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Faculty Beliefs about Intelligence Are Related to the Adoption of Active-Learning Practices.

ABSTRACT: Mounting evidence of the efficacy of active learning has prompted educators to consider adoption of these practices in college-level classrooms. One tenet of active learning is that most, if not all, students have the ability to learn. Instructors' perspectives on learning, however, may or may not be aligned with this. One belief held by some educators is that intelligence is fixed, that is, some students are more intelligent and have a higher ability to learn than others. Instructors with a fixed mindset may not be convinced that their investment in developing active-learning materials will be as fruitful as the education evidence suggests, because these instructors may not believe that most students can grow in their learning. Here, we explored the relationship between fixed mindsets and the adoption of active-learning strategies. We found that instructors with higher fixed mindsets were less persuaded that active-learning strategies were a good idea and less likely to implement the teaching practices. Our research suggests that development initiatives should explicitly address educators' lay theories of intelligence ( fixed or growth mindset) to support successful implementation of active learning.

SUBMITTER: Aragon OR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6234810 | biostudies-other | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Faculty Beliefs about Intelligence Are Related to the Adoption of Active-Learning Practices.

Aragón Oriana R OR Eddy Sarah L SL Graham Mark J MJ

CBE life sciences education 20180901 3

Mounting evidence of the efficacy of active learning has prompted educators to consider adoption of these practices in college-level classrooms. One tenet of active learning is that most, if not all, students have the ability to learn. Instructors' perspectives on learning, however, may or may not be aligned with this. One belief held by some educators is that intelligence is fixed, that is, some students are more intelligent and have a higher ability to learn than others. Instructors with a fix ...[more]

PMID: 30183567

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Project description:Objectives: International studies suggest that males may be less likely to adhere to SARS-CoV-2 transmission mitigation efforts than females. However, there is a paucity of research in this field in the United States. The primary aim of this study was to explore the relationship of binary gender identity (female/male) with beliefs, attitudes, and pandemic-related practices in the early stages of the pandemic. Methods: This study is based on a cross-sectional, voluntary response survey. Patients who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 between March 5 and June 7, 2020 were invited to participate. All patients were tested within a large community healthcare system that serves patients through eight hospitals and hundreds of clinics across Washington State. Bivariate associations between gender and various demographics were tested using Chi-squared and Student's t-tests. We examined associations between gender and pandemic-related beliefs, attitudes, and practices using multivariable logistic regression, accounting for potential confounding factors. Results: Females were more likely than males to agree that they (aOR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.14-2.00) or their families (aOR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.31-2.33) were threatened by SARS-CoV-2, or that their own behavior could impact transmission (aOR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.49-3.15). Similarly, females were more likely to agree that social distancing (aOR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.19-2.46), handwashing (aOR = 3.27, 95% CI 2.06-5.21), and masking (aOR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.02-1.94) were necessary to slow SARS-CoV-2 spread. Females were significantly less likely to visit outside of their social distancing circle (aOR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.47-0.81), but among those who did, practices of social distancing (aOR = 1.41, 95% CI 0.89-2.23), remaining outdoors (aOR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.56-1.40), and masking (aOR = 1.19, 95% CI 0.74-1.93) were comparable to males, while females practiced handwashing more than males (aOR = 2.11, 95% CI 1.33-3.34). Conclusions: Our study suggests that gender disparate beliefs, attitudes, and practices existed in the early stages of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Efforts should be tailored to encourage males to engage with mitigation efforts in ongoing pandemic-related public health campaigns.

