scholarly journals Factors Influencing Quality of Team Discussion: Discourse Analysis in an Undergraduate Team-Based Learning Biology Course

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. ar7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah M. Leupen ◽  
Kerrie L. Kephart ◽  
Linda C. Hodges

Group activities as part of active-learning pedagogies are thought to be effective in promoting student learning in part because of the quality of discussion they engender in student teams. Not much is known, however, about which instructional factors are most important in achieving productive conversation or how these factors may differ among different collaborative pedagogies. We explored what provokes meaningful group discussions in a university physiology course taught using team-based learning (TBL). We were most interested in discussions that evoke explanations that go beyond statements of basic facts and into disciplinary reasoning. Using transcribed conversations of four randomly selected teams three times throughout the semester, we analyzed three distinct discursive phenomena—conceptual explanations, re-evaluations, and co-construction—that occurred in productive conversations. In this paper, we provide examples from student discussions showing the role of each of these elements in moving students toward conceptual understanding. These phenomena were more likely to occur in response to higher-order questions in Bloom’s taxonomy. Preclass preparation and student accountability as part of TBL may be important factors in this finding. We share implications for practice based on our results.

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-240
Author(s):  
Haula Rosdiana ◽  
Maria R.U.D. Tambunan ◽  
Inayati Hifni

Dalam mengoptimalkan penerimaan pajak, pemerintah selayaknya mendesain sistem perpajakan yang berpegang prinsip efisiensi dengan tetap memperhatikan aspek keadil-an dan kesederhana. Dalam sistem perpajakan, hukum formal mempunyai peranan penting dalam mengejawantahkan hukum material, karena itu Undang-undang Ketentu-an Umum dan Tata Cara Perpajakan (KUP) menjadi salah satu kunci keberhasilan implementasi kebijakan pajak. Mengingat strategisnya peran UU KUP, perlu untuk mereview kembali UU KUP yang saat ini berlaku serta perlu dilakukan suatu penyempurnaan. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan teknik pengumpulan data kualitatif yang terdiri dari studi literatur dan focus group discussion. Penelitian bertujuan memberikan masukan atas KUP yang saat ini masih dalam proses pembahasan dengan menekankan pada aspek kemudahan (ease of administration), keadilan (equity) dan kepastian hukum (law enforcement). Hasil penelitian ini menekan-kan pada hal-hal terkait (i) perlunya meningkatkan basis data perpajakan, (ii) perlunya menjalankan kemudahan administrasi yang berdasarkan ketentuan yang tegas, jelas, dan sederhana, (iii) penegakan hukum yang tegas, (iv) adanya sanksi yang sebanding dengan pelanggaran yang dilakukan oleh wajib pajak, dan (v) peningkatan kualitas layanan dan profesionalisme petugas pajak. Kajian ini diharapkan mampu mendorong terwujudnya regulasi perpajakan pro terhadap optimalisasi penerimaan tanpa mencede-rai hak-hak wajib pajak. Proposal for Amendment of Formal Law on Taxation Procedure  In optimizing tax revenue, the government should design a taxation system that adheres to the principle of efficiency, justice and simplicity. In the taxation system, formal law has an important role in manifesting laws, therefore laws and taxation procedures (KUP) are one of the keys to the successful implementation of tax policies. Considering the strategic role of the KUP Law, it is necessary to review the KUP Law which is currently in force and needs to be improved. This study uses a qualitative approach with qualitative data collection techniques consisting of literature studies and focus group discussions. The research aims to provide input on KUP which is currently still in the process of discussion by emphasizing aspects of ease (ease of administration), justice (equity) and legal certainty (law enforcement). The results emphasize issues related to (i) the need to increase the taxation database, (ii) the need to carry out administrative facilities based on firm, clear and simple provisions, (iii) strict law enforcement, (iv) comparable sanctions with violations committed by taxpayers and (v) improving the quality of service and professionalism of tax officials. This study is expected to be able to encourage the realization of tax regulations that are pro to the optimization of revenue without harming the rights of taxpayers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. 1895-1901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Kalateh Sadati ◽  
Seyed Ziauddin Tabei ◽  
Kamran Bagheri Lankarani

