‘Get foot in the door’: International students' perceptions of work integrated learning

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is regarded as an important vehicle to assist students’ development of relevant professional skills, knowledge and attributes that can enhance their employability. WIL arrangement for international students is a challenging issue for institutions, international students themselves as well as other related stakeholders. While there is an emerging body of literature that examines WIL for international students, how the value of WIL is perceived by this cohort is little known. This paper responds to this dearth of the literature by exploring the different meanings that international students in the vocational education and training sector attach to WIL. Using Bourdieu’s thinking tools of capitals and habitus to interpret interview data from 105 international students, this paper shows that WIL is seen to not only add value to student learning, career aspiration and employability but also transform and enhance their symbolic and social capitals. The paper underscores the instrumental, symbolic and developmental meanings that international students associate with WIL. In particular, it highlights the reciprocal relationship between students’ development of vocational ‘being’ and personal ‘being’ through WIL.

Perceptions of crisis care in populations who self-referred to a telephone-based mental health triage service

Although psychiatric crises are very common in people with mental illness, little is known about consumer perceptions of mental health crisis care. Given the current emphasis on recovery-oriented approaches, shared decision-making, and partnering with consumers in planning and delivering care, this knowledge gap is significant. Since the late 1990s, access to Australian mental health services has been facilitated by 24/7 telephone-based mental health triage systems, which provide initial psychiatric assessment, referral, support, and advice. A significant proportion of consumers access telephone-based mental health triage services in a state of crisis, but to date, there has been no published studies that specifically report on consumer perceptions on the quality and effectiveness of the care provided by these services. This article reports on a study that investigated consumer perceptions of accessing telephone-based mental health triage services. Seventy-five mental health consumers participated in a telephone interview about their triage service use experience. An eight-item survey designed to measure the responsiveness of mental health services was used for data collection. The findings reported here focus on the qualitative data produced in the study. Consumer participants shared a range of perspectives on telephone-based mental health triage that provide invaluable insights into the needs, expectations, and service use experiences of consumers seeking assistance with a mental health problem. Consumer perceptions of crisis care have important implications for practice. Approaches and interventions identified as important to quality care can be used to inform educational and practice initiatives that promote person-centred, collaborative crisis care.

Attributes of effective business teachers: perceptions of students enrolled in highly rated units

This study employs a widely used attributes of effective teachers framework to guide the coding of written feedback of students (n =169) enrolled in highly rated (top 25 per cent) business units at a large Australian University. This framework also underpins the theoretical interpretation of the data. By focusing on student feedback about effective business teachers, the aim of this study is to identify the most important attributes of these teachers from the perspective of satisfied student. The data is part of a larger survey of student evaluations of teaching and units. Findings from the analysis of feedback from highly-satisfied students reveals that the top five attributes of effective business teachers are related to classroom performance – creative and interesting, knowledgeable, effective communicator, sensitive and persistent, and enthusiastic. The findings provide insights to teachers, students and university administrators. A recommendation for future research is provided.

Child learning and development: concerns and perceptions of Chinese urban mothers

Child development is deservedly dominant in the discourses on education. In populated communities such as China’s, awareness of the prevalent ideas about child development within families is particularly important. Drawing on a series of conversations between parents and teachers through synchronous online text chat, this paper investigated the perceptions and concerns of Chinese urban parents on child development. The participants were mothers of three to six year old children from Changchun, China. Results were presented in terms of the nature of the questions the mothers raised and what they talked about when discussing their questions. Analyses of the mothers’ texts revealed their concerns on those elements of child development which challenged their roles in parenting, such as inappropriate social behaviours or regulated emotions. Data from the study provided insights into key characteristics of contemporary Chinese preschool children’s learning and development within families that might identify issues and trends of early childhood education on a larger contextual scope.

Students and staff perceptions of project/design based learning in an engineering curriculum

This paper focuses on the students and staff perceptions of project/design-based learning in an engineering curriculum. Engineering at Deakin University has used project/design based learning as one of its engineering learning principles for further development in learning and teaching. It is required to improve the learning and teaching process as a holistic approach from the perspective of students’ and staff over the entire degree program. Engaging students are an important aspect of the project/design based learning model which it helps students to be self-directed active learners. A project/design based learning environment helps a curriculum to practice career related skills for students, such as practical learning, problem solving, collaborative teamwork, innovative creative designs, active learning, and engagement with real-world assignments. The focus of this paper is to analyse the impact of project/design-based learning in an engineering curriculum. From the quantitative and qualitative analysis performed, the results are analysed and presented from a students’ and staff perspective about project/design based learning within the curriculum. This paper is also concerned with enhancing staff and students engagement through project/design based learning. The feedback was sought from students on project/design-based learning. Additional feedback is also needed from staff members who teach and perform research in engineering design. The survey results shows more than 50% of students and 75% of staff views on project/design based learning proven that the impact of project/design based learning is helps to enhance of student and staff interaction in the School of Engineering at Deakin University.

