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Supported employment initiatives have been shown to increase employment rates for autistic people who want to enter the workforce. Despite the success of supported employment initiatives in increasing employment rates, little is known about the first-hand experiences and views of those involved. In the current study, we examined the experiences and views of autistic young adults without intellectual disability (‘interns’), employers and parents regarding a previously unevaluated paid internship scheme that offers tailored support for interns and employers before, during and after the internship, the Employ Autism network. In total, 51 participants (19 interns, 22 employers, 10 parents), across eight internships, engaged in semi-structured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify three themes, shared across participant groups: (1) the internship was ‘an invaluable experience’, (2) the internship helped break down autism-specific barriers to employment and (3) stakeholder groups had some unmet expectations. Drawing on this multi-informant qualitative evaluation of a novel supported employment scheme, we derive recommendations of best practice for supported employment initiatives for autistic young adults without intellectual disability. Lay abstract: Internships designed for autistic people can help them to find employment, but there is little research about the experiences of those involved with internship schemes. To learn more about a new paid internship scheme in the United Kingdom, the Employ Autism network, we interviewed 19 interns, who were autistic young adults without intellectual disability taking part in one of eight different internships. We also interviewed 22 employers (who worked with the interns), and 10 parents (who supported their children in the internship). The interns, employers and parents told us that the Employ Autism network was a valuable experience that helped the interns become more confident. Also, the parents said it helped the interns become more independent. All the groups said the Employ Autism network removed common barriers to employment, and interns and parents said it would help interns get a job in future. Employers and interns said they understood each other better during the internship, and employers said the internship made them think about how their organisations might have accidentally had barriers in place that could stop autistic people getting employed (barriers that they wanted to address in future). However, all groups said some expectations of the internship were not met. These findings suggest the Employ Autism network is helpful for autistic young adults without intellectual disability and employers, but that there are ways that the internships could be improved in future. We discuss the lessons we can learn from the Employ Autism network that might help others who are thinking about setting up, or getting involved in, similar internship schemes. © The Author(s) 2023.

Background: In the field of nursing education, the expertise and knowledge required to perform Leopold's Maneuvers are critical, forming an integral part of Entrustable Professional Activities for nursing students. As a result, mastering Leopold's Maneuvers has become a core component of nursing education. Despite this, the prevailing didactic methods in many nursing courses tend to limit interactive and contextual learning experiences, which can hinder students' ability to engage deeply with the subject matter. This lack of engagement may subsequently affect both the effectiveness of students' learning and students' clinical judgment capacity, essential elements in the competencies of Entrustable Professional Activities. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was employed in this study, involving a total of 55 nursing university students, with 28 participants in the experimental group and 27 in the control group. The research incorporated game-based learning integrated with the self-regulated learning strategy, and employed a pretest, posttest, and questionnaires to assess students' learning performance, self-efficacy, and learning motivation. The experimental group participated in game-based learning with the self-regulated learning strategy, whereas the control group experienced game-based learning without the integration of self-regulated learning. Learning performance was analyzed using an independent samples t-test, while Analysis of Covariance was employed to compare the self-efficacy and learning motivation of the two groups. Results: The findings showed that the integration of game-based learning with the self-regulated learning strategy can significantly improve students' learning performance, self-efficacy, and learning motivation. Conclusion: As an integral part of Entrustable Professional Activities, Leopold's Maneuvers were integrated into an interactive game-based learning environment, coupled with the self-regulated learning strategy in nursing education. This approach aimed at cultivating core competencies among nursing students. This study has demonstrated its efficacy in engaging students effectively, serving as a dynamic resource for immersive learning in Leopold's Maneuvers, aligning well with the design considerations for promoting Entrustable Professional Activities in nursing education. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd

Aim: A participatory action research project was used to change the design and delivery of continuing professional education in a large Irish academic teaching hospital. Background: Participation in continuing professional education, designed as a short course, is often a method to maintain competence for many nurses. Structured short education courses are often used to orientate and upskill new staff to specialist clinical areas. Traditionally many courses relied on face-to-face delivery over a period of weeks which is challenging for one clinical area to release staff to attend theoretical days in person. Design: A six-stage participatory action research cycle over a 3-year period in a large Irish academic teaching hospital. Methods: Multiple methods were used in the cyclical process of participatory action research. Constructive alignment theory and instructional design principles were used to redesign the educational framework. Data collection included audits of courses, questionnaires and focus groups with key participants. Results: Analysis of the focus group themes included 1) underestimated time 2) the process of change 3) teaching and learning styles and 4) acceptance and integration. 20 learners completed the evaluation and reported a positive synergy between e-learning and clinical workshops. E-learning was reported as time-consuming. 75 % of learners reported they were motivated to learn. 90 % of the learners reported they gained new knowledge and skills, 84 % reported the clinical area benefited from the education and 80 % identified a direct improvement in their clinical skills in the specialist area. Conclusions: Participatory action research supports organisational change in continuing professional education. Constructive alignment theory supports the value of outcomes-based learning. In this context it resulted in successfully blending theory and clinical skills for nurses working in specialist areas. The redesigned continuing professional education framework was positively evaluated across nurses in the organisation. © 2024 The Authors