Project description:BackgroundThe University of California system has a novel tenure-track education-focused faculty position called Lecturer with Security of Employment (working titles: Teaching Professor or Professor of Teaching). We focus on the potential difference in implementation of active-learning strategies by faculty type, including tenure-track education-focused faculty, tenure-track research-focused faculty, and non-tenure-track lecturers. In addition, we consider other instructor characteristics (faculty rank, years of teaching, and gender) and classroom characteristics (campus, discipline, and class size). We use a robust clustering algorithm to determine the number of clusters, identify instructors using active learning, and to understand the instructor and classroom characteristics in relation to the adoption of active-learning strategies.ResultsWe observed 125 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate courses at three University of California campuses using the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM to examine active-learning strategies implemented in the classroom. Tenure-track education-focused faculty are more likely to teach with active-learning strategies compared to tenure-track research-focused faculty. Instructor and classroom characteristics that are also related to active learning include campus, discipline, and class size. The campus with initiatives and programs to support undergraduate STEM education is more likely to have instructors who adopt active-learning strategies. There is no difference in instructors in the Biological Sciences, Engineering, or Information and Computer Sciences disciplines who teach actively. However, instructors in the Physical Sciences are less likely to teach actively. Smaller class sizes also tend to have instructors who teach more actively.ConclusionsThe novel tenure-track education-focused faculty position within the University of California system represents a formal structure that results in higher adoption of active-learning strategies in undergraduate STEM education. Campus context and evolving expectations of the position (faculty rank) contribute to the symbols related to learning and teaching that correlate with differential implementation of active learning.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40594-022-00365-9.

Project description:Higher prevalence of cancer-related risk factors, for example, tobacco use, obesity, poor diet, and physical inactivity, is observed in the U.S. Deep South and likely contributes to its increased cancer burden. While this region is largely rural, it is unknown whether cancer-related beliefs and lifestyle practices differ by rural-urban status or are more influenced by other factors. We contacted 5,633 Alabamians to complete a cross-sectional survey to discern cancer-related beliefs and lifestyle practices, and compared data from respondents residing in rural- versus urban-designated counties. Findings were summarized using descriptive statistics; rural-urban subgroups were compared using two-tailed, χ 2 and t tests. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to explore associations by rural-urban status and other sociodemographic factors. Surveys were completed by 671 rural- and 183 urban-county respondents (15.2% response rate). Overall, the prevalence for overweight and obesity (77.8%) and sugar-sweetened beverage intake (273-364 calories/day) was higher than national levels. Most respondents (58%) endorsed raising the state tobacco tax. Respondents from rural- versus urban-designated counties were significantly more likely to be racial/ethnic minority, have lower education, employment, income, food security, and internet access, and endorse fatalistic cancer-related beliefs (<0.05; although regression models suggested that cancer belief differences are more strongly associated with education than counties of residence). Lifestyle practices were similar among rural-urban subgroups. Few rural-urban differences in cancer-related beliefs and lifestyle practices were found among survey respondents, although the high overall prevalence of fatalistic health beliefs and suboptimal lifestyle behaviors suggests a need for statewide cancer prevention campaigns and policies, including increased tobacco taxation.Prevention Relevance: Cancer incidence and mortality are higher in the U.S. Deep South, likely due to increased tobacco-use, obesity, poor diet, and physical inactivity. This study explores whether cancer-related beliefs and lifestyle practices differ by rural-urban status or other sociodemographic factors in a random sample of 855 residents across Alabama.

Project description:In recent years, pharmacists have been involved in expanded patient care responsibilities, for example patient counseling in self-medication, medication review and pharmaceutical care, which require graduates to develop the necessary competences. Consequently, reorientation of pharmacy education has become necessary. As such, active learning strategies have been introduced into classrooms to increase problem-solving and critical thinking skills of students. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance and perceptions of competency of students in a new pharmaceutical care course that uses active learning methodologies.This pharmaceutical care course was conducted in the first semester of 2014, in the Federal University of Sergipe. In the pharmaceutical care course, active learning methods were used, consisting of dialogic classroom expository, simulation and case studies. Student learning was evaluated using classroom tests and instruments that evaluated the perception of competency in pharmaceutical care practice. Furthermore, students' satisfaction with the course was evaluated.Thirty-three students completed the four evaluations used in the course (i.e., a discursive written exam, seminars, OSCE, and virtual patient); 25 were female (75.75%), and the median age was 23.43 (SD 2.82) years. The overall mean of student scores, in all evaluation methods was 7.97 (SD 0.59) on a scale of 0 to 10 points, and student performance on the virtual patient method was statistically superior to other methods. With respect to the perception of competency in pharmaceutical care practice, a comparison of pre- and post-test scores revealed statistically significant improvement for all evaluated competences. At the end of the semester, the students presented positive opinions of the pharmaceutical care course.The results suggest that an active learning course can enhance the learning of pharmaceutical care competences. In future studies it will be necessary to compare active learning to traditional methods.

