-eight respondents in Round 1 gave qualitative data on factors they considered when assessing complexity, which was subject to thematic analysis. Twenty-five respondents in Round 2 rated how central/peripheral each theme was to their judgement using Likert scales. In a third round, 20 respondents addressed discrepancies and possible utilities of the emerging framework.

RESULTS

Thirteen factors contributing to patient/case complexity (active severe/enduring mental health, current coping/functioning, engagement, forensic history, iatrogenic factors, interpersonal functioning, neurocognitive functioning, physical health, problematic substance use, risk, severity/chronicity of presenting problems, systemic and socioeconomic factors and trauma) were identified with a high degree of consensus. All were rated as central to complexity.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that applied psychologists do have a shared understanding of complexity and make recommendations for further research validating, developing and applying this empirically derived framework.

ADHD Comorbidity Structure and Impairment: Results of the WHO World Mental Health Surveys International College Student Project (WMH-ICS)

OBJECTIVE

To examine the prevalence of ADHD and the association of comorbid disorders, and multivariate disorder classes with role impairment in college students.

METHOD

About 15,991 freshmen (24 colleges, 9 countries, WMH-ICS) (response rate = 45.6%) completed online WMH-CIDI-SC surveys for 6-month ADHD and six 12-month DSM-IV disorders. We examined multivariate disorder classes using latent class analysis (LCA) and simulated a population attributable risk proportions (PARPs) of ADHD-related impairment.

RESULTS

About 15.9% had ADHD, of which 58.4% had comorbidities. LCA classified ADHD respondents to pure (42.9%), internalizing (36.0%), bipolar comorbidities (11.3%), and externalizing disorder classes (9.8%). ADHD, comorbidities, and multivariate disorder classes independently predicted severe impairment. PARPs: eliminating ADHD hypothetically reduced severe impairment by 19.2%, 10.1% adjusted for comorbidities, 9.5% for multivariate disorder classes.

CONCLUSIONS

ADHD and comorbid disorders are common and impairing in college students. Personalized transdiagnostic interventions guided by multivariate disorder classes should be explored.

The design and implementation of an undergraduate health professional degree elective course on scientific writing, peer assessment, and critical appraisal

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Strong writing skills are critical to the pharmacy profession. This paper describes the design, delivery, and impact of a course intended to develop pharmacy students' scientific writing, peer assessment, and critical appraisal skills.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING

The course was offered in the final year of an undergraduate pharmacy program with students whose first language is not English. In this course, students write two structured pharmacy review articles (PRA) based on assigned scientific research articles and peer assess each others' written PRAs. Students also critically appraise scientific research articles on a weekly basis, complete one pre-journal club written reflective critique based on a assigned scientific research article, and moderate one journal club session.

FINDINGS

Course rubrics were developed and validated by the course coordinators. A survey administered to students enrolled in the course identified that 85% of the students perceived that they gained adequate writing skills in the course. More than 70% of the students indicated they had the necessary skills to evaluate their peers' written assessments, and 93% felt comfortable providing and receiving feedback from peers. More than 90% of the students indicated that writing PRAs and the peer assessment improved their critical and analytical skills.

SUMMARY

This course improved students' scientific writing, peer assessment, and critical appraisal skills. Further practice is required to reinforce the skills learned and to strengthen the writing skills of students.

Factors affecting university image among graduate alumni: A case study of Qatar university

Various factors influence the students' perception of universities and university image. This study explores five factors affecting university image among Graduate Alumni. Surveys, administered to 597 graduate alumni were assessed to determine Graduate Alumni perspectives toward their university. Findings revealed that the key factors that impacted graduate alumni affecting the university's image and reputation were gender, nationality, level of study, and the ability of the institution to equip graduates with certain specific skills. Based on these findings, the university should consider further examining these areas to provide a more in-depth understanding of how these factors work to shape graduate students' perspectives of the university and develop ways to address areas that need to be developed and improved.

Moving the Needle: Evidence of an Effective Study Strategy Intervention in a Community College Biology Course

Many science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) community college students do not complete their degree, and these students are more likely to be women or in historically excluded racial or ethnic groups. In introductory courses, low grades can trigger this exodus. Implementation of high-impact study strategies could lead to increased academic performance and retention. The examination of study strategies rarely occurs at the community college level, even though community colleges educate approximately half of all STEM students in the United States who earn a bachelor's degree. To fill this research gap, we studied students in two biology courses at a Hispanic-serving community college. Students were asked their most commonly used study strategies at the start and end of the semester. They were given a presentation on study skills toward the beginning of the semester and asked to self-assess their study strategies for each exam. We observed a significantly higher course grade for students who reported spacing their studying and creating drawings when controlling for demographic factors, and usage of these strategies increased by the end of the semester. We conclude that high-impact study strategies can be taught to students in community college biology courses and result in higher course performance.

Teaching Research in Principle and in Practice: What Do Psychology Instructors Think of Research Projects in Their Courses?

Psychology majors typically conduct at least one research project during their undergraduate studies, yet these projects rarely make a scientific contribution beyond the classroom. In this study, we explored one potential reason for this—that student projects may not be aligned with best practices in the field. In other words, we wondered if there was a mismatch between what instructors teach in principle and what student projects are in practice. To answer this, we asked psychology instructors ( n = 111) who regularly teach courses involving research projects questions about these projects. Instructors endorsed many of the commonly assumed pitfalls of student projects, such as not using rigorous methodology. Notably, the characteristics of these typical student projects did not align with the qualities instructors reported as being important in research practice. We highlight opportunities to align these qualities by employing resources such as crowdsourced projects specifically developed for student researchers.