BACKGROUND: Doctor-patient relationship [DPR] refers to verbal and non-verbal communication between doctor and patient, which is of great importance in consultation sessions. AIM: Therefore, the present study attempts to explore the importance and value of DPR in Iran. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The method used in the study was conventional content analysis. The data were collected from 21 faculty members (FMs) of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Shiraz, Iran, who participated in three focus group discussions (FGDs). Transcribed data were analysed using Conventional Content Analysis (CCA) which identified condensed meaning units, subthemes, and themes. RESULTS: Four themes were extracted from 198 meaning units, 87 condensed meaning units, and 17 subthemes. These included gateway [the role of DPR]; nonlinearity [the nature of DPR]; distortion (quality of DPR in the context); and dysfunctional system (weakness in health system). Generally, results showed DPR to be the gateway to consultations based on non-verbal communication and doctor empathy. The study showed distorted DPR which was due to the dysfunctionality of the health care system. CONCLUSION: As indicated DPR plays an important role in medical contexts, but if distorted it leads to an unsuccessful outcome. Therefore, to promote DPR, it is necessary to reinforce its structure. Thus, the infrastructure has to be modified and developed at all levels.


2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Pabuccu ◽  
S. Erduran

This study investigated secondary school students' engagement in epistemic and narrative practices of chemistry in the context of a chemistry story on gas behavior. Argumentation is an example of an epistemic practice in science and stories are one kind of narrative (Ricoeur, 1981). By using a chemistry story, the authors hoped to engage students in the argumentation processes by linking chemistry knowledge to everyday contexts (Erduran and Pabuccu, 2012). Student group discussions and written frames during the activity were used as data sources. Analysis of these student outcomes concentrated on (a) the nature of the students' discourse; (b) the quality of students' argumentation; and (c) students' conceptual understanding of gas behaviors. The authors categorized the nature of group discourse using five different codes, determined the quality of student argumentation by counting the number of rebuttals, and measured conceptual understanding through students' answers in the writing frames. The results of this study add to the literature seeking to understand how to develop students' engagement in the argumentation process, how to enhance the quality of students' argumentations, and how to improve their conceptual understanding of gas behaviors.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adelaide Maria Ansah Ofei ◽  
Yennuten Paarima ◽  
Theresa Barnes ◽  
Atswei Adzo Kwashie

PurposeTo explore the staffing practices of nurse managers at the unit.Design/methodology/approachIntroduction: Ensuring that units are staffed with adequate nurses to render quality nursing care to clients has become increasingly challenging for most hospitals. There is growing evidence linking best patient outcomes and fewer adverse events to the presence of nurses at the bedside. Hospitals require to attract and retain nurses in the units to address the issues of quality, staff and patient safety. Methods: The study used a descriptive phenomenological design to purposively select 15 nurse managers (NMs) and 47 nurses for in-depth interviews and focus group discussions respectively.FindingsThe study found that the demand for nurses to work in the unit was not scientific. Nurses affirmed their frustration of inadequate numbers of staff in the unit especially, at the periphery hospitals. Time can be used as a source of motivation for nurses and nurses should be involved in the development of the duty roster to enable effective compliance. Compensation for additional duties is relevant in nursing.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was carried only in one region in Ghana, and the findings may not be the same in the other regions.Practical implicationsInadequate staffing level has serious implications on patient safety, quality of care and staff outcomes. This situation necessitates the implementation of health sector staffing norms to ensure the right calibre of mix staff are recruited and retained.Originality/valueThis study is the first in Ghana that we aware of that explore staffing practices at the unit that identifies factors that impact staff schedules for effective care.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismaiza Busti ◽  
◽  
Mahyudin Ritonga ◽  
Ahmad Lahmi ◽  
◽  
...  

The Head of Madrasah has a role in various matters related to improving the quality of both human resources and infrastructure in each madrasah he leads, teachers as human resources elements in madrasahs need strategic steps taken by the head of madrasah to improve their professionalism, this research aims to explore how the role of madarasah head in improving teacher competence in MTs Istiqamah Talu Talamau Subdistrict. Research is designed with an explorative qualitative approach, namely a study that aims to find the role performed by the head of madrasah through the search of various sources, the source of this research is madrasah supervisors, teachers in MTs Istiqamah and madarasah heads as a form of confirmation, to obtain data from the specified sources, in this research used observation techniques, interviews, documentation studies and focus group discussions, data analysis used is descriptive qualitative. The result of the research is that the head of madrasah plays a role in increasing the professionalism of teachers in the form of informative, coordinate, consultative and informative.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 237796081988976
Author(s):  
Nada Alsuhebany ◽  
Lama Alfehaid ◽  
Hind Almodaimegh ◽  
Abdulkareem Albekairy ◽  
Shmeylan Alharbi

