Does gender make a difference? Gender-related fairness of high-stakes testing in A-level examinations in English as foreign language in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the context of Educational Governance

The shift from decentralized to centralized A-level examinations (Abitur) was implemented in the German school system as a measure of Educational Governance in the last decade. This reform was mainly introduced with the intention of providing higher comparability of school examinations and student achievement as well as increasing fairness in school examinations. It is not known yet if these ambitious aims and functions of the new centralized examination format have been achieved and if fairer assessment can be guaranteed in terms of providing all students with the same opportunities to pass the examinations by allocating fair tests to different student subpopulations e.g., students of different background or gender. The research presented in this article deals with these questions and focuses on gender differences. It investigates gender-specific fairness of the test items in centralized Abitur examinations as high school exit examinations in Germany. The data are drawn from Abitur examinations in English (as a foreign language). Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis reveals that at least some parts of the examinations indicate gender inequality. (DIPF/Orig.)

Effektivität der Qualifizierung von Teach First Fellows. Abschlussbericht zur summativen Evaluation der Sommerakademie von Teach First Deutschland

Teach First Fellows nehmen wie Lehrkräfte eine hohe Verantwortung für die weitere Entwicklung von Kindern und Jugendlichen wahr. Anders als Lehrkräfte verfügen sie jedoch nicht über eine grundständige Ausbildung für ihre spezifische Tätigkeit. Deshalb stellt sich die Frage, inwiefern es gelingen kann, durch eine sorgfältige Auswahl der Fellows, sowie durch eine intensive Kurzqualifizierung gute Voraussetzungen für den Erfolg ihrer Tätigkeit zu schaffen. Die vorliegende Studie evaluiert die Ergebnisse des Qualifizierungsprogramms, das Teach First Deutschland für seine Fellows entwickelt und implementiert hat. Dabei interessiert insbesondere, welches Wissen zur Unterstützung von Lernprozessen, welche Fähigkeiten zur Gestaltung von Unterricht und welche Erwartung von pädagogischer Wirksamkeit innerhalb eines halben Jahres bei den Fellows aufgebaut werden können. Um ein tieferes Verständnis der Wirkweise des Qualifizierungsprogramms zu ermöglichen, wurden neben den Ergebnissen auch dessen Prozesskomponenten einer Bewertung unterzogen. (DIPF/Orig.)

"Learning together, growing with family": the implementation and evaluation of a family support programme

The "Learning together, growing with family" programme is targeted to at-risk parents and children from 6 to 11 years old, with a preventive focus on promoting positive parent-child relationships. In this study, we examined the quality of the programme implementation and its influence on the programme results in a sample of 425 parents and 138 facilitators drawn from the first trial. Mixed methods were used, consisting of: parental self-reports on parenting dimensions, professionals' records on parental attendance and appraisals on six topics of the implementation process, and focus group discussions in which facilitators reported on the initial steps of the implementation. Results showed a high quality of implementation with respect to the group facilitator and the programme organization factors, followed by the coordination with services and the support facilities offered to participants and, finally, by the factors of fidelity and prior organization steps. Results of the focus groups confirmed that the prior steps were challenging and offered the more effective strategies. Better quality in the implementation factors predicted better parenting styles and parental competencies after the programme, as well as a higher attendance rate. In sum, this study demonstrates the importance of good implementation in at-risk contexts and provides some clues as to the key elements that moderate programme effectiveness.

Inequities in energy-balance related behaviours and family environmental determinants in European children: baseline results of the prospective EPHE evaluation study

BACKGROUND:Tackling inequalities in overweight, obesity and related determinants has become a top priority for the European research and policy agendas. Although it has been established that such inequalities accumulate from early childhood onward, they have not been studied extensively in children. The current article discusses the results of an explorative analysis for the identification of inequalities in behaviours and their determinants between groups with high and low socio-economic status. METHODS: This study is part of the Epode for the Promotion of Health Equity (EPHE) evaluation study, the overall aim of which is to assess the impact and sustainability of EPODE methodology to diminish inequalities in childhood obesity and overweight. Seven community-based programmes from different European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Portugal, Romania, The Netherlands) participate in the EPHE study. In each of the communities, children aged 6-8 years participated, resulting in a total sample of 1266 children and their families. A parental self-administrated questionnaire was disseminated in order to assess the socio-economic status of the household, selected energy balance-related behaviours (1. fruit and vegetable consumption; 2. soft drink/ fruit juices and water consumption; 3. screen time and 4. sleep duration) of the children and associated family environmental determinants. The Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson's chi-square test were used to test differences between the low and high education groups. The country-specific median was chosen as the cut-off point to determine the educational level, given the different average educational level in every country. RESULTS: Children with mothers of relatively high educational level consumed fruits and vegetables more frequently than their peers of low socio-economic status. The latter group of children had a higher intake of fruit juices and/or soft drinks and had higher screen time. Parental rules and home availability were consistently different between the two socio-economic groups in our study in all countries. However we did not find a common pattern for all behaviours and the variability across the countries was large. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are indicative of socio-economic inequalities in our samples, although the variability across the countries was large. The effectiveness of interventions aimed at chancing parental rules and behaviour on health inequalities should be studied.