Research on the Impacts of Cognitive Style and Computational Thinking on College Students in a Visual Artificial Intelligence Course

Visual programming language is a crucial part of learning programming. On this basis, it is essential to use visual programming to lower the learning threshold for students to learn about artificial intelligence (AI) to meet current demands in higher education. Therefore, a 3-h AI course with an RGB-to-HSL learning task was implemented; the results of which were used to analyze university students from two different disciplines. Valid data were collected for 65 students (55 men, 10 women) in the Science (Sci)-student group and 39 students (20 men, 19 women) in the Humanities (Hum)-student group. Independent sample t-tests were conducted to analyze the difference between cognitive styles and computational thinking. No significant differences in either cognitive style or computational thinking ability were found after the AI course, indicating that taking visual AI courses lowers the learning threshold for students and makes it possible for them to take more difficult AI courses, which in turn effectively helping them acquire AI knowledge, which is crucial for cultivating talent in the field of AI.

The Influence of Students’ Self-Determination and Personal Achievement Goals in Learning and Engagement: A Mediation Model for Traditional and Nontraditional Students

Self-determination theory (SDT) and achievement goal theory (AGT) assume that students’ level of self-determination and the goals they pursue in class are important factors in engagement and learning. The aims of this study were to: (1) investigate the links between the students’ types of motivation and personal achievement goals; (2) explore how these two sets of variables relate to learning, engagement, and exploring mediation effects; and (3) understand the specificities of nontraditional students vs. traditional students, regarding the way these variables relate to each other. The study used a sample of 361 Portuguese adult students, 138 traditional (younger than 25 years old), and 223 nontraditional (active adults returning to education, 25 or older). The instruments used were: Self-regulation Questionnaire—Learning, Personal Achievement Goal Orientations Scale, Adult Learning Strategies Evaluation Scale and Behavioral Engagement Questionnaire. Path analysis for the total sample revealed that mastery goals mediated the relationship between autonomous motivation and all educational outcomes, and performance-avoidance goals mediated the relationship between introjected regulation, external regulation, and behavioral and emotional engagement. Multiple-group path analysis revealed a much stronger pattern of relationships for nontraditional students, especially between the SDT and AGT variables. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way? Social and Mental Forces of Successful Adaptation of Immigrant Children in Young Adulthood

Although the twenty-first century is deemed as a new era of globalization, waves of immigration continue, due to disparities between politically and economically unstable regions and Western democratized and developed countries. Immigration research has therefore reignited its attention on the successful adaptation of immigrants’ offspring, which has profound implications for Western immigrant-receiving countries, as well as worldwide stability. Although immigration research mainly informed by the conventional assimilation theory and/or segmented assimilation perspective accentuates the importance of structural factors, termed as social forces here, in relation to immigrant children’s successful adaptation in adolescence, an argument of determinism and tenability keeps on and the contribution of human mental resources and determination, termed as mental forces here, in shaping life trajectories of immigrant children should be not ignored. For this, with a representative sample of 3344 immigrant children from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS), we examined and compared both the effects of social and mental forces measured in adolescence of immigrant children on their multiple adaptation outcomes in terms of college graduation, engagement in postgraduate study, and first and current job attainments in young adulthood with a Bayesian multilevel modeling framework. The results found that both social forces of segmented assimilation theory and mental forces of immigrant children in adolescence were significantly predictive of immigrant children’s successful adaptation in young adulthood (OR = 1.088–2.959 and β = 0.050–0.639 for social forces; OR = 11.290–18.119 and β = 0.293–0.297 for mental forces), in which, although the latter showed stronger effects than the former, the effects of mental forces on adaptation of immigrant children were conditionally shaped by the contexts of the social forces informed by segmented assimilation theory. The findings of the current study highlight the significance of the organism–environment interaction perspective on immigration research and provide an insight to consider a context-driven response thesis proposed.

Using Convolutional Neural Networks for the Assessment Research of Mental Health

Existing mental health assessment methods mainly rely on experts' experience, which has subjective bias, so convolutional neural networks are applied to mental health assessment to achieve the fusion of face, voice, and gait. Among them, the OpenPose algorithm is used to extract facial and posture features; openSMILE is used to extract voice features; and attention mechanism is introduced to reasonably allocate the weight values of different modal features. As can be seen, the effective identification and evaluation of 10 indicators such as mental health somatization, depression, and anxiety are realized. Simulation results show that the proposed method can accurately assess mental health. Here, the overall recognition accuracy can reach 77.20%, and the F1 value can reach 0.77. Compared with the recognition methods based on face single-mode fusion, face + voice dual-mode fusion, and face + voice + gait multimodal fusion, the recognition accuracy and F1 value of proposed method are improved to varying degrees, and the recognition effect is better, which has certain practical application value.

A Combination of Action Research and Reflective Journal Writing in an English as a Foreign Language Class: Learners' Psychological Point of Views and Their Grammar Use in Writing

Action research (AR) and reflective thinking (RT) can enhance learning since both processes provide students with the opportunities to step back and think about how they actually solve problems. While there is a robust academic inquiry on reflection practices and AR in the educational setting, investigating learners' reflections through AR practices can shed more light on related research. This study implemented reflective journal writing through AR and aimed to investigate (1) the participants' views about reflective journal writing, (2) the effects of journal writing on RT development, and (3) the learners' grammar use in writing. Eighty language learners formed the two experimental and control groups of the study. The possible relationship between the RT level and participants' final exam was checked. Analyses of the participants' journals, the semi-structured interview, the questionnaires' results, and the final exam scores were considered. The findings showed that the participants had positive views about journal writing, and they could enhance their level of RT as well as their grammar use in writing; nevertheless, no relationship between the RT level and final exam scores of the participants was found. The methodology and the results of the study could be conducive to welcoming alternative methods of teaching and assessment that encourage the learners' reflective practices and active engagements in language classes.