Teachers' Perceptions of Handwriting Legibility Versus the German Systematic Screening for Motoric-Handwriting Difficulties (SEMS).
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Franken AM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8479145 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundChinese handwriting has a close relationship with spatial cognition, and the legibility dimension is prominent with its spatial-oriented characteristics. However, handwriting evaluation focusing on the detailed spatial aspects of the legibility dimension in the Chinese context is rare.Aims and methodsWe aimed to develop a Chinese Handwriting Legibility Scale (CHLS) and examine its reliability, validity, and measurement invariance among Chinese primary students of different grades. A total of 684 students aged 8-12 years were recruited from a mainstream primary school in central China and were asked to copy a Chinese template as legibly as possible within 4 min. The developed CHLS was used to assess these students' legibility performance.ResultsThe seven-criteria CHLS favored content validity. The inter-rater reliability was good; however, the scoring instructions need to be refined. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a one-factor solution explaining 62.336% of the variance of the seven-criteria CHLS, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed its appropriateness. There was a high internal consistency (α = 0.902). In terms of measurement invariance, the factor structures and loadings of the CHLS were consistent across students of different grades; however, significant intercept variations were detected between students of Grades 2 and 4.ConclusionCHLS may be effective for evaluating Chinese handwriting legibility performance in the Chinese primary school context in the central region. Students' Chinese handwriting legibility performance may have developmental specificity in different grades.
| S-EPMC10422027 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundHandwriting in Parkinson's disease (PD) features specific abnormalities which are difficult to assess in clinical practice since no specific tool for evaluation of spontaneous movement is currently available.ObjectiveThis study aims to validate the 'Systematic Screening of Handwriting Difficulties' (SOS-test) in patients with PD.MethodsHandwriting performance of 87 patients and 26 healthy age-matched controls was examined using the SOS-test. Sixty-seven patients were tested a second time within a period of one month. Participants were asked to copy as much as possible of a text within 5 minutes with the instruction to write as neatly and quickly as in daily life. Writing speed (letters in 5 minutes), size (mm) and quality of handwriting were compared. Correlation analysis was performed between SOS outcomes and other fine motor skill measurements and disease characteristics. Intrarater, interrater and test-retest reliability were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Spearman correlation coefficient.ResultsPatients with PD had a smaller (p = 0.043) and slower (p<0.001) handwriting and showed worse writing quality (p = 0.031) compared to controls. The outcomes of the SOS-test significantly correlated with fine motor skill performance and disease duration and severity. Furthermore, the test showed excellent intrarater, interrater and test-retest reliability (ICC > 0.769 for both groups).ConclusionThe SOS-test is a short and effective tool to detect handwriting problems in PD with excellent reliability. It can therefore be recommended as a clinical instrument for standardized screening of handwriting deficits in PD.
| S-EPMC5333892 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Role models facilitate student learning and assists in the development of professional identity. However, social organization and cultural values influence the choice of role models. Considering that the social organization and cultural values in South East Asia are different from other countries, it is important to know whether this affects the characteristics medical students look for in their role models in these societies.A 32 item questionnaire was developed and self-administered to undergraduate medical students. Participants rated the characteristics on a three point scale (0 = not important, 1 = mildly important, 2 = very important). One way ANOVA and student's t-test were used to compare the groups.A total of 349 (65.23%) distributed questionnaires were returned. The highest ranked themes were teaching and facilitating learning, patient care and continuing professional development followed by communication and professionalism. Safe environment and guiding personal and professional development was indicated least important. Differences were also observed between scores obtained by males and females.Globally there are attributes which are perceived as essential for role models, while others are considered desirable. An understanding of the attributes which are essential and desirable for role models can help medical educators devise strategies which can reinforce those attributes within their institutions.