Evaluation of the quality of the teaching-learning process in undergraduate courses in Nursing

Objective: to identify aspects of improvement of the quality of the teaching-learning process through the analysis of tools that evaluated the acquisition of skills by undergraduate students of Nursing. Method: prospective longitudinal study conducted in a population of 60 second-year Nursing students based on registration data, from which quality indicators that evaluate the acquisition of skills were obtained, with descriptive and inferential analysis. Results: nine items were identified and nine learning activities included in the assessment tools that did not reach the established quality indicators (p<0.05). There are statistically significant differences depending on the hospital and clinical practices unit (p<0.05). Conclusion: the analysis of the evaluation tools used in the article "Nursing Care in Welfare Processes" of the analyzed university undergraduate course enabled the detection of the areas for improvement in the teaching-learning process. The challenge of education in nursing is to reach the best clinical research and educational results, in order to provide improvements to the quality of education and health care.

Evaluation of Neurodevelopment and Factors Affecting it in Children With Acyanotic Congenital Cardiac Disease

Background: The rate of congenital heart disease is 0.8% in all live births. The majority of this, however, is acyanotic congenital heart disease. The survival rate of children with cardiac disease has increased with the developments provided in recent years and their lifetime is extended. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate neurodevelopment of children with uncomplicated acyanotic congenital heart disease in preschool period and determine the factors affecting their neurodevelopmental process. Patients and Methods: 132 children with acyanotic congenital heart disease aged 6 - 72 months were involved in the study. Mental development and intelligence levels of patients under 2 years old were assessed by using Bayley Development Scale-III, and Stanford Binet Intelligence test was employed for patients over 2 years old. Denver Developmental Screening Test II was applied to all patients for their personal-social, fine motor, gross motor and language development. Results: The average age of patients (67 girls, 65 boys) included in the study was 35.2 ± 19.6 months. It was determined that there were subnormal mental level in 13 (10%) patients and at least one specific developmental disorder in 33 (25%) patients. Bayley Mental Development Scale score of patients who had received incubator care in perinatal period was found significantly low (88 ± 4.2) compared to those with no incubator care (93.17 ± 8.5) (P = 0.028). Low educational level of father was established to be linked with low mental development scores at the age of 2 and following that age (P < 0.05). Iron deficiency anemia was discovered to be related to low psychometric test scores at every age (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Neurodevelopmental problems in children with acyanotic congenital heart disease were found higher compared to those in society. Mental development and intelligence levels of patients were determined to be closely associated with receiving incubator care, father’s educational level and iron deficiency anemia.

Evaluation of an intervention focusing on children to promote physical activity in the entire community: Feasibility, effectiveness and sustainability over time.

Regular physical activity (PA) during childhood is associated with physical, mental, emotional and social health benefits. The constant practice of PA is considered one of the best buys available in public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends to perform at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous PA for children and adolescents in order to obtain health benefits. However, globally, this level of PA is hardly achieved. Children and adolescent who do not reach the recommended levels of PA are defined as physically inactive and nowadays physical inactivity constitutes a new type of pandemic. For this reason, the WHO launched a global action plan addressing physical activity with a goal of reducing physical inactivity in children and youth. The plan also included recommendation to improve individual and community health and contribute to the social, cultural and economic development of all nations. Worldwide, children and adolescents spend a significant amount of time in school and for this reason the school represents a fundamental educational setting that can play a pivotal role increasing students’ PA. Opportunities to be physically active should not be considered purely in relation to when children attend physical education classes but also making physical activity available during the school day, such as physically active lessons, and multicomponent PA interventions. Since school-based PA interventions are quite numerous, the present thesis focused on interventions delivered during school hours and that integrate small doses of PA as part of routine instruction. This type of intervention is called “Active Breaks.” Active Breaks consists of brief 5–15 minutes sessions of PA led by teachers who introduce short bursts of PA into the academic lesson. In light of this the present thesis aims to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy and sustainability of an Active Breaks intervention targeting children to promote PA.

