Level of involvement of clinical nurses in the evaluation of competence of nursing students

Objective. To determine the level of involvement of clinical nurses accredited by the Universitat Jaume I (Spain) as mentors of practice (Reference Nurses) in the evaluation of competence of nursing students. Methodolgy. Cross-sectional study, in which the “Clinical Practice Assessment Manual” (CPAM) reported by reference 41 nurses (n=55) were analyzed. Four quality criteria for completion were established: with information at least 80% of the required data, the presence of the signature and final grade in the right place. Verification of learning activities was also conducted. Data collection was performed concurrently reference for nurses and teachers of the subjects in the formative evaluations of clinical clerkship period in the matter “Nursing Care in Healthcare Processes “, from March to June 2013. Results. 63% of CPAM were completed correctly, without reaching the quality threshold established (80%). The absence of the signature is the main criteria of incorrect completion (21%). Nine learning activities do not meet the quality threshold set (80%) (p < 0.05). There are significant differences according to clinical units p < 0.05. From the 30 learning activities evaluated in the CPAM, it can be stated that nine of them do not reach the verification threshold established (80%), therefore it cannot be assumed that these activities had been completed by students and evaluated by the RefN throughout the clinical clerkship period. Conclusion. The level of involvement of Reference Nurse cannot be considered adequate, although strategies to encourage involvement through collaboration and training must be developed.

Direct versus indirect channels: Differentiated loss aversion in a high‐involvement, non‐frequently purchased hedonic product

Purpose – This article aims to investigate whether intermediaries reduce loss aversion in the context of a high-involvement non-frequently purchased hedonic product (tourism packages). Design/methodology/approach – The study incorporates the reference-dependent model into a multinomial logit model with random parameters, which controls for heterogeneity and allows representation of different correlation patterns between non-independent alternatives. Findings – Differentiated loss aversion is found: consumers buying high-involvement non-frequently purchased hedonic products are less loss averse when using an intermediary than when dealing with each provider separately and booking their services independently. This result can be taken as identifying consumer-based added value provided by the intermediaries. Practical implications – Knowing the effect of an increase in their prices is crucial for tourism collective brands (e.g. “sun and sea”, “inland”, “green destinations”, “World Heritage destinations”). This is especially applicable nowadays on account of the fact that many destinations have lowered prices to attract tourists (although, in the future, they will have to put prices back up to their normal levels). The negative effect of raising prices can be absorbed more easily via indirect channels when compared to individual providers, as the influence of loss aversion is lower for the former than the latter. The key implication is that intermediaries can – and should – add value in competition with direct e-tailing. Originality/value – Research on loss aversion in retailing has been prolific, exclusively focused on low-involvement and frequently purchased products without distinguishing the direct or indirect character of the distribution channel. However, less is known about other types of products such as high-involvement non-frequently purchased hedonic products. This article focuses on the latter and analyzes different patterns of loss aversion in direct and indirect channels.

The Influence of Gender, Intellectual Ability, Academic Self-Concept, Self-Regulation, Learning Strategies, Popularity and Parent Involvement in Early Adolescence

The present study examined the predictive effects of gender, intellectual ability, self-concept, motivation, learning strategies, popularity and parent involvement on academic achievement. Hiearchical regression analysis were performed with six steps in which each variable was included, among a sample of 1398 high school students (mean age = 12.5; standard deviation = .67) of eight education centers from the province of Alicante (Spain). The results revealed significant predictive effects of all of the variables, explaining 59.1% of the total variance.

Engaging Immigrants in Youth Sport Coaching: Part 2. A Qualitative Analysis of the Barriers, Facilitators and Motivators for Involvement

Although research in the area of immigrants and their physical activity patterns has been steadily growing, there is still much to learn. The purpose of this study was to identify the barriers, facilitators and motivators facing recent Canadian immigrants as they relate to involvement in coaching youth sport. The quantitative information presented in the first article of this series served as a framework for conducting semi-structured qualitative interviews with 28 immigrant youth-sport coaches. Results of these interviews support the notion that there are two distinct groups of immigrant coaches - the ‘leisure-oriented coach’ (those without coaching occupational aspirations) and the ‘career-oriented coach’ (those with coaching occupational pursuits). Despite sharing several of the same barriers, facilitators and motivators, each group showed marked divergence from the other on a number of aspects in each of these three categories.

Expertise in Ultra-Endurance Triathletes Early Sport Involvement, Training Structure, and the Theory of Deliberate Practice

The theory of deliberate practice (Ericsson, Krampe, & Tesch-Römer, 1993) is predicated on the concept that the engagement in specific forms of practice is necessary for the attainment of expertise. The purpose of this paper was to examine the quantity and type of training performed by expert UE triathletes. Twenty-eight UE triathletes were stratified into expert, middle of the pack, and back of the pack groups based on previous finishing times. All participants provided detailed information regarding their involvement in sports in general and the three triathlon sports in particular. Results illustrated that experts performed more training than non-experts but that the relationship between training and performance was not monotonic as suggested by Ericsson et al. Further, experts' training was designed so periods of high training stress were followed by periods of low stress. However, early specialization was not a requirement for expertise. This work indicates that the theory of deliberate practice does not fully explain expertise development in UE triathlon.

