On-Campus Animal-Assisted Therapy Events

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 616-632
Author(s):  
Alisa D. McArthur ◽  
Corinne Syrnyk

Abstract Post-secondary students are experiencing more stress than ever before. In an attempt to help alleviate some of this stress, animal-assisted therapy (AAT) events were held on the campus of a small liberal arts institution just prior to final exams in the Fall and Winter terms. All students were invited to mingle with dogs and handlers from a local AAT advocacy group. In Study 1, students were surveyed following the events held in the Fall and Winter and self-reported an improved mood as a result of the events as well as being extremely satisfied with the experience. Similarly, Study 2, held in the subsequent Fall, replicated the findings from Study 1. In addition, the Brief Mood Inspection Scale, administered before and after the event, found students’ mood improved on all three subscales. The implications for future research to fully assess the impact of such events on students are discussed.

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Kimi Kondo-Brown

The “intergenerational transmission” of heritage languages (HLs) is crucial to the vitality of heritage language communities (especially for indigenous communities, where immigration is not a source of new speakers). We know, however, that HLs in the United States often do NOT survive well from one generation to the next as the shift to English takes place. In conjunction with the Second National Conference on Heritage Languages in America, a small group of researchers met to discuss priorities for research on intergenerational transmission of languages. Each of the ten researchers who participated prepared a short paper, posing research questions with some commentary to guide future research. Those papers form the major part of this article, covering topics related to language ecological patterns (in communities, families, and institutions), language ideology, measurement issues, and literacy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Elbert

Canada’s changing geopolitical landscape will require a generation of engaged and active citizens. Citizenship education in British Columbia must negotiate conflicting narratives while opening spaces for students to develop civic skills and subjectivities. Given negative program reviews, empirical evidence for the impact of identity - especially group identifications - on behaviours and beliefs, and continued low youth political engagement, there is a great need to understand how citizenship and civic subjectivities are constructed in real school contexts in order to gain insight into how secondary civics classrooms might support students’ active political voices and development of efficacious subjectivities. This article reports preliminary results from a large mixed methods, multiple-case study project. The data reported here focuses on students (n = 64) from two purposefully sampled secondary school classrooms on Vancouver Island: a special civics program, and a regular stream Social Studies classroom in the same school. Data collection consisted of a class-wide online survey near the beginning of the course. Grounded in the larger understandings of social identity theory and rooted cosmopolitanism, qualitative data from open-ended questionnaire responses analyzed with a constant comparative coding technique explored the extent to which students construct regional, national, or global notions of citizenship. A preliminary report of quantitative items investigates the level of conflict present between levels of identification and suggests avenues for future research. Examined against previous research and the theory of rooted cosmopolitanism, this project aims to question the popular narrative of youth apathy and to describe the ways in which students characterize their civic subjectivities. In giving voice to student perspectives on their civic selves and their Civics classrooms, this study aims to contribute to more representative classrooms and pedagogies.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-73
Author(s):  
Andrew Simmons

Premedical students have often been viewed as academically narrow and cynical about liberal education. To investigate the veracity of this generalization, I conducted a qualitative study of pre-medical students at a liberal arts institution. Contrary to negative stereotypes, the students in the study expressed a positive attitude toward liberal education and articulated a belief that their own liberal education will benefit them as physicians. However, they acknowledged that obtaining high grades is also an important educational goal. Implications for advisors and medical admissions committees are discussed along with implications for future research.


2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 9549-9549
Author(s):  
Chunkit Fung ◽  
Chintan Pandya ◽  
Katia Noyes ◽  
Emelian Scosyrev ◽  
Deepak M. Sahasrabudhe ◽  
...  

