Sarah A. O. Matthews and Janet Reynolds
The purpose of this paper is to discuss a research study exploring one aspect of adult safeguarding, that of non-accidental injury in older adults, specifically bruising. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss a research study exploring one aspect of adult safeguarding, that of non-accidental injury in older adults, specifically bruising. The study was undertaken with a view to analysing the current relevant literature and examining current practitioners’ views concerning bruising in older adults in order to understand social work practitioners’ awareness of and training in bruising.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper describes a small-scale research study including two focus groups of social work and nursing practitioners. Themes arising from transcripts are coded by the analyst and are discussed in light of the summary and explanation of the literature reviewed following an initial scoping and exclusion exercise.
Findings
The paper found that there is some evidence of typical and atypical non-accidental bruising emerging in older adults similar to that of children, but this tends to be treated as a clinical matter and mostly directed at medical staff.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the chosen research aim, the research results focus on social work practitioners. Researchers are encouraged to explore other constituents further and to extend the scope of the literature review in terms of date and type.
Practical implications
This paper will be of interest to all those concerned with the effective understanding of bruising as a sign of non-accidental injury in older people and especially the extent to which social work practitioners and others have to consider bruising during the course of their work with older people.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils an identified need to study what social work practitioners and others need to know during the course of their work with older adults.
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Martha E. Williams and Sarah McDougal
This is the sixth article on Business and Law (BSL) databases in a continuing series of articles summarising and commenting on new database products. Two companion articles have…
Abstract
This is the sixth article on Business and Law (BSL) databases in a continuing series of articles summarising and commenting on new database products. Two companion articles have appeared, one covering science, technology and medicine (STM) (Online & CDROM Review, vol. 19, no. 4) in the August 1995 issue and the other covering the social sciences and humanities (SSH) (Online & CDROM Review, vol. 19, no. 5) in the October 1995 issue of this journal. The articles are based on the newly appearing database products in the Gale Directory of Databases. The Gale Directory of Databases (GDD) was created in January 1993 by merging Computer‐Readable Databases: A Directory and Data Sourcebook (CRD) together with the Directory of Online Databases (DOD) and the Directory of Portable Databases (DPD).
Brittany E. Hayes, Eryn Nicole O’Neal, Katherine A. Meeker, Sarah A. Steele, Patrick Q. Brady and Matthew A. Bills
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate technological strategies (i.e. online training and university safety system) used at one southeastern four-year university to enhance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate technological strategies (i.e. online training and university safety system) used at one southeastern four-year university to enhance campus safety. This paper investigates if an online training influenced rape myth acceptance (RMA) and if participation in the university safety system was associated with perceptions of campus safety.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from college students were collected via a survey that was distributed through the school’s e-mail system. The survey asked respondents about their perceptions of safety, experiences on campus, attitudes, and utilization of campus resources. In total, 1,583 students participated in the survey. Analyses were limited to 889 respondents not missing data.
Findings
RMA did not differ between those who completed the online training and those who did not complete the training. Regarding perceptions of campus safety, respondents who opted to receive emergency notifications were not significantly different from those who did not receive the notifications. Respondents who had the safety application felt safer on campus compared to those who did not have the application. Respondents who participated in the training, received notifications, and had the application felt safer on campus.
Originality/value
This study highlights the potential utility of the safety application as well as the limited effect of the online education program on RMA.
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Richard Jefferies, Ibrahim H.N. Sheriff, Jacob H. Matthews, Olivia Jagger, Sarah Curtis, Peter Lees, Peter C. Spurgeon, Alex Oldman, Ali Habib, Azam Saied, Jessica Court, Marilena Giannoudi, Meelad Sayma, Nicholas Ward, Nick Cork, Olamide Olatokun, Oliver Devine, Paul O'Connell, Phoebe Carr, Rafail Angelos Kotronias, Rebecca Gardiner, Rory T Buckle, Ross J Thomson, Sarah Williams, Simon J. Nicholson, Usman Goga and Daniel Mark Fountain
Although medical leadership and management (MLM) is increasingly being recognised as important to improving healthcare outcomes, little is understood about current training of…
Abstract
Purpose
Although medical leadership and management (MLM) is increasingly being recognised as important to improving healthcare outcomes, little is understood about current training of medical students in MLM skills and behaviours in the UK. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative study used validated structured interviews with expert faculty members from medical schools across the UK to ascertain MLM framework integration, teaching methods employed, evaluation methods and barriers to improvement.
Findings
Data were collected from 25 of the 33 UK medical schools (76 per cent response rate), with 23/25 reporting that MLM content is included in their curriculum. More medical schools assessed MLM competencies on admission than at any other time of the curriculum. Only 12 schools had evaluated MLM teaching at the time of data collection. The majority of medical schools reported barriers, including overfilled curricula and reluctance of staff to teach. Whilst 88 per cent of schools planned to increase MLM content over the next two years, there was a lack of consensus on proposed teaching content and methods.