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Project description:Background and objectivesAlzheimer's disease (AD) has an insidious onset, the early stages are easily overlooked, and there are no reliable, rapid, and inexpensive ancillary detection methods. This study analyzes the differences in handwriting kinematic characteristics between AD patients and normal elderly people to model handwriting characteristics. The aim is to investigate whether handwriting analysis has a promising future in AD auxiliary screening or even auxiliary diagnosis and to provide a basis for developing a handwriting-based diagnostic tool.Materials and methodsThirty-four AD patients (15 males, 77.15 ± 1.796 years) and 45 healthy controls (20 males, 74.78 ± 2.193 years) were recruited. Participants performed four writing tasks with digital dot-matrix pens which simultaneously captured their handwriting as they wrote. The writing tasks consisted of two graphics tasks and two textual tasks. The two graphics tasks are connecting fixed dots (task 1) and copying intersecting pentagons (task 2), and the two textual tasks are dictating three words (task 3) and copying a sentence (task 4). The data were analyzed by using Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U test to obtain statistically significant handwriting characteristics. Moreover, seven classification algorithms, such as eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) and Logistic Regression (LR) were used to build classification models. Finally, the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and Area Under Curve (AUC) were used to assess whether writing scores and kinematics parameters are diagnostic.ResultsKinematic analysis showed statistically significant differences between the AD and controlled groups for most parameters (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). The results found that patients with AD showed slower writing speed, tremendous writing pressure, and poorer writing stability. We built statistically significant features into a classification model, among which the model built by XGB was the most effective with a maximum accuracy of 96.55%. The handwriting characteristics also achieved good diagnostic value in the ROC analysis. Task 2 had a better classification effect than task 1. ROC curve analysis showed that the best threshold value was 0.084, accuracy = 96.30%, sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 93.41%, PPV = 92.21%, NPV = 100%, and AUC = 0.991. Task 4 had a better classification effect than task 3. ROC curve analysis showed that the best threshold value was 0.597, accuracy = 96.55%, sensitivity = 94.20%, specificity = 98.37%, PPV = 97.81%, NPV = 95.63%, and AUC = 0.994.ConclusionThis study's results prove that handwriting characteristic analysis is promising in auxiliary AD screening or AD diagnosis.
| S-EPMC10050722 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study presents the results of research focused on university teachers' perceptions of the implementation of ECO (Explore, Create, and Offer) methodology. Through teachers´ responses, the objective was to learn about the impact ECO has on both teaching and learning. The sample consists of 22 teachers from four academic fields; they implemented ECO methodology during the 2018-19 academic year with 1,350 undergraduate students and 175 Master's-level students. The participating teachers belong to five universities: Universidad de Sevilla (Spain), Universitat de Barcelona (Spain), Universidade de Vigo (Spain), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain) and Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina). An exploratory and descriptive study was carried out, and the data were gathered from an online survey filled in by the teachers. Twenty-eight cases were obtained, one for each course that was involved in the project. The mean values were analysed by running a Kruskal-Wallis H test and ER2 for the effect size. In addition, the thematic analysis method was used to analyse the teachers' perceptions while representing their opinions faithfully. The results showed that ECO methodology has a very positive effect on the personal development of the teachers. ECO is a methodology that comes to have revolutionary effects, improving the relationship between teachers and students, who strengthen their commitment to their own learning. It is also an excellent means for connecting students with the social and professional world outside of academia.
| S-EPMC7433871 | biostudies-literature
Project description:To improve the health status of teachers, there is a need for good and reliable instruments to continuously assess their mental health. The current study proposed the GHQ-12 questionnaire as an appropriate instrument for measuring the mental health of teachers. The GHQ-12 is a well-established screening instrument that has mostly been applied in non-teaching samples. In the current study, the psychometric properties of the questionnaire were analyzed using a large sample of German teachers (N = 3996). The data was collected yearly over an extended period of time (2012-2020). Results showed good to very good reliability, as well as high correspondence to burnout and life satisfaction scales. Principal axis factor analysis supported a two-factor structure: Factor 1 represents "depression/stress" and Factor 2 represents "loss of confidence". However, the mental health of the investigated teachers was worse than that of a representative sample in Germany. Consequently, this study highlighted the fact that the teaching profession is vulnerable to mental strain and underlined the importance of promoting prevention programs that could help to sustain and foster the mental health of teachers. In this context, the GHQ-12 could be proposed as a good and economic tool to assess and analyze mental health in German teachers. The presented norm could help practitioners and teachers to compare individual scores within a larger peer group.
| S-EPMC9368010 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The conditional independence structure induced on the observed marginal distribution by a hidden variable directed acyclic graph (DAG) may be represented by a graphical model represented by mixed graphs called maximal ancestral graphs (MAGs). This model has a number of desirable properties, in particular the set of Gaussian distributions can be parameterized by viewing the graph as a path diagram. Models represented by MAGs have been used for causal discovery [22], and identification theory for causal effects [28]. In addition to ordinary conditional independence constraints, hidden variable DAGs also induce generalized independence constraints. These constraints form the nested Markov property [20]. We first show that acyclic linear SEMs obey this property. Further we show that a natural parameterization for all Gaussian distributions obeying the nested Markov property arises from a generalization of maximal ancestral graphs that we call maximal arid graphs (MArG). We show that every nested Markov model can be associated with a MArG; viewed as a path diagram this MArG parametrizes the Gaussian nested Markov model. This leads directly to methods for ML fitting and computing BIC scores for Gaussian nested models.