Interactive education can reduce anxiety among students by creating a supportive and supportive learning environment. This approach can also stimulate critical thinking, as it requires active student participation in debates, analysis, and discussions. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of interactive learning on Zoom on the anxiety, emotional well-being, and critical thinking of college students. The experiment involved 80 college students between 18 and 21 years of age. The research was performed by scientists from the [Zhengzhou University of Technology] University. To analyze the impact of the proposed strategy on emotional and cognitive well-being, the study used a set of questionnaires, namely Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, WAM (Well-being Assessment Measure), and Subjective Questionnaire for assessing critical thinking. The obtained results confirm the effectiveness of the interactive learning methodology, which significantly reduced anxiety and increased the level of critical thinking among students. Anxiety decreased by 14 points, and critical thinking improved by 2.5 points, indicating positive dynamics of psychological and cognitive development. Despite the positive results, some contextual factors such as the level of the learning environment, cultural characteristics, and the personalities of students can influence the generalization of the findings. These findings can have practical application in the pedagogical practice of creating a favorable learning environment. Future research may focus on improving the methodology of interactive learning, studying its impact on other aspects of learning and development. It is also necessary to explore the use of interactive learning in various cultural and educational contexts. © 2024

Aim: To explore the influence of supervisory and mentoring relationships on the clinical learning experiences of Czech Nursing and health professional students in the context of patient safety events Background: Clinical experience is integral to healthcare education, shaping skills, behaviours, values and professional identity. During clinical placements, students may encounter memorable patient safety events and experience varied reactions from mentors/supervisors/others. Some research has highlighted challenges faced by students on clinical placement. Few studies involve multiple professions, most emanating from Western Europe, the UK, the USA and Australia with little relating to central European countries such as the Czech Republic. Design: Two stage interpretivist qualitative study based in social constructionism Methods: Convenience sample across 13 undergraduate and 18 postgraduate health professions courses. Stage 1 (2022): using SLIPPS Learning Event Recording Tool translated into Czech. 20 students’ (Midwifery=11, Nursing=1, Paramedic=1, Occupational therapy =7) submitted 21 patient safety learning event narratives. Stage 2 (2022): Focus group with 2 nursing and nine midwifery students. Phased thematic analysis involving multiple researchers. Results: Three themes illustrate the circumstances and impact of placement mentoring/supervision experiences, conceptualised as: ‘Clinical and Emotional Companionship’, ‘Clinical and Emotional Abandonment’ and ‘Sense of agency - Professional and personal growth’. ‘Companionship’ reflected the students’ feelings of being welcomed, respected, heard, trusted and supported. Conversely ‘abandonment’ emerged from feelings of being unheard, vulnerable, humiliated, afraid, leaving students feeling abandoned, lonely and ‘useless’. Notwithstanding these conditions, students showed the ability to identify patient safety issues with agency evident in reactions such as stepping-in to try to ameliorate a situation, rather than speaking-up. Professional and personal growth was also apparent in their narratives and a conceptual diagram illustrates the students’ learning journeys in a patient safety context. Conclusion: The findings and new conceptualisations around abandonment and companionship emerging from this study expand the evidence base regarding the profound impact of clinical experience and mentorship/supervision on learning and students’ emotional wellbeing. A sense of companionship appears to play a buffering role even in challenging circumstances of involvement in or witnessing compromised patients’ safety. Allowing students a sense of belonging, to vent, grow, feel supported and safe to ask/learn - contributing to ‘emotional safety for learning’, promotes students’ behaviour that may prevent/minimize hazards or ameliorate the aftermath. However, we must not simply blame mentors/supervisors, staff, or the students themselves- they are simply part of a much larger complex environment of professional education encompassing hidden curriculums, power dynamics and professional socialisation. © 2024 The Authors

Given the growing research interest in students' school-to-work transition, we examine the positive effects of undergraduates' future orientation on their employability confidence. Specifically, building on social cognitive career theory which suggests that career choices are influenced by a person's experiences, beliefs, interests, and values, we explore the mediator of vocational identity clarity and the positive moderator of internship effectiveness in this association above. Two studies were conducted to test our model. Study 1 included a laboratory experiment (N = 136) and tested the positive association between undergraduates' future orientation and their employability confidence through vocational identity clarity. Study 2 used a time-lagged research design from undergraduates (N = 315) to replicate the results and to additionally test a mediating role of internship effectiveness. We find that undergraduates' future orientation has a strong positive relationship with employability confidence, and this relation is mediated by vocational identity clarity. Additionally, the results show a positive moderation effect, that is, when undergraduates' internship effectiveness is high, the above indirect relation becomes stronger. The current research enriches the existing understanding of how and when the students' future orientation can contribute to employability confidence theoretically and empirically. Meanwhile, these findings indicated valuable practical applications by encouraging universities to promote undergraduates' future orientation and provide effective internships for them towards enhancing their vocational identity clarity and ultimately boosting their employability confidence. © 2024