Evaluation Of The Radiopacity Of Esthetic Root Canal Posts.

The radiopacity of esthetic root canal posts may impair the assessment of their fit to the root canal when using radiographic images. This study determined in vitro the radiographic density of esthetic root canal posts using digital images. Thirty-six roots of human maxillary canines were assigned to six groups (N=6 per group): Reforpost (RP); Aestheti-Plus (AP); Reforpost MIX (RPM); D.T. Light Post (LP); Reforpost Radiopaque (RPR); and White Post DC (WP). Standardized digital images of the posts were obtained in different conditions: outside the root canal, inside the canal before and after cementation using luting material, and with a tissue simulator. Analysis of variance was used to compare the radiopacity mean values among the posts outside the root canal and among the posts under the other conditions, and the t unpaired test to compare the radiopacity between the posts and the dentin, and between the posts and the root canal space. There was no statistically significant difference in radiopacity between RP and RPM, and LP and WP. AP posts showed radiopacity values significantly lower than those for dentin. No statistically significant difference was found between posts (RP and AP) and the root canal space. A statistically significant difference was observed between the luted and non-luted posts; additionally, luted posts with and without tissue simulator showed no significant differences. Most of the cement-luted posts analyzed in this study were distinguishable from the density of adjacent dentin surfaces, allowing radiographic confirmation of the fit of the post in the canal. The success of using esthetic root canal posts depends mainly on the fit of the post within the canal.[1] The radiopacity of a post allows for radiographic imaging to be used to determine the fit, an important factor in a clinical perspective.

Otoneurological Evaluation: Current Good Practice.

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Endoscopic Endonasal Transsphenoidal Resection Of Pituitary Adenomas: Preliminary Evaluation Of Consecutive Cases.

Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery has gained increasing acceptance by otolaryngologists and neurosurgeons. In many centers throughout the world, this technique is now routinely used for the same indications as conventional microsurgical technique for pituitary tumors. To present a surgical experience of consecutive endoscopic endonasal trans-sphenoidal resections of pituitary adenomas. In this study, consecutive patients with pituitary adenomas submitted to endoscopic endonasal pituitary surgery were evaluated regarding the rate of residual tumor, functional remission, symptoms relief, complications, and tumor size. Forty-seven consecutive patients were evaluated; 17 had functioning adenomas, seven had GH producing tumors, five had Cushing's disease, and five had prolactinomas. Of the functioning adenomas, 12 were macroadenomas and five were microadenomas; 30 cases were non-functioning macroadenomas. Of the patients with functioning adenomas, 87% improved. 85% of the patients with visual deficits related to optic nerve compression progressed over time. Most of the patients with complaints of headaches improved (76%). Surgical complications occurred in 10% of patients, which included with two carotid lesions, two cerebrospinal fluid leaks, and one death of a patient with a previous history of complications. Endoscopic endonasal pituitary surgery is a feasible technique, yielding good surgical and functional outcomes, and low morbidity.

Microbial Evaluation Of Traumatized Teeth Treated With Triple Antibiotic Paste Or Calcium Hydroxide With 2% Chlorhexidine Gel In Pulp Revascularization.

Revascularization outcome depends on microbial elimination because apical repair will not happen in the presence of infected tissues. This study evaluated the microbial composition of traumatized immature teeth and assessed their reduction during different stages of the revascularization procedures performed with 2 intracanal medicaments. Fifteen patients (7-17 years old) with immature teeth were submitted to the revascularization procedures; they were divided into 2 groups according to the intracanal medicament used: TAP group (n = 7), medicated with a triple antibiotic paste, and CHP group (n = 8), dressed with calcium hydroxide + 2% chlorhexidine gel. Samples were taken before any treatment (S1), after irrigation with 6% NaOCl (S2), after irrigation with 2% chlorhexidine (S3), after intracanal dressing (S4), and after 17% EDTA irrigation (S5). Cultivable bacteria recovered from the 5 stages were counted and identified by means of polymerase chain reaction assay (16S rRNA). Both groups had colony-forming unit counts significantly reduced after S2 (P < .05); however, no significant difference was found between the irrigants (S2 and S3, P = .99). No difference in bacteria counts was found between the intracanal medicaments used (P = .95). The most prevalent bacteria detected were Actinomyces naeslundii (66.67%), followed by Porphyromonas endodontalis, Parvimonas micra, and Fusobacterium nucleatum, which were detected in 33.34% of the root canals. An average of 2.13 species per canal was found, and no statistical correlation was observed between bacterial species and clinical/radiographic features. The microbial profile of infected immature teeth is similar to that of primarily infected permanent teeth. The greatest bacterial reduction was promoted by the irrigation solutions. The revascularization protocols that used the tested intracanal medicaments were efficient in reducing viable bacteria in necrotic immature teeth.