| S-EPMC6461354 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The purpose of this study was to better understand parents' perceptions of how, if at all, their transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) children exhibited common childhood emotional and behavioral concerns in relation to gender nonconformity/gender dysphoria (GD), and to identify ways in which evidence-based interventions (EBI) targeting emotional and behavioral concerns could be adapted to best serve TGNC children. Qualitative data were gathered from a targeted focus group activity with 40 parents (25 mothers, 15 fathers) of 24 TGNC children ages 4-11 years old. Parents of TGNC children described how 4 prespecified domains of emotional and behavioral problems (i.e., oppositional behavior, anger, sadness, and fears/worries) are characterized in the context of gender-nonconformity/GD. Parents also identified precipitants of these problems. Overall study findings indicate there is a role for EBI adaptation as parents identified many different examples of emotional and behavioral challenges emerging in unique and nuanced ways in TGNC children.
| S-EPMC6223326 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAttitudes, motivations, and barriers to pre-symptomatic screening for Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the general population are unclear, and validated measurement tools are lacking.ObjectiveTranslation and validation of the German version of the "Perceptions regarding pRE-symptomatic Alzheimer's Disease Screening" (PRE-ADS) questionnaire.MethodsA convenience sample (N = 256) was recruited via an online platform. Validation of the PRE-ADS-D consisted of assessments of reliability, structural validity using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and construct validity using known-group tests. A subscale "Acceptability of Screening", with 5 PRE-ADS-D items, was extracted to measure acceptance of screening in clinical practice. The STROBE checklist was used for reporting.ResultsEFA revealed a three-factor model for the PRE-ADS-D. Acceptable to good internal consistency was found for the 25-item scale (α= 0.78), as well as for the three factors "Concerns about Screening" (α= 0.85), "Intention to be Screened" (α= 0.87), and "Preventive Health Behaviors" (α= 0.81). Construct validity was confirmed for both the 25-item PRE-ADS-D and the "Acceptability of Screening" scale (α= 0.91). Overall, 51.2% of the participants showed a preference for screening. Non-parametric tests were conducted to further explore group differences of the sample.ConclusionsThe PRE-ADS-D is a reliable and valid tool to measure attitudes, motives, and barriers regarding pre-symptomatic dementia screening in the German-speaking general population. Additionally, the subscale "Acceptability of Screening" demonstrated good construct validity and reliability, suggesting its promising potential as a practical tool in clinical practice.
| S-EPMC10789340 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDifficulties in handwriting, such as dysgraphia, impact several aspects of a child's everyday life. Current methodologies for the detection of such difficulties in children have the following three main weaknesses: (1) they are prone to subjective evaluation; (2) they can be administered only when handwriting is mastered, thus delaying the diagnosis and the possible adoption of countermeasures; and (3) they are not always easily accessible to the entire community.ObjectiveThis work aims at developing a solution able to: (1) quantitatively measure handwriting features whose alteration is typically seen in children with dysgraphia; (2) enable their study in a preliteracy population; and (3) leverage a standard consumer technology to increase the accessibility of both early screening and longitudinal monitoring of handwriting difficulties.MethodsWe designed and developed a novel tablet-based app Play Draw Write to assess potential markers of dysgraphia through the quantification of the following three key handwriting laws: isochrony, homothety, and speed-accuracy tradeoff. To extend such an approach to a preliteracy age, the app includes the study of the laws in terms of both word writing and symbol drawing. The app was tested among healthy children with mastered handwriting (third graders) and those at a preliterate age (kindergartners).ResultsApp testing in 15 primary school children confirmed that the three laws hold on the tablet surface when both writing words and drawing symbols. We found significant speed modulation according to size (P<.001), no relevant changes to fraction time for 67 out of 70 comparisons, and significant regression between movement time and index of difficulty for 44 out of 45 comparisons (P<.05, R2>0.28, 12 degrees of freedom). Importantly, the three laws were verified on symbols among 19 kindergartners. Results from the speed-accuracy exercise showed a significant evolution with age of the global movement time (circle: P=.003, square: P<.001, word: P=.001), the goodness of fit of the regression between movement time and accuracy constraints (square: P<.001, circle: P=.02), and the index of performance (square: P<.001). Our findings show that homothety, isochrony, and speed-accuracy tradeoff principles are present in children even before handwriting acquisition; however, some handwriting-related skills are partially refined with age.ConclusionsThe designed app represents a promising solution for the screening of handwriting difficulties, since it allows (1) anticipation of the detection of alteration of handwriting principles at a preliteracy age and (2) provision of broader access to the monitoring of handwriting principles. Such a solution potentially enables the selective strengthening of lacking abilities before they exacerbate and affect the child's whole life.
| S-EPMC7644384 | biostudies-literature