Social Services of General Interest: The EU Competence Regime and a Constitution of Social Governance

In discussing the potential role of the EU, the Member States, their composite parts and civil society organisations in establishing social services of general interest at sub-national, national, transnational and EU wide levels, this chapter explores the EU competence regime for social services of general interest. Its analysis contradicts a tendency in academic writing to demand protection of national prerogatives for shaping welfare states against EU intervention at all costs, because this would be counterproductive for the progress of the EU project. It submits that an EU constitution of social governance should create mixed responsibilities so that the EU, states and civil society actors support each other in creating preconditions for social integration in the EU. It uses the field of social services of general interests as an example of applying this general theoretical concept.

Standardizing the assessment of clinical competence: an overview of intensive care course design.

Rationale for the development of the Certificate in Health Studies: Intensive Care and High Dependency for Adults course developed at Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland. Structure and content of clinical module reviewed. Clinical assessment strategy discussed. Focus on the utilization of a standardized portfolio, individualized learning contract and objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to evaluate clinical competence. Evaluation of OSCE as an assessment tool and of the course provision.

Abstract: Psychometric properties of two self-report clinical competence scales for nursing students.

Abstract: Psychometric properties of two self-report clinical competence scales for nursing students.
Background: It is important to assess the clinical competence of nursing students to gauge their professional development and educational needs. This can be measured by self-assessment tools. Anema and McCoy (2010) contended that the currently available measures need further psychometric testing.
Aim: To test the psychometric properties of Nursing Competencies Questionnaire (NCQ) and Self-Efficacy in Clinical Performance (SECP) clinical competence scales.

Method: A non-randomly selected sample of n=248 2nd year nursing students completed NCQ, SECP and demographic questionnaires (June and September 2013). Mokken Scaling Analysis (MSA) was used to test the structural validity and scale properties, convergent and discriminant validity and reliability were subsequently tested.

Results: The NCQ provided evidence of a unidimensional scale which had strong scale scalability coefficients Hs =0.581; but limited evidence of item rankability HT =0.367. MSA undertaken with the SECP scale identified two potential unidimensional scales the SECP28 and SECP7, each with adequate evidence of good/reasonable scalablity psychometric properties as a summed scale but no/very limited evidence of scale rankability (SECP28: Hs = 0.55, HT=0.211; SECP7: Hs = 0.61, HT=0.049). Analysis of between cohort differences and NCQ/ SECP scale scores produced evidence of convergent and discriminant validity and good internal reliability: NCQ α = 0.93, SECP28 α = 0.96, and SECP7 α=0.89.

Discussion: The NCQ was verified to have evidence of reliability and validity; however, as the SECP findings are new, and the sample small, with reference to Straat and colleagues (2014), the SECP results should be interpreted with caution and verified on a second sample.

Conclusions: Measurement of perceived self-competence could inform the development of nursing competence and could start early in a nursing programme. Further testing of the NCQ and SECP scales with larger samples and from different years is indicated.


References:
Anema, M., G and McCoy, JK. (2010) Competency-Based Nursing Education: Guide to Achieving Outstanding Learner Outcomes. New York: Springer.
Straat, JH., van der Ark, LA and Sijtsma, K. (2014) Minimum Sample Size Requirements for Mokken Scale Analysis Educational and Psychological Measurement 74 (5), 809-822.

How to promote professional competence and identity in social work students

Background: Field placement experiences are frequently cited in the literature as having most impact on a student social worker’s learning as they emerge into the profession. Placements are integral to the development of practice competence and in acquiring a sense of social work identity. However research on the effectiveness of educational strategies used to deliver learning and assess competence during placement are scarce. Internationally, pressures to meet increasing numbers of student enrolments have raised concerns about the potential impact on the quality of placements and practice teaching provided. These pressures may also impact on the appropriate transfer and application of learning to the student’s practice.
Aim: To identify learning activities rated most useful for developing professional practice competence and professional identity of social work students.
Method: Data were collected from 396 students who successfully completed their first or final placement during 2013-2014 and were registered at one of two Universities in Northern Ireland. Students completed a self-administered questionnaire which covered: placement setting and service user group; type of supervision model; frequency of undertaking specific learning activities; who provided the learning; which activities contributed to their developing professional competence and identity and their overall satisfaction.
Our findings confirmed the centrality of the supervisory relationship as the vehicle to enable quality student learning. Shadowing others, receiving regular supervision and receiving constructive feedback were the tasks that students reported as ‘most useful’ to developing professional identity, competence and readiness to practice. Disturbingly over 50% of students reported that linking practice to the professional codes, practice foci and key roles were not valued as ‘useful’ in terms of readiness to practice, feeling competent and developing professional social work identity. These results offer strong insights into how both the University and the practice placement environment needs to better prepare, assess and support students during practice placements in the field.

Pathways to teacher education for intercultural communicative competence: teachers’ perceptions

Intercultural and plurilingual encounters have become increasingly frequent due to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) developments, mobility (real/ virtual) and migration. To face the challenges inherent in such encounters, the development of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is crucial. ICC development may start in the home but should also be a commitment in school curricula, in particular in language classrooms. To facilitate this, language teachers require training in order to integrate the intercultural dimension into their professional practice. In such a context, we implemented a training programme entitled The Intercultural Teacher with an experimental group of language teachers from secondary schools in the Aveiro district (Portugal). In this article, we describe teachers’ social perceptions of ICC and explore the following questions: (a) what does ICC mean for language teachers?; and (b) what are teachers’ views on the development of ICC? The findings of this analysis enabled us, firstly, to design a heuristic model of ICC, based on teachers’ views and perceptions. We were then able to identify some pathways for developing ICC through teacher education, which were validated by teachers themselves.