Research limitations/implications
There is widespread inclusion of MLM in UK medical schools’ curricula, despite the existence of barriers. This study identified substantial heterogeneity in MLM teaching and assessment methods which does not meet students’ desired modes of delivery. Examples of national undergraduate MLM teaching exist worldwide, and lessons can be taken from these.
Originality/value
This is the first national evaluation of MLM in undergraduate medical school curricula in the UK, highlighting continuing challenges with executing MLM content despite numerous frameworks and international examples of successful execution.
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David W. Borowski, Sarah Cawkwell, Syed M. Amir Zaidi, Matthew Toward, Nicola Maguire and Talvinder S. Gill
Higher caseloads are associated with better outcomes for many conditions treated in secondary and tertiary care settings, including colorectal cancer (CRC). There is little known…
Abstract
Purpose
Higher caseloads are associated with better outcomes for many conditions treated in secondary and tertiary care settings, including colorectal cancer (CRC). There is little known whether such volume-outcome relationship exist in primary care settings. The purpose of this paper is to examine general practitioner (GP) CRC-specific caseload for possible associations with referral pathways, disease stage and CRC patients’ overall survival.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper retrospectively analyses a prospectively maintained CRC database for 2009-2014 in a single district hospital providing bowel cancer screening and tertiary rectal cancer services.
Findings
Of 1,145 CRC patients, 937 (81.8 per cent) were diagnosed as symptomatic cancers. In total, 210 GPs from 44 practices were stratified according to their CRC caseload over the study period into low volume (LV, 1-4); medium volume (MV, 5-7); and high volume (HV, 8-21 cases). Emergency presentation (LV: 49/287 (17.1 per cent); MV: 75/264 (28.4 per cent); HV: 105/386 (27.2 per cent); p=0.007) and advanced disease at presentation (LV: 84/287 (29.3 per cent); MV: 94/264 (35.6 per cent); HV: 144/386 (37.3 per cent); p=0.034) was more common amongst HV GPs. Three-year mortality risk was significantly higher for HV GPs (MV: (hazard ratio) HR 1.185 (confidence interval=0.897-1.566), p=0.231, and HV: HR 1.366 (CI=1.061-1.759), p=0.016), but adjustment for emergency presentation and advanced disease largely accounted for this difference. There was some evidence that HV GPs used elective cancer pathways less frequently (LV: 166/287 (57.8 per cent); MV: 130/264 (49.2 per cent); HV: 182/386 (47.2 per cent); p=0.007) and more selectively (CRC/referrals: LV: 166/2,743 (6.1 per cent); MV: 130/2,321 (5.6 per cent); HV: 182/2,508 (7.3 per cent); p=0.048).
Originality/value
Higher GP CRC caseload in primary care may be associated with advanced disease and poorer survival; more work is required to determine the reasons and to develop targeted intervention at local level to improve elective referral rates.
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Godfred Matthew Yaw Owusu, Rita Amoah Bekoe, Sarah Anobil Okyere and Edem Emerald Welbeck
The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the course major decisions of accounting and non-accounting students.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the course major decisions of accounting and non-accounting students.
Design/methodology/approach
A set of questionnaires was developed and administered to 550 undergraduate business students from the University of Ghana Business School. Statistical tests were conducted to examine the mean differences of students’ views on the factors that influence course major selection. Logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate the factors that influence the course major selection of students.
Findings
The results demonstrate that students’ confidence in their academic strength and abilities to manage academic work are good predictors of their course major decisions. Also, students who major in accounting are driven more by self-interest, while non-accounting students are largely motivated by extrinsic interest. Moreover, students’ academic performances were found to be influential on their course major decisions.
Research limitations/implications
This study relied on the views of students from only one university in Ghana, which, in some respect, limits the extent of generalization of the findings.
Practical implications
The paper provides some useful insights into the factors that inspire students to major in accounting. As a means of addressing the supply deficit of accountants globally, policymakers should find the results useful in developing the appropriate strategy that will attract students to the accounting field.
Originality/value
The study provides new insights into the course major selection discourse from a developing-country perspective.