Clinical pharmacists are responsible for guiding pharmacotherapy and ensuring medication safety along with other health-care providers. This study highlighted barriers that physicians and nurses encounter when interacting with clinical pharmacists. Twenty-seven physicians and nurses were randomly invited to participate in focus-group discussions. Five focus-group discussions were recorded and then transcribed, and the transcripts were reviewed and coded. Three major themes were identified, which were the role of clinical pharmacists, interprofessional communication, and competency. The greatest challenge reported in this study was lack of consistent understanding of the role of clinical pharmacists which to some extent caused communication deficiencies and affected the level of involvement with multidisciplinary teams. Despite that, majority of the participants perceived pharmacists as beneficial in optimizing pharmacotherapy and improving quality of care. Clinical pharmacy services are perceived positively in impacting quality of care as expressed by majority of the study participants. However, there is a lack of common understanding of the role of clinical pharmacists by other health-care providers.


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 816-833 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Monteith ◽  
Lena Giesbert

There is growing interest in the ability of the informal sector to provide gainful work in much of the developing world. However, the literature on work in the informal sector remains dominated by resource- and rights-based approaches, which fail to consider the features of work valued by informal workers themselves. This article investigates perceptions of ‘good work’ based on focus group discussions with informal workers in the capitals of Uganda, Burkina Faso and Sri Lanka. Using the capability approach as a framework, it reveals that informal workers value a combination of instrumental features of work, such as income and working hours, and intrinsic aspects, such as relationships and recognition. The article’s findings contribute to debates on quality of work in formal and informal contexts by illustrating the role of social and environmental conversion factors, including gender and class relations, in mediating the relationship between work and well-being.


Author(s):  
Sofia Gomez ◽  
Christine Nuñez ◽  
Betty White ◽  
James Browning ◽  
Horace M. DeLisser

Background: The value of healthcare chaplains to patient care is increasingly recognized. However, physicians’ understandings of the role of pastoral care have been reported to be poor, which have raised concerns about the quality of chaplain-physician interactions and their impact on patient care. These interactions, particularly from the perspective of the chaplain, have not been extensively investigated. Methods: An anonymous survey about the interactions of chaplains with physicians was sent to chaplains at a single institution, with subsequent focus group discussions of responding chaplains to obtain additional qualitative data. Results: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from over 20 chaplains. While chaplains indicated satisfaction regarding their access to physicians, they noted a disconnect between chaplains and physicians, physicians’ unfamiliarity with the chaplain role, a sense that physicians do not always appreciate the chaplain role as significant or helpful, and structural barriers to the integration of chaplains into medical care teams. Conclusions: This study provides contemporary data on the nature of chaplain-physician interactions as reported from the perspective of chaplains. Further, these findings highlight opportunities for interventions to enhance the chaplain-physician relationship.


Author(s):  
Sruthy George

People with disabilities have the same basic right of access as any other citizen. An inclusive and accessible physical environment is a critical element in mainstreaming disabled people, particularly in developing countries such as India. A freely accessible environment without any physical barrier is the most important requirement of an inclusive society as it determines what differently abled people can be and do. With the increased emphasis on the rights of differently abled people in recent years, it is important to understand the barriers faced by them when accessing the public spaces and facilities. This paper uses focus group discussions and interviews to try to determine the disabling factors in the urban environment that prevent disabled people from participating and explores the role of urban planning in making an accessible and inclusive city. For this the Smart city mission Trivandrum was taken as a platform, as improving the quality of citizens' life is a major goal of India’s smart cities development.


2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Eschen ◽  
Franzisca Zehnder ◽  
Mike Martin

This article introduces Cognitive Health Counseling 40+ (CH.CO40+), an individualized intervention that is conceptually based on the orchestration model of quality-of-life management ( Martin & Kliegel, 2010 ) and aims at improving satisfaction with cognitive health in adults aged 40 years and older. We describe the theoretically deduced characteristics of CH.CO40+, its target group, its multifactorial nature, its individualization, the application of subjective and objective measures, the role of participants as agents of change, and the rationale for choosing participants’ satisfaction with their cognitive health as main outcome variable. A pilot phase with 15 middle-aged and six older adults suggests that CH.CO40+ attracts, and may be particularly suitable for, subjective memory complainers. Implications of the pilot data for the further development of the intervention are discussed.


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