The Developmental Activities of Elite Ice Hockey Players

The purpose of this study was to analyze the development of four 20 year-old elite hockey players through an in-depth examination of their sporting activities. The theoretical frameworkof deliberate practice (Ericsson, Krampe, & Tesch-Romer, 1993) and the notion of deliberate play (Côté, 1999) served as the theoretical foundations. Interviews were conducted to providea longitudinal and detailed account of each participant.s involvement in various sporting activities. The interviewer asked questions about the conditions and sporting activities for eachyear of development. The data obtained were validated through independent interviews conducted with three parents of three different athletes. The results were consistent with Côté.s(1999) three stages of development in sport: the sampling (age 6.12), specializing (age 13. 15), and investment (age 16+) years

Childhood Physical Activity Involvement in Active and Inactive Female Adults

Current trends show progressive declines in levels of physical activity from childhood through adolescence and adulthood, most notably for females. The current study examined organized activity involvement in active and inactive females (age 18) using retrospective data. Results indicated that active females participated in significantly more physical activities than inactive females from age 6 to age 18. No significant differences were found between groups for non-physical activities. In addition, parents of active and inactive females were the most influential factor in initiating physical activity. However, parents of active females initiated more physical activity involvement than did parents of inactive females. Results also indicate that certain periods in childhood and adolescence appear to be critical for developing long-term physical activity habits.

Energizing the Oak Ridges Moraine? Analyzing the Policy Implications of Three Wind Energy Developments on the Oak Ridges Moraine and their Potential Impact on the Coordinated Land Use Planning Review through the Involvement of First Nations and Environmental Non-governmental Organizations

This research explores the policy implications of the approval of three wind energy projects on the Oak Ridges Moraine, and their impact on the Coordinated Land Use Planning Review process. Specifically, it focuses on the involvement of First Nations and environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs). This research was conducted through analyzing submissions to the Coordinated Land Use Planning Review, related legislation and policy, Environmental Review Tribunal hearing documents, and interviews with key informants. This research culminates in a number of recommendations to the Coordinated Review informed by the analysis.

Prática de ensino supervisionada em Educação Pré-escolar e Ensino do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico

O trabalho que aqui apresentamos incide sobre a Prática de Ensino Supervisionada [PES], integrada no plano de estudos do Mestrado em Educação Pré-Escolar e Ensino do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico, da Escola Superior de Educação do Instituto Politécnico de Bragança. Temos como finalidade refletir sobre a ação desenvolvida ao longo dos estágios profissionalizantes que se realizaram em contexto de Educação Pré-Escolar [EPE], num grupo vertical com 25 crianças de 3, 4 e 5 anos de idade e, em contexto de 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico [1.º CEB], numa turma de 1.º ano de escolaridade, com 20 crianças de 6 e 7 anos de idade. No decorrer da nossa ação educativa tivemos em consideração o desenvolvimento integral da criança e promovemos uma pedagogia de participação que valorizava a criança e a sua ação, através de uma linha pedagógica integradora, em que articulamos os saberes das diversas áreas de conteúdo e disciplinares. Ao integrarmos os jogos na ação pedagógica, conseguimos relacioná-los com a problemática da nossa pesquisa e responder à questão norteadora deste trabalho: Quais as implicações dos jogos no processo de ensino-aprendizagem e nas relações das crianças na Educação Pré-Escolar e do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico? O estudo enquadra-se, essencialmente, numa abordagem qualitativa onde utilizamos como principais técnicas e instrumentos de recolha de dados a observação participante e naturalista, grelhas de observação, notas de campo, registo fotográfico e áudio e, entrevista à educadora e professora cooperantes. Em termos de resultados pensamos poder concluir que em ambos os contextos, o jogo foi uma boa estratégia de ensino-aprendizagem, visto que houve grande entusiasmo, envolvimento e interesse por parte das crianças, incentivando-as na aprendizagem dos diferentes conteúdos. Podemos ainda aferir que o jogo favoreceu positivamente as interações e relações das crianças.

(EU) friends: NGO cooperation and involvement across multi-level policy processes. IES Working Paper 1/2007

A growing body of research focuses on the expanding roles of NGOs in global and supranational governance. The research emphasizes the increasing number of participation patterns of NGOs in policymaking and cross-national cooperation. It has produced important insights into the evolving political role of NGOs and their growing involvement in governance. The focus on activities at a transnational level has, however, lead to the virtual exclusion of research on other levels of governance. It has not been possible to tell whether the locus of their political activity is shifting from the national to the transnational environment, or whether it is simply broadening. Missing from the literature is an examination of the variety of cooperative relationships, including those between NGOs, which impact policy involvement across different levels of governance. To bridge this gap, I address two key questions: 1) Is the strategy of cooperation among NGOs a common feature of social movement activity across levels of governance, and if so, what does the structure of cooperation look like? 2) What impact, if any, does cooperation have on the expanding political involvement of NGOS, both within and across levels of governance? Using data from an original survey of migrant and refugee organizations across much of Europe, I test several hypotheses that shed light on these issues. The findings broadly indicate that 1) Cooperation is a widely-used strategy across levels of governance, 2) Cooperation with specific sets of actors increases the likelihood of NGO involvement at different levels of governance. Specifically, cooperation with EU-level actors increases the likelihood of national-level involvement, and 3) NGOs are more likely to extend their involvement across a range of institutions if they cooperate with a broad range of actors.

The Belgian parliaments and EU affairs: the reasons behind their limited involvement. European Policy Brief No. 28, March 2014

Given their limited involvement in EU affairs, the Belgian parliaments at the different levels of the Belgian federation barely contribute to the legitimation process of the EU’s actions. In order to strengthen their role, not only should governmental communication towards parliaments be improved but parliamentary activities should also adapt to the confederal features of Belgium. The latter poses a unique challenge in Europe.