Evaluation Of Different Treatment Methods Against Denture Stomatitis: A Randomized Clinical Study.

The aim of this clinical study was to determine the efficacy of Uncaria tomentosa (cat's claw) against denture stomatitis (DS). Fifty patients with DS were randomly assigned into 3 groups to receive 2% miconazole, placebo, or 2% U tomentosa gel. DS level was recorded immediately, after 1 week of treatment, and 1 week after treatment. The clinical effectiveness of each treatment was measured using Newton's criteria. Mycologic samples from palatal mucosa and prosthesis were obtained to determinate colony forming units per milliliter (CFU/mL) and fungal identification at each evaluation period. Candida species were identified with HiCrome Candida and API 20C AUX biochemical test. DS severity decreased in all groups (P < .05). A significant reduction in number of CFU/mL after 1 week (P < .05) was observed for all groups and remained after 14 days (P > .05). C albicans was the most prevalent microorganism before treatment, followed by C tropicalis, C glabrata, and C krusei, regardless of the group and time evaluated. U tomentosa gel had the same effect as 2% miconazole gel. U tomentosa gel is an effective topical adjuvant treatment for denture stomatitis.

Design, Synthesis And Biological Evaluation Of Hybrid Bioisoster Derivatives Of N-acylhydrazone And Furoxan Groups With Potential And Selective Anti-trypanosoma Cruzi Activity.

Hybrid bioisoster derivatives from N-acylhydrazones and furoxan groups were designed with the objective of obtaining at least a dual mechanism of action: cruzain inhibition and nitric oxide (NO) releasing activity. Fifteen designed compounds were synthesized varying the substitution in N-acylhydrazone and in furoxan group as well. They had its anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity in amastigotes forms, NO releasing potential and inhibitory cruzain activity evaluated. The two most active compounds (6, 14) both in the parasite amastigotes and in the enzyme contain the nitro group in para position of the aromatic ring. The permeability screening in Caco-2 cell and cytotoxicity assay in human cells were performed for those most active compounds and both showed to be less cytotoxic than the reference drug, benznidazole. Compound 6 was the most promising, since besides activity it showed good permeability and selectivity index, higher than the reference drug. Thereby the compound 6 was considered as a possible candidate for additional studies.

Psychometric Properties Evaluation Of A New Ergonomics-related Job Factors Questionnaire Developed For Nursing Workers.

The objectives of this study were to develop a questionnaire that evaluates the perception of nursing workers to job factors that may contribute to musculoskeletal symptoms, and to evaluate its psychometric properties. Internationally recommended methodology was followed: construction of domains, items and the instrument as a whole, content validity, and pre-test. Psychometric properties were evaluated among 370 nursing workers. Construct validity was analyzed by the factorial analysis, known-groups technique, and convergent validity. Reliability was assessed through internal consistency and stability. Results indicated satisfactory fit indices during confirmatory factor analysis, significant difference (p < 0.01) between the responses of nursing and office workers, and moderate correlations between the new questionnaire and Numeric Pain Scale, SF-36 and WRFQ. Cronbach's alpha was close to 0.90 and ICC values ranged from 0.64 to 0.76. Therefore, results indicated that the new questionnaire had good psychometric properties for use in studies involving nursing workers.

Temporomandibular Dysfunction Post-craniotomy: Evaluation Between Pre- And Post-operative Status.

To identify risk factors associated with post-operative temporomandibular joint dysfunction after craniotomy. The study sample included 24 patients, mean age of 37.3 ± 10 years; eligible for surgery for refractory epilepsy, evaluated according to RDC/TMD before and after surgery. The primary predictor was the time after the surgery. The primary outcome variable was maximal mouth opening. Other outcome variables were: disc displacement, bruxism, TMJ sound, TMJ pain, and pain associated to mandibular movements. Data analyses were performed using bivariate and multiple regression methods. The maximal mouth opening was significantly reduced after surgery in all patients (p = 0.03). In the multiple regression model, time of evaluation and pre-operative bruxism were significantly (p < .05) associated with an increased risk for TMD post-surgery. A significant correlation between surgery follow-up time and maximal opening mouth was found. Pre-operative bruxism was associated with increased risk for temporomandibular joint dysfunction after craniotomy.