9549 Background: The impact of BC on HRQL is poorly understood. To our knowledge, this is the first and largest cross-sectional study that compares HRQL of patients before and after BC diagnosis (DX). Methods: Our sample included 1,476 BC patients (≥ age 65) within the SEER-Medicare Health Outcomes Survey linkage database (1998-2007). We assessed differences in HRQL as measured by SF-36 physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) summary scores in patients who had a survey >1 yr before BC DX (n=620) and those who had a survey after BC DX (n=856). We compared groups by year from BC DX using regression analyses and results were adjusted for cancer stage, race, gender, age at BC DX, marital status, education, income, smoking status, activity of daily living (ADLs), and non-cancer comorbidities. Results: Patients who had a survey after BC DX were diagnosed with BC at an older age than those with a survey before BC DX (55.9% at age ≥75 yr vs. 36.8%; P<0.01). Other baseline demographic and socioeconomic characteristics were similar. Baseline HRQL were poor in patients before DX (PCS mean=40.1; MCS mean=51.1) with 50.6% and 31.9% of them having comorbidity score ≥2 and impairment of ≥1 ADLs, respectively. After BC DX, significant decreases in PCS (-2.7; 95% CI -3.8,-1.7) and MCS (-1.4; 95% CI -2.6, -0.3) were observed, with HRQL being lowest in those who had BC DX within 1 yr (PCS mean= 36.6; MCS mean=49.7). Declines in PCS during the <1, 1-3, 3-5, 5-10, and 10+ yr periods after BC DX compared to before BC DX were -3.8 (P<0.01), -2.5 (P<0.01), -2.2 (P=0.01), -1.1 (P=0.19) and -0.8 (P=0.57) whereas decreases in MCS were -2.0 (P=0.01), -2.2 (P<0.01), -1.2 (P=0.21), -0.1 (P=0.92), -0.8 (P=0.62) respectively. More advanced BC, lower educational level, higher comorbidity score, and impaired ADLs were significantly associated with both worse PCS and MCS after BC DX (P<0.05). Lower income and older age at BC DX showed significant association with low PCS (P<0.05). Conclusions: Older BC patients are a vulnerable population with poor baseline HRQL. HRQL of patients after BC DX is significantly worse than HRQL of patients before DX, possibly due to therapy and/or disease progression. Future research that evaluates interventions to improve HRQL in older patients with BC is critical.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 282-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Charles Bensoussan ◽  
Michael A. Bolton ◽  
Sarah Pi ◽  
Allycin L. Powell-Hicks ◽  
Anna Postolova ◽  
...  

This article reviews the literature regarding the impact of cosmetic surgery on health-related quality of life (QOL). Studies were identified through PubMed/Medline and PsycINFO searches from January 1960 to December 2011. Twenty-eight studies were included in this review, according to specific selection criteria.The procedures and tools employed in cosmetic surgery research studies were remarkably diverse, thus yielding difficulties with data analysis. However, data indicate that individuals undergoing cosmetic surgery began with lower values on aspects of QOL than control subjects, and experienced significant QOL improvement post-procedurally, an effect that appeared to plateau with time.Despite the complexity of measuring QOL in cosmetic surgery patients, most studies showed an improvement in QOL after cosmetic surgery procedures. However, this finding was clouded by measurement precision as well as heterogeneity of procedures and study populations. Future research needs to focus on refining measurement techniques, including developing cosmetic surgery–specific QOL measures.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ruth Elizabeth Armstrong

<p>The present research examines the effect of music therapy on the affect of hospitalised children. It took place on a paediatric ward of a New Zealand public hospital. This study aimed to investigate the role of music therapy in addressing patients' psychosocial needs. Literature on the impact of hospitalisation, and on the use of music therapy in hospitals and paediatrics was reviewed. The research involved an audit of the therapist's clinical notes from music therapy sessions over the course of seven months. The clinical notes included measurements of children's mood from the beginning and end of sessions, using McGrath's (1990) Affective Facial Scale. It was hypothesised that mood measures following music therapy would be higher than pre-music therapy scores. Statistical analysis of the facial scale data did not show a significant difference between 'before' and 'after' measures. These results were discussed with regard to a ceiling effect (this is, the measurements indicated patients were at the happy end of the scale before the music therapy session, so there was little room on the scale for mood to improve following music therapy). The measurement of emotion did not prove to be straightforward. The hospital environment may have influenced the patients' responses in a number of ways. These environmental influences are discussed with reference to examples from the clinical notes. The usefulness of facial scales in this context is discussed, as well as other limitations of the research. Suggestions for future research include the use of other mood measures, and the inclusion of measurements of parental mood and how this affects the child.</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 9-22
Author(s):  
Jenessa Louise Shaw ◽  
Kenneth Cramer