Selection interviews have long been integral to medical school admissions, yet their limited predictive validity and susceptibility to bias raise concerns. This study delves into potential interviewer bias within the dynamics of interviewee and interviewer gender. We analyze a dataset of 5,200 applicants and over 370 selection committees engaged in semi-structured interviews from 2006 to 2019 at a large German medical school with multiple linear and nonlinear regression analyses. Our findings reveal that all-female committees tended to award male candidates, on average, one point more than their female counterparts, significantly enhancing the chances of submission for male applicants despite lower academic grades, which constituted 51% of the selection process points. All-male and mixed-gender committees exhibited similar ratings for both genders. The role of valuing voluntary services emerged prominently: all-male and mixed committees acknowledged women’s volunteer work but not men’s, while all-female committees demonstrated the opposite pattern. Our results attribute variations in interview outcomes to the absence of standardization, such as insufficient interviewer training, divergent rating strategies, variations in interviewer experience, and imbalances in candidate allocation to selection committees, rather than to a “gender bias”, for example by favoritism of males because of their gender. © 2024 Tsikas, Dauer. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Background: In response to the increasing diversity in nursing education, the Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) offers a transformative approach to understanding and addressing the unique learning needs of students from various backgrounds. Objectives: To identify how Legitimation Code Theory has informed the design of professional education in biological and health sciences. Design: An integrative review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) and guided by the five-step process by Whittemore and Knafl. Data sources: A comprehensive search of eight databases was conducted (IEEEXplore, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest central, EBSCOHost, MEDLINE with full text, CINAHL and INFORMIT) using key concepts: Legitimation Code Theory and professional education from inception until November 2023. Review methods: All studies were reviewed by two researchers independently. The same authors appraised the studies using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool with a third author providing consensus. The findings were coded and analysed using narrative synthesis. Results: From the initial 518 records screened, 11 studies were identified where Legitimation Code Theory was used in biological and health science education. There were four themes identified in the review: a) Legitimation Code Theory as a framework for data analysis; b) Identifying and enhancing learning outcomes through Legitimation Code Theory; c) Pedagogy design informed by Legitimation Code Theory; and d) Legitimation Code Theory to contextualise disciplinary knowledge. Conclusion: This review highlights the significant influence of Legitimation Code Theory on professional education, particularly in the biological and health sciences. The versatility and effectiveness of Legitimation Code Theory are evident across various disciplines, including nursing education. As a comprehensive framework, Legitimation Code Theory not only aids in pedagogy design but also facilitates the transfer of learning, thereby promoting critical thinking. This demonstrates its robustness as a tool in the realm of professional education. © 2024 The Authors

The increasing interest in exploring beliefs about teaching mathematics with technology has led educators to employ belief systems as a framework for understanding the impact of technology on math instruction. However, the complex nature of pre-service teachers' beliefs in teaching mathematics with technology involves various dimensions. This study aims to investigate the predictive relationship between Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) sub-components and beliefs in teaching mathematics with technology, revealing a statistically significant direct impact. Utilizing a correlational research approach, we collected data from a cohort of 159 Malaysian pre-service teachers with a focus on mathematics education. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to analyze the proposed model. The measurement model exhibited a satisfactory fit with the collected data. Notably, technological knowledge (25 %), technological pedagogical content knowledge (69 %), and technological content knowledge (39 %) significantly influence discovery learning, while technological knowledge (24 %), technological pedagogical content knowledge (74 %), and technological content knowledge (30 %) significantly influence multiple representations. This underscores the critical role of TPACK in shaping educators' perspectives and practices, providing a crucial avenue for enhancing technology integration in teaching mathematics. © 2024 The Authors

Background: General practice training in outer metropolitan (OM) areas contributes to patients' access to care. Differences in clinical practice and training in rural versus urban areas have been established, but less is known about OM versus inner metropolitan (IM) differences - whether they offer a trainee learning experience of populations with distinct demographics and healthcare characteristics. This study sought to identify the characteristics and associations of general practice training in New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory OM areas, compared to IM and rural areas. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of data (2016-2020) from the Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) study, an ongoing cohort study of Australian GP registrars' in-consultation clinical and educational experience and behaviours, were performed. Multinomial logistic regression assessed associations of rural/OM/IM practice location with registrar and practice factors, patient factors, consultation content factors and consultation action factors. Results: Overall, 1308 registrars provided data from 177,026 consultations. For several variables, there was a pattern in the differences of associations across rural/OM/IM areas. Experience of care of older patients and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health were more likely in OM than IM areas. Care of patients from non-English speaking background was more likely in OM than in rural areas. Possible markers of healthcare access (specialist referrals, and pathology and imaging requests) were less likely in OM than in both IM and rural areas. Conclusions: OM areas are distinct (and educationally rich) clinical learning environments, with distinct demographic characteristics and seeming healthcare access limitations. This finding has implications for workforce support and health resource allocation. © 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)).