Perceptions of laypersons and orthodontists regarding the buccal corridor in long- and short-face individuals

Objective: To determine the perception of orthodontists and laypersons regarding the size of the dark spaces in the buccal corridors and how that affects smile esthetics in individuals with long and short faces.Materials and Methods: Images of eight smiling individuals were modified to create five sizes of dark spaces in the buccal corridors (2%, 10%, 15%, 22%, and 28%) and were submitted to a group of laypersons and a group of orthodontists.Results: Laypersons were more critical in their evaluation than orthodontists. Laypersons could not distinguish the gradation of dark spaces in the buccal corridor unless it was very plain. Orthodontists perceived this gradation beginning at 15%. Female evaluators were more critical than male evaluators in both groups.Conclusions: The presence or absence of dark spaces in the buccal corridors has little influence over smile esthetics. While this aspect must be considered in the orthodontic diagnosis, there is no justification for expanding the buccal corridor to eliminate dark spaces unless they are very evident. (Angle Orthod. 2011;81:86-90.)

Evaluation of Patients' Perceptions of Alterations After Chin Bone Graft Harvesting

Objective: To evaluate patients' perceptions of alterations occurring after chin bone harvesting.Materials and Methods: Thirty patients were evaluated subjectively by visual analog scale-related sensitivity, facial aesthetics, eating, speaking, and lower lip movement, during 12 months. Objective analysis used the static light touch neurosensorial test. The statistical analysis was executed with Friedman test with P < 0.05 for both samples.Results: Subjective analysis revealed no alterations (1) to facial aesthetics, eating, speaking or lower lip movement but sensitivity of the mental region went from a lot of alteration initially (5) to little at the end of the study (3). Objective analysis results showed normal sensitivity (1) in the region after 12 months.Conclusion: The discrepancy between subjective and objective analyses may be indicative of the limited precision of clinical testing for subjective impressions assessment. (Implant Dent 2012;21:411-414)

Feelings and Perceptions of Women in the Pregnancy-Puerperal Cycle Who Survived Severe Maternal Morbidity

Objetivou-se compreender a experiência relativa à morbidade materna grave, a partir de um grupo de mulheres que vivenciou esse problema. Adotaram-se os preceitos metodológicos da pesquisa qualitativa, sendo o Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo o referencial metodológico. Foram entrevistadas 16 mulheres que vivenciaram a morbidade materna grave. Os resultados foram discutidos a partir de quatro temas: descrevendo o desejo e o planejamento para ter um filho, percebendo seu problema de saúde, sua influência na gestação e para o concepto, passando pelo choque inicial no pós-parto e experienciando a situação de risco: desejos, frustrações e superação. Espera-se que este trabalho possa contribuir para qualificar a assistência de enfermagem, especialmente para reconhecer a diversidade e amplitude de necessidades que mulheres apresentam em situações de morbidade grave, durante o ciclo gravídico puerperal.

Social representations of law, justice and injustice: A study with Argentinean and Brazilian adolescents

This study aims to analyze the main social representations of law, justice and injustice preseneted by Argentinean and Brazilian youngsters. The Brazilian group consisted of 621 polled of three different regions-Floriano/PI, Erechim/RS, and Marilia/SP. From Argentina, 200 youngsters of Avellanedacity (Buenos Aires metropolitan region) participated. All the samples were proportionally divided according to the kind of school (public or private) and the school year attented (8(th) grade and 11(th) grade, considering the equivalent grade in Argentina). The data collection technique consisted of semi directed questionnaire composed by the free evocation of words technique. The procedure used to evaluate the results was the Analysis Correspondence Method (ANACOR). The results demonstrate important variations related to the youngster' nationality and they were discussed so that the preseneted representations were contextualized.

Mathematics teaching life histories in the study of teachers' perceptions of change

The aim of this paper is to discuss teachers' perceptions of change in their thought and/or practice over time and their perceptions of what kind of experiences or challenges might have influenced those changes. Two mathematics teaching life histories of Brazilian teachers are examined, considering a context of curriculum development in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Reflection on teachers' thought and practice and interest in their own development, including interest in their own learning of mathematics, seemed to be the most important internal aspects influencing change and development. Close support seemed to be the most important external aspect. The retrospective analysis put a good face on personal change and development. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceptions of environmental change and use of traditional knowledge to plan riparian forest restoration with relocated communities in Alcantara, Eastern Amazon

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Perceptions of educators and students about using fluoridated mouthwashes

Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess the perceptions and opinions of public school teachers and students in the city of Araçatuba, SP, Brazil, on the importance of using fluoridated mouthwashes, the difficulties of the method and the procedure in general. Methods: Students from grades 5 through 8 in schools with and without dental services were asked about their opinion on the use of fluoridated mouthwashes. The educators answered questions about the importance of preventive methods in oral health and the difficulties in performing those methods at school. Data were collected using a faces scale, a categorization method, and a Likert scale with five levels of responses to check the level of agreement with the questions. Results: The sample consisted of 264 (40.3%) teachers and 5,788 (73.6%) students. A total of 254 (96.2%) and 72 (27.3%) teachers responded favorably to the first and second questions, respectively. A total of 1,128 (19.5%) students had negative feelings about the fluoridated mouthwash. Conclusion: The majority of the teachers supported the use of fluoridated mouthwashes; however, a large number of teachers believed that the practice disrupts the class routine. Most of the students had a positive opinion about the use of fluoridated mouthwash, although they highlighted some negative aspects, which were overcome by the benefits that the method provides.