Acceptability of a theory of planned behaviour email-based nutrition intervention

This study investigated feasibility and acceptability of a new email-delivered intervention promoting fruit and vegetable consumption in a university-based population of Australian young adults. The study explored whether there are differences in the reported feasibility and acceptability between demographic groups within the population of interest and at three levels of intervention intensity. The email-delivered intervention program consists of an implementation intention ‘planning task’ and between 3 and 15 short email messages over a 15-day study period. The intervention program was developed using the Theory of Planned Behaviour and was designed to modify perceived behavioural control. One hundred and ten participants (mean age = 19.21 years, 25.6% male) completed the feasibility and acceptability questionnaire at Day 15. This questionnaire contained items about all intervention components. High acceptability and feasibility scores were found for all intervention parts and at all levels of intervention intensity. There were few significant differences in the reported acceptability of items between key demographic sub-groups, and no differences in reported acceptability at different levels of intervention intensity. These results suggest that this email-delivered intervention is an acceptable and feasible tool for promoting fruit and vegetable consumption for participants in the target population.

Neoliberalism is not a theory of everything: a Bourdieuian analysis of illusio in educational research

 Despite the frequency with which the concept of neoliberalism is employed within academic literature, its complex and multifaceted nature makes it difficult to define and describe. Indeed, data reported in this article suggest that there is a tendency in educational research to make extensive use of the word ‘neoliberalism’ (or its variants neoliberal, neo-liberal and neo-liberalism) as a catch-all for something negative but without offering a definition or explanation. The article highlights a number of key risks associated with this approach and draws on the Bourdieuian concept of illusio to suggest the possibility that when as educational researchers we use the word ‘neoliberalism’ in this way, rather than interrupting the implementation of neoliberal policies and practices, we may, in fact, be further entrenching the neoliberal doxa. That is to say, we are both playing the neoliberal game and inadvertently demonstrating our belief that it is a game worth being played. In so doing, this article seeks to extend understandings of what illusio means within the context of educational research.

Understanding of mental states in later childhood: an investigation of theory of mind in autism spectrum disorder and typical development with a novel task

The developmental trajectories of Theory of Mind (ToM) in later childhood and into adolescence have not been thoroughly investigated, partly due to a lack of sensitive paradigms that can chart development in typical populations or in individuals with a core deficit in ToM, such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study assessed understanding of emotions, beliefs, and intentions using both an established ToM task (Baron‐Cohen et al., 2001) and the more recently developed Comic Strip Task (CST; Cornish et al., 2010). Participants comprised 12 typically-developing (TD) children (mean age: 12·0 years, range: 9·9‐14·8 years) and 12 high-functioning children with ASD (mean age: 11·0 years, range: 9·1‐13·6 years). Results indicated that the ASD group were not impaired on any of the ToM tasks relative to TD children. It was concluded that although children with high-functioning ASD appear to develop basic ToM skills, they do not generalize these to naturalistic situations. The comic-strip paradigm is suggested as a promising way to approach the measurement of ToM across childhood in typical children and those with ASD.

Thai emergency nurses’ management of patients with severe traumatic brain injury: comparison of knowledge and clinical management with best available evidence

Background:
In Thailand, the rate of TBI-related hospitalisation is increasing, however, little is known about the evidence-based management of severe TBI in the developing world. The aim of this study was to explore Thai emergency nurses’ management of patients with severe TBI.

Methods:
An exploratory descriptive mixed method design was used to conduct this two stage study: survey methods were used to examine emergency nurses’ knowledge regarding management of patients with severe TBI (Stage 1) and observational methods were used to examine emergency nurses’ clinical management of patients with severe TBI (Stage 2). The study setting was the emergency department (ED) at a regional hospital in Southern Thailand.

Results:
34 nurses participated in Stage 1 (response rate 91.9%) and the number of correct responses ranged from 33.3% to 95.2%. In Stage 2, a total of 160 points of measurement were observed in 20 patients with severe TBI over 40 h. In this study there were five major areas identified for the improvement of care of patients with severe TBI: (i) end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) monitoring and targets; (ii) use of analgesia and sedation; (iii) patient positioning; (iv) frequency of nursing assessment; and (v) dose of Mannitol diuretic.

Conclusions:
There is variation in Thai nurses’ knowledge and care practices for patients with severe TBI. To increase consistency of evidence-based TBI care in the Thai context, a knowledge translation intervention that is ecologically valid, appropriate to the Thai healthcare context and acceptable to the multidisciplinary care team is needed.

Towards a cohesive theory of cohesion

Conventional wisdom suggests that group cohesion is strongly related to performance. This may be based on the notion that better cohesion leads to the sharing of group goals. However, empirical and meta-analytic studies have been unable to consistently demonstrate a relationship between cohesion and performance. Partially, this problem could be attributed to the disagreement on the precise definition of cohesion and its components. Further, when the cohesion construct is evaluated under Cohen’s Cumulative Research Program (CRP), it is surprisingly found to belong to the category of early-to-intermediate stage of theory development. Therefore, a thorough re-examination of the cohesion construct is essential to advance our understanding of the cohesion-productivity relationship. We propose a qualitative approach because it will help establish the definitions, enable us to better test our theories about cohesion and its moderators, and provide insights into how best to enlist cohesion to improve team performance.