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Sarah K. Howorth, Matthew Todd Marino, Sara Flanagan, Melissa J. Cuba and Cheryl Lemke
The integration of technology in special education can profoundly enhance student outcomes (Marino et al., 2024a). For instance, assistive technologies such as speech-to-text…
Abstract
Purpose
The integration of technology in special education can profoundly enhance student outcomes (Marino et al., 2024a). For instance, assistive technologies such as speech-to-text software and communication devices enable students with disabilities to participate more actively in the learning process (Fernández-Batanero et al., 2022). Additionally, adaptive learning platforms can customize content to meet individual student needs, fostering personalized learning experiences (Contrino et al., 2024). Moreover, technology can support differentiated instruction, equipping teachers to address the diverse learning profiles and capabilities within their classrooms (Unal et al., 2022). Numerous impediments obstruct the efficacious integration of technology in special education training and implementation. These include inadequate access to requisite technological resources, insufficient professional development opportunities and limited administrative support (Brennan et al., 2024). Furthermore, educators frequently encounter difficulties tailoring technology to the distinct needs of their students, necessitating specialized training and sustained support across the teacher education process (Basham et al., 2024; US Department of Education, 2024a).
Design/methodology/approach
This manuscript describes how the University of Maine’s (UMaine) Special Education Teacher Preparation Program addressed these challenges in its special education teacher preparation program through a strategic partnership with the National Center on Innovation, Design and Digital Learning’s (CIDDL) Tech Alliance. Sponsored by a grant from the US Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs, the alliance provides technical assistance for teacher preparation programs to improve technology integration and enhance student performance. The case study begins with a description of the CIDDL Center, followed by the demographic trends of Maine’s PK-12 public school students. Next, an analysis of the UMaine program provides insights into its challenges related to these topics. Finally, the outcomes of this case study are discussed.
Findings
The administration and faculty reported ten primary barriers to (RQ1): “What are current barriers related to the UMaine Special Education Teacher Preparation Program’s ability to increase the capacity of education technology integration during the teacher preparation program?” In response to (RQ2): “What was the faculty’s base-line knowledge and capacity to leverage technology within the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development (COEHD) special education, educator preparation programs, and other related education programs?” About 80% of faculty surveyed indicated they considered themselves to have moderate to expert knowledge of the use of digital tools when conducting research/literature reviews (e.g. accessing research databases, locating resources, checking for relevance and credibility of sources). About 80% also indicated having moderate to expert knowledge of the use of technology for communications, such as the use of digital tools for communication/collaboration (e.g. social media, collegial interactions, communities of practice, etc.). Findings also indicated the following faculty needs, which are consistent with the program needs. (1). Limited understanding of how emergent technology can support students with disabilities. (2). Limited knowledge to incorporate Universal Design for Learning during courses taught by professors outside special education. (3). Limited knowledge and abilities to conduct student clinical observations at a distance using technology. In response to (RQ3): “In what ways could the special education program support sustainable strategies to increase innovative technology practices to support positive outcomes for preservice teachers and their future PK-12 students with and without disabilities?” Findings indicated the need for a clear vision at the college and program level of how different types of technology (e.g. assistive technologies, virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence) could be integrated in the coursework.
Research limitations/implications
This exploratory case study examined UMaine’s Special Education Teacher Preparation Program and its collaboration with the national CIDDL as part of a Tech Alliance initiative. Researchers employed a practice-oriented design (Ebneyamini and Sadeghi Moghadam, 2018) that incorporated multiple data sources, contextual analysis and both qualitative and quantitative data to ascertain the educator preparation program needs related to equipping teachers to utilize technology. The research is limited in that it addresses only one program in the United States. However, the Tech Alliance included ten programs.
Practical implications
The barriers noted for research question one are common across educator preparation programs (EPPs) throughout developed nations (Kerkoff and Cloud, 2020). For example, a study by Williams et al. (2023) indicated the influence of EPP program culture in relation to supporting teacher candidates’ growth is critical as they progress through technology-infused teacher preparation. Additionally, Karchmer-Klein et al. (2021) found that specifically developing teachers technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) was crucial, yet not enough to lead to sustained technology integration across teachers’ pedagogical practice in the long term. The authors noted that although participants in their study perceived technology as important, there was a mismatch between this belief and the actual integration of technological tools into their teaching practice (Karchmer-Klein et al., 2021). The lack of access to assessment methods using technology and the integrated use of UDL in course design are also common barriers (Graziano et al., 2023; Marino et al., 2024b; Weisberg and Dawson, 2023). Graziano and colleagues identified key pillars that EPPs should strive for: (1) technology integrated coursework throughout their EPP curriculum, (2) faculty-modeled experiences, (3) opportunities to practice with reflection and (4) fostering of technology self-efficacy amongst EPP students. Likewise, Weisberg and Dawson (2023) noted two pedagogical styles were particularly beneficial for students in EPPs: (1) leveraging technology to teach about equitable and socially just access to education for all learners and (2) adopting a critical stance toward the role of technology integration in schools through modeling digital equity pedagogy.
