A peer learning intervention in workplace introduction - managers’ and new graduates’ perspectives

Background Evaluation of a complex intervention are often described as being diminished by difficulties regarding acceptability, compliance, delivery of the intervention, recruitment and retention. Research of peer learning for nursing students have found several positive benefits while studies of peer learning for newly graduated nurses are lacking. This study aimed (1) to investigate the study process in terms of (a) first-line managers’ perspectives on the intervention study, the difficulties they face and how they handle these and (b) new graduates’ fidelity to the intervention and (2) to examine the effect of the peer learning intervention in workplace introduction for newly graduated nurses. Methods A mixed-methods approach using semi-structured interviews with eight managers, repeated checklist for fidelity and questionnaires conducted with 35 new graduates from June 2015 and January 2018, whereof 21 in the intervention group. The peer learning intervention’s central elements included pairs of new graduates starting their workplace introduction at the same time, working the same shift and sharing responsibility for a group of patients for 3 weeks. The intervention also included 3 months of regular peer reflection. Results Managers offered mostly positive descriptions of using peer learning during workplace introduction. The intervention fidelity was generally good. Because of recruitment problems and thereby small sample size, it was difficult to draw conclusions about peer learning effects and, thus, the study hypothesis could either be accepted or rejected. Thereby, the study should be regarded as a pilot. Conclusions The present study found positive experiences of, from managers, and fidelity to the peer learning intervention; regarding the experimental design, there were lessons learned. Trial registration Before starting data collection, a trial registration was registered at (Trial ID ISRCTN14737280).

Information Fusion and Its Intelligent Sensing for Learning Intervention Model of Educational Big Data

With the continuous development of science and technology, a large number of devices containing high technology began to appear in people’s lives. With the popularity of big data, it not only drives the development of the whole information industry in society but also leads to different degrees of innovation and development in the reform industry worldwide. The purpose of this paper is to study how to use information fusion and its intelligent sensing technology to play an active role in the education industry, to help students identify problems in the learning process, to give timely intervention and guidance, and to help students complete their learning tasks with high quality. This paper proposes to use information fusion and its intelligent sensing technology to take advantage of learning analytics to collect, organize, analyze, and guide the learning data generated by students in the learning process and then to generate interventions that can have an impact on learning and improve learning methods for students. The experimental results of this paper show that after the learning intervention, the students’ frequency in discussion and communication was 72 in the first four weeks and reached 300 after the intervention, and the learning resources changed from 95 to 370 after the learning intervention, which is very significant progress.

The Impact of Growth Mindset on Older Adults’ Cognitive Functioning in a Multi-Skill Learning Intervention

Motivational factors, such as perceived control and self-efficacy, have been shown to affect older adults’ cognitive functioning. Growth mindset, the belief in the malleability of intelligence and abilities, represents a related but distinct factor that has been widely studied in children and young adults’ learning but less applied to the older adult population. Two studies investigated growth mindset, motivation, and cognitive functioning in a 3-month multi-skill learning intervention that incorporated weekly discussions on growth mindset and successful aging. Participants reported on their growth mindset, general pursuit of novel skill learning, and intrinsic motivation to learn, and completed a cognitive battery before, during, and after the intervention. Study 1 (n = 15, 67% female, M age = 68.67 years, SD age = 8.68, range 58-86) included both an experimental and control group and indicated that from pretest to post-test, intervention participants increased their growth mindset, while control participants did not. Study 2, which included a larger, all experimental sample (n = 28, 68% female, M age = 69.36 years, SD age = 7.00, range 58-86) revealed strong positive associations between growth mindset, pursuit of novel skill learning and intrinsic motivation. Further, participants showed a significant increase in growth mindset from pretest to post-test. Participants with higher pre-existing growth mindset showed larger cognitive gains at post-test, although growth mindset change did not affect post-test change in cognitive functioning. These findings suggest that growth mindset may facilitate older adults’ continued learning and cognitive gains, and they may complement older adult learning interventions.

Long-Term Cognitive Effects From a Real-World Multi-Skill Learning Intervention in Older Adults

Previous cognitive learning interventions have focused primarily on learning one or two novel real-world skills at a time, or utilizing computer-based programs to enhance specific cognitive skills (Ball et. al 2002; Park et. al, 2014). While these studies yielded immediate cognitive improvements in participants, the long-term benefits of continuing to learn several real-world skills in older adulthood is unclear. In the present two studies, the long-term (1-year post-intervention) benefits of a multi-skill learning intervention were investigated with older adult participants. Study 1 (a pilot sample) included 6 participants (67% female, M = 66.33 years, SD = 6.41, range = 58–74 years old) and Study 2 included 27 participants (67% female, M = 69.44 years, SD= 7.12, range = 58–86 years old). Following a three month intervention which entailed simultaneously learning at least three real-world skills, such as photography, drawing, and Spanish, participants’ cognitive abilities were assessed using four tasks (Flanker, Set-Shifting, Dot Counting, and N-Back), as well as RAVLT and Digit Span. Follow-up assessments were completed at three-, six-, and 12-month follow-ups after the interventions. Linear mixed-effects regression models revealed significant cognitive improvements across time points up to one year following the intervention compared to baseline assessments. These promising results support the idea that intense learning experiences may lead to considerable cognitive growth in older adulthood, as they do earlier in the lifespan.

Parents’ application of mediated learning principles as predictors of toddler social initiations

How parents support social learning at the preverbal level for toddlers with autism is rarely reported, limiting the field’s understanding of factors that may influence early development of social competency. As a central challenge in autism that is resistant to intervention, preverbal social initiating is an important indicator of social motivation. This study explored parents’ application of mediated learning principles. Mediated learning theory is based on active engagement in the learning process or “learning to learn” and the Joint Attention Mediated Learning intervention applied the principles to child and parent learning. The investigation explored associations between parents’ application of mediated learning principles with unprompted initiation of joint attention for 119 toddlers with autism. Postintervention videos of unstructured parent–child interaction were used to analyze parents’ application of the principles and child initiation of joint attention. Significant differences were found between intervention and control conditions in parents’ mediation of child learning. In a multiple regression analysis of associations between parents’ application of the principles and toddler initiation of joint attention, parents’ success in applying mediated learning principles predicted toddlers’ initiation of joint attention gains. Considered individually, the strongest predictor of initiation of joint attention was the principle Giving Meaning with the principle Encouraging also showing significance. Lay abstract Little is known about what parents can do to promote initiating joint attention for their toddlers with autism. Initiating joint attention is important because it is an indicator of social motivation and is associated with later communication ability. In this study, parents applied mediated learning principles to help their toddlers engage with them socially. The principles included helping their child focus on social interaction, giving meaning to the social elements of interaction (and de-emphasizing nonsocial elements), and helping their toddlers understand their own social ability by encouraging. At the end of the intervention period, we compared two groups. One group received the Joint Attention Mediated Learning intervention and the other received community-based early intervention services. We found that the Joint Attention Mediated Learning participants applied mediated learning principles more often than the other group. Then, we explored how parents’ application of mediated learning principles related to toddler initiating joint attention and found that parents who were successful in applying the principles had toddlers who were more likely to show initiating joint attention. Our findings indicate that the mediated learning process shows promise as a way to promote early social learning, although other elements of the Joint Attention Mediated Learning intervention, such as actively engaging parents in the learning process, may have also contributed to both child and parent learning.