Project description:BACKGROUND: Demographic, economic and behavioural factors are central features underpinning the successful management and biological control of dengue. This study aimed to examine these factors and their association with the seroprevalence of this disease. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey of households in a 3 km radius of the schools where we had conducted serological tests on the student population in a previous study. Households were surveyed about their socio-demographics, knowledge, practices, and Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs. The results were then associated with the prevalence rate of dengue in the community, as marked by IgG seropositivity of the students who attended school there. RESULTS: A total of 1,400 complete responses were obtained. The community's IgG seropositivity was significantly positively associated with high household monthly income, high-rise residential building type, high surrounding vegetation density, rural locality, high perceived severity and susceptibility, perceived barriers to prevention, knowing that a neighbour has dengue, frequent fogging and a higher level of knowledge about dengue. In the multivariate analyses, three major correlates of the presence of IgG seropositivity in the community: (1) high-rise residential apartment house type or condominium buildings; (2) the main construct of the HBM, perceived severity and susceptibility; and (3) the additional constructs of the HBM, lack of preventive measures from the community level and having a neighbour with dengue as a cue to action. Weak correlations were found between self-practices to prevent dengue and the level of dengue seropositivity in the community, and between HBM constructs and knowledge (r?=?0.09). CONCLUSIONS: The residential environment factor and the constructs of the HBM are useful and important elements in developing interventions to prevent and control dengue. The study also sheds light on the importance of the need for approaches that ensure the translation of knowledge into practice.

Project description:Scholars have debated naturalistic theories of religion for thousands of years, but only recently have scientists begun to test predictions empirically. Existing databases contain few variables on religion, and are subject to Galton's Problem because they do not sufficiently account for the non-independence of cultures or systematically differentiate the traditional states of cultures from their contemporary states. Here we present Pulotu: the first quantitative cross-cultural database purpose-built to test evolutionary hypotheses of supernatural beliefs and practices. The Pulotu database documents the remarkable diversity of the Austronesian family of cultures, which originated in Taiwan, spread west to Madagascar and east to Easter Island-a region covering over half the world's longitude. The focus of Austronesian beliefs range from localised ancestral spirits to powerful creator gods. A wide range of practices also exist, such as headhunting, elaborate tattooing, and the construction of impressive monuments. Pulotu is freely available, currently contains 116 cultures, and has 80 variables describing supernatural beliefs and practices, as well as social and physical environments. One major advantage of Pulotu is that it has separate sections on the traditional states of cultures, the post-contact history of cultures, and the contemporary states of cultures. A second major advantage is that cultures are linked to a language-based family tree, enabling the use phylogenetic methods, which can be used to address Galton's Problem by accounting for common ancestry, to infer deep prehistory, and to model patterns of trait evolution over time. We illustrate the power of phylogenetic methods by performing an ancestral state reconstruction on the Pulotu variable "headhunting", finding evidence that headhunting was practiced in proto-Austronesian culture. Quantitative cross-cultural databases explicitly linking cultures to a phylogeny have the potential to revolutionise the field of comparative religious studies in the same way that genetic databases have revolutionised the field of evolutionary biology.

Dataset Information

Faculty Beliefs about Intelligence Are Related to the Adoption of Active-Learning Practices.

Publications

Faculty Beliefs about Intelligence Are Related to the Adoption of Active-Learning Practices.

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