Social implications
The integration of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, in special education, as demonstrated by the University of Maine’s program, provides a transformative model that can be adopted worldwide. The necessity of comprehensive professional development and strategic collaboration is emphasized, aligning with global trends toward inclusive education and promoting equitable learning opportunities (Contrino et al., 2024; Fernández-Batanero et al., 2022). The use of assistive technologies, adaptive learning platforms and digital resources in special education is crucial for addressing the diverse learning needs of students with disabilities, making this model relevant and replicable in various educational contexts internationally. Barriers identified in the manuscript, such as limited access to technological resources, insufficient professional development and lack of administrative support, resonate with challenges faced by educational institutions globally. Addressing these challenges through strategic partnerships, as exemplified by the collaboration with the CIDDL, offers a framework for enhancing infrastructure and faculty capabilities internationally (Brennan et al., 2024; Gangone and Fenwick, 2024). Building digital literacy among teacher candidates and integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles into curricula fosters a more inclusive and technology-driven approach to special education, encouraging global educational stakeholders to prioritize similar strategies within their own contexts (Marino et al., 2024b).
Originality/value
The findings of this exploratory case study underscore the critical importance of integrating emerging technologies into special education teacher preparation programs. UMaine’s collaboration with CIDDL demonstrated that strategic partnerships and targeted professional development can significantly enhance the digital readiness of preservice teachers. This study noted comprehensive professional development, sustained support and the adoption of UDL principles are essential for equipping educators with the skills necessary to effectively incorporate technology into their teaching practices.
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This article argues for the introduction of patient‐held health care records for people with learning disabilities. The evidence reviewed demonstrates that people with learning…
Abstract
This article argues for the introduction of patient‐held health care records for people with learning disabilities. The evidence reviewed demonstrates that people with learning disabilities have more health care needs than other adults in society but receive less health care than others. The rationale for implementing hand‐held records is considered from three perspectives: a consumer point of view, an analysis of how personal health profiles can help to overcome existing barriers to health care and the existing evidence. The initial experiences of introducing personal health records are described.
Syed Waqas Shah, Denise Mary Jepsen and Sarah Bankins
Despite the deployment of state-of-the-art methodologies for project management, employee turnover in projects remains high. Such turnover has significant costs in terms of…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the deployment of state-of-the-art methodologies for project management, employee turnover in projects remains high. Such turnover has significant costs in terms of replacing personnel, potential deadline overruns and financial expenditure. Employee turnover in project contexts may stem from time-related issues associated with multiple parallel projects and short deadlines. Using person–environment fit and time congruence theories, this research examines the relationship between employee turnover intentions and individual–organizational (I–O) polychronicity fit, which captures the degree of match between individuals’ and organizational preferences for focusing on multiple tasks simultaneously.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data were collected from 309 software project employees in Pakistan. Hypotheses were tested using polynomial regressions and response surface modeling.
Findings
I–O polychronicity fit is related to turnover intentions. Turnover intentions are lower when I–O polychronicity fit occurs on the lower end of the polychronicity continuum, whereas turnover intentions are higher when fit is observed on the higher end of the polychronicity continuum. The relationship between I–O polychronicity fit and turnover intentions is significantly explained by exhaustion and perceptions of work overload.
Practical implications
The study’s insights provide recommendations for organizations to optimally manage multitasking to help retain project employees.
Originality/value
These findings extend our understanding of the underlying mechanisms between I–O polychronicity fit and turnover intentions. Furthermore, this research expounds on how employee exhaustion and perceptions of work overload explain the relationship between I–O polychronicity fit and turnover intentions.
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Cassandra R. Davis, Sarah R. Cannon and Sarah C. Fuller
The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe the long-term impacts of hurricanes on schools and discuss approaches to improving recovery efforts.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe the long-term impacts of hurricanes on schools and discuss approaches to improving recovery efforts.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews with 20 school districts in Texas and North Carolina after Hurricanes Harvey (2017) and Matthew (2016). In total, 115 interviews were conducted with teachers, principals, district superintendents and representatives from state education agencies. Interview questions focused on the impact of storms and strategies for recovery.
Findings
The authors uncovered three long-term impacts of hurricanes on schools: (1) constrained instructional time, (2) increased social-emotional needs and (3) the need to support educators.
Research limitations/implications
This paper focuses on two storms, in two states, in two successive years. Data collection occurred in Texas, one academic year after the storm. As compared to the North Carolina, data collection occurred almost two academic years after the storm.
Practical implications
This paper illuminates strategies for stakeholders to implement and expedite hurricane recovery through; (1) updating curricula plans, (2) providing long-term counselors and (3) supporting educators in and out of school.
Originality/value
To date, very few studies have explored the ways in which schools face long-term impacts following a disaster. This paper provides insight to the challenges that prolong the impacts of disasters and impede recovery in schools. With hurricanes and related disasters continuing to affect schooling communities, more research is needed to identify the best ways to support schools, months to years after an event.