Peer reviews offer a unique assessment of post-secondary students’ writing, wherein students grade fellow students’ (or peers’) essay submissions according to a provided rubric. Previous research found that students’ personality dimensions were related to the grades that students both gave and received through peer assessment. The present study examined the association between personality factors on grader leniency and grades received during a peer review assignment in an introductory psychology course. Participants completed an online survey to assess academic entitlement, learning/grade orientation, narcissism, and the 5-factor personality traits; these were later joined to peer review grades received and given. Results showed that rater leniency was negatively related to learning orientation, conscientiousness, and grade orientation. Moreover, the strongest predictors of grades received included academic entitlement, conscientiousness, and narcissism. Implications of these findings, plus directions for future research, are discussed.             Keywords: peer review, rater leniency, personality, academic achievement   L’évaluation par les pairs constitue un processus exceptionnel d’évaluation de l’écriture d’étudiants de niveau postsecondaire. Des étudiants notent les rédactions de leurs camarades de classe (leurs « pairs ») en utilisant une grille d’évaluation qui leur est fournie. Des recherches ont montré que les aspects de la personnalité des étudiants ont une incidence sur les notes que ceux-ci donnent ou reçoivent. La présente étude examine le lien entre, d’une part, les facteurs liés à la personnalité et, d’autre part, la clémence des évaluateurs et les notes reçues au cours d’une évaluation par les pairs dans un cours d’introduction à la psychologie. Les participants ont rempli un sondage en ligne pour mesurer leurs attentes en matière de notes, leur intérêt pour l’apprentissage ou pour les notes, leur narcissisme et les cinq traits centraux de la personnalité. Les réponses au sondage ont ensuite été combinées aux évaluations par les pairs que les participants ont rendues et reçues. Les résultats montrent que la clémence de l’évaluateur est liée de façon négative à l’intérêt en matière d’apprentissage, au caractère consciencieux et à l’intérêt pour les notes. Qui plus est, les principaux indicateurs des notes reçues comprennent l’attente de recevoir de bonnes notes, le caractère consciencieux et le narcissisme. L’article examine les conséquences de ces résultats et indique la direction à prendre pour des recherches à venir. Mots clés : évaluation par les pairs, clémence de l’évaluateur, personnalité, rendement universitaire


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-16
Author(s):  
Frances Hamilton ◽  
Kimberly Hile ◽  
Dana Skelley ◽  
Sarah Roller ◽  
Sandra Lampley ◽  
...  

Collaboration and critical thinking are 21st century skills employers value. Campus programming offers a space where, through intentional design, post-secondary students may develop critical thinking and collaboration skills. This study investigates survey data collected after a campus program that engaged participants in an escape room experience. Descriptive statistics were utilized to investigate students’ perceptions of collaboration and critical thinking skills use and improvement during the experience. Comparison analysis was employed to explore if the structure of the escape room produced any difference in results. Findings indicate the majority of participants reported being able to practice and improve collaboration and critical thinking skills in the escape room experience. Patterns suggest that the escape room structure may impact participants’ perceptions of collaboration and critical thinking skills. Limitations and recommendations for areas of future research are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ruth Elizabeth Armstrong

<p>The present research examines the effect of music therapy on the affect of hospitalised children. It took place on a paediatric ward of a New Zealand public hospital. This study aimed to investigate the role of music therapy in addressing patients' psychosocial needs. Literature on the impact of hospitalisation, and on the use of music therapy in hospitals and paediatrics was reviewed. The research involved an audit of the therapist's clinical notes from music therapy sessions over the course of seven months. The clinical notes included measurements of children's mood from the beginning and end of sessions, using McGrath's (1990) Affective Facial Scale. It was hypothesised that mood measures following music therapy would be higher than pre-music therapy scores. Statistical analysis of the facial scale data did not show a significant difference between 'before' and 'after' measures. These results were discussed with regard to a ceiling effect (this is, the measurements indicated patients were at the happy end of the scale before the music therapy session, so there was little room on the scale for mood to improve following music therapy). The measurement of emotion did not prove to be straightforward. The hospital environment may have influenced the patients' responses in a number of ways. These environmental influences are discussed with reference to examples from the clinical notes. The usefulness of facial scales in this context is discussed, as well as other limitations of the research. Suggestions for future research include the use of other mood measures, and the inclusion of measurements of parental mood and how this affects the child.</p>


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