Code for competence - Programmieren für Zweitklässler mit ScratchJr

Wir beschreiben und belegen anhand eines Pilotprojekts in einer zweiten Grundschulklasse, dass Informatik in der Grundschule das Potential hat, fächerübergreifend Kompetenzen in fast allen Fächern des Grundschulkanons zu fördern. Wir erläutern mehrere Unterrichtseinheiten eines ScratchJr-Einsatzes und dokumentieren positive Wirkungen auf vielfältige Kompetenzen, die Kinder im Grundschulalter erwerben sollen. Der Beitrag stellt einen Erfahrungsbericht und qualitative Ergebnisse zur Verfügung. Eingesetzte Arbeitsmaterialien werden online zur Verfügung gestellt. Die bisherigen positiven Erfahrungen haben uns veranlasst, die Arbeit mit ScratchJr in der Pilotklasse auf mehrere Monate auszudehnen.

A Taxonomy for Developing Cultural Competence

This paper proposes a taxonomy to develop culturally competent practitioners. Arguments about what this might mean and how this could be achieved are discussed first, identifying problems with multicultural and antiracist approaches. The model follows the cognitive, emotional and behavioural levels of Steinaker and Bell's experiential taxonomy. Five elements are proposed: cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural understanding, cultural sensitivity and cultural competence. These could address, in increasingly sophisticated and increasingly praxis-oriented ways, issues of power and the construction of meanings and identities which go beyond essentialist notions of ethnicity.

Expert Insight into the Assessment of Competence in Cognitive–behavioural Therapy: a Qualitative Exploration of Experts' Experiences, Opinions and Recommendations

To offer insight into how cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) competence is defined, measured and evaluated and to highlight ways in which the assessment of CBT competence could be further improved, the current study utilizes a qualitative methodology to examine CBT experts’ (N = 19) experiences of conceptualizing and assessing the competence of CBT therapists. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore participants’ experiences of assessing the competence of CBT therapists. Interview transcripts were then analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis in order to identify commonalities and differences in the way CBT competence is evaluated. Four superordinate themes were identified: (i) what to assess, the complex and fuzzy concept of CBT competence; (ii) how to assess CBT competence, selecting from the toolbox of assessment methods; (iii) who is best placed to assess CBT competence, expertise and independence; and (iv) pitfalls, identifying and overcoming assessment biases. Priorities for future research and ways in which the assessment of CBT competence could be further improved are discussed in light of these findings.

The 2015 Portuguese Legislative Election: Widening the Coalitional Space and Bringing the Extreme Left in

This article provides an overview of the Portuguese legislative election held on 4 October 2015 by exploring the economic and political context in which the election took place, the opinion polls, party positions and campaign issues, the results and, finally, the process that led to the formation of the first Socialist minority government supported by far-left parties. Due to this outcome, despite the relative majority of the votes obtained by the incumbent centre-right coalition, we argue that this election result cannot be interpreted as a victory of austerity, but rather as the first step towards contract parliamentarism in Portugal.

Academics across borders: narratives of linguistic capital, language competence, and communication strategies

This article reports on a study that examined the personal employment paths of six international academics at a British university. To complement previous accounts of difficult migration, it focuses on the successful experiences of such academics, in particular how proficiency in English facilitated their move into employment in higher education (HE), and the linguistic competences and communication strategies they deploy in their daily activities. The article identifies key factors that have facilitated to their academic achievements and contributes to the understanding of the benefits and consequences of skilled migration. In conclusion, it suggests workplace pedagogy and policy responses that could facilitate other international academics' successful experiences in the UK HE sector.

The European challenge of KMN and innovation: a skills and competence portfolio for knowledge worker in SME's

Versão editor: http://www.isegi.unl.pt/docentes/acorreia/documentos/European_Challenge_KM_Innovation_2004.pdf

Vaccination-induced functional competence of circulating human tumor-specific CD8 T-cells.

T-cells specific for foreign (e.g., viral) antigens can give rise to strong protective immune responses, whereas self/tumor antigen-specific T-cells are thought to be less powerful. However, synthetic T-cell vaccines composed of Melan-A/MART-1 peptide, CpG and IFA can induce high frequencies of tumor-specific CD8 T-cells in PBMC of melanoma patients. Here we analyzed the functionality of these T-cells directly ex vivo, by multiparameter flow cytometry. The production of multiple cytokines (IFNγ, TNFα, IL-2) and upregulation of LAMP-1 (CD107a) by tumor (Melan-A/MART-1) specific T-cells was comparable to virus (EBV-BMLF1) specific CD8 T-cells. Furthermore, phosphorylation of STAT1, STAT5 and ERK1/2, and expression of CD3 zeta chain were similar in tumor- and virus-specific T-cells, demonstrating functional signaling pathways. Interestingly, high frequencies of functionally competent T-cells were induced irrespective of patient's age or gender. Finally, CD8 T-cell function correlated with disease-free survival. However, this result is preliminary since the study was a Phase I clinical trial. We conclude that human tumor-specific CD8 T-cells can reach functional competence in vivo, encouraging further development and Phase III trials assessing the clinical efficacy of robust vaccination strategies.