The process of telepractice implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a narrative inquiry of preschool speech-language pathologists and assistants from one center in Canada

Background Many professional services were pressed to adopt telepractice in response to the global coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. The need to adopt a new service delivery approach quickly created different implementation challenges. This study explored the lived experiences of frontline clinicians who successfully transitioned their in-person speech-language therapy services to telepractice through an implementation science lens. Methods The study was conducted in partnership with one publicly funded program in Ontario, Canada that offers services to preschoolers with speech, language and communication disorders. Sixteen frontline speech-language pathologists and assistants at this organization shared their lived experience transitioning to telepractice during the pandemic during videoconference interviews. A narrative inquiry approach was used to analyze interview transcripts to identify the processes (or steps) this program took to implement telepractice and to understand the facilitators and barriers to telepractice implementation during the pandemic. Results The following six stages were identified from clinicians’ narratives: abrupt lockdown; weeks of uncertainty; telepractice emerged as an option; preparation for telepractice; telepractice trials; and finally, full implementation of telepractice. The stages of events offered significant insights into how government public health measures influenced clinicians’ decisions and their processes of adopting telepractice. In terms of barriers, clinicians reported a lack of knowledge, skills and experience with telepractice and a lack of technological support. The organization’s learning climate and team approach to transitioning services were identified as the main facilitator of implementation. Conclusions Findings suggest a need for better coordination of public health measures and professional services, which would have eased clinicians’ stress and facilitated an earlier transition to telepractice. Fostering an organization’s learning climate may improve organization’s resilience in response to emergency situations.

System and Life-Course Perspectives on Capability to Work and Capability Through Work

The capability approach is relevant to gaining a conceptual understanding of individuals’ abilities and motivation to work and to explore the potential consequences that various working conditions have for people when they reach old age. Here, the capability concept is complemented with system theory to understand the multi-component key resources for capability to work among older workers, and also the conversion factors – capability through work – at individual, micro, meso, macro and chrono-levels. The theoretical approach is exemplified by studies from the interdisciplinary field of work sciences. The chapter describes central working-life conditions, conversion factors for crafting capability to work and examples of patterns of interactions between capability to work and capability through work. To support practical applications, we suggest important conversion factors and patterns of interaction between capability to work and capability through working-life resources. In sum, having a reasonable degree of control and influence (freedom of choice) at work and opportunities to make individual deals and adjustments that match one’s values, abilities, competence and experience are important for individual preference of a long working life. This requires an organisation that focuses on the value of work and promotes a general learning climate through broad participation.

Learning Creativity and Students' Performance

This research aims to recognize the influence that creativity units/modules/seminars has on academic performance of students who attend. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to understand the impact that learning creativity has on Porto Accounting and Business School (ISCAP) students. Therefore, a quantitative methodology was developed through a questionnaire with 240 answers from ISCAP's students. The data was studied through reliability and explanatory factorial analysis in order to find the relation between the physical environment, learning climate, and learner engagement on the performance of students. The results show that the physical environment and learning climate have a positive influence on student performance but the same does not happen with the motivation of students. These findings focus on the necessity to improve the student engagement. It is recommended that ISCAP will take into account the factors that lead to the referred results so as to reform and develop new ways in which to improve student performance through student motivation.

Optimal Experience in Adult Learning: Conception and Validation of the Flow in Education Scale (EduFlow-2)

While the formulation of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow, including the experience dimensions, has remained stable since its introduction in 1975, its dedicated measurement tools, research methodologies, and fields of application, have evolved considerably. Among these, education stands out as one of the most active. In recent years, researchers have examined flow in the context of other theoretical constructs such as motivation. The resulting work in the field of education has led to the development of a new model for understanding flow experience in education, specifically dedicated to adult learning. As a result of both a meticulous analysis of existing models and consideration of more recent developments, a new flow scale has thus been developed. The aim of this study is therefore twofold: to validate the new flow measurement scale dedicated to the educational environment, EduFlow-2, and to test a new theoretical model. Students taking a course (N = 6,596), some on-site and others in a MOOC, participated. Several scales were administered online at the end of the participants' course during the 2017 academic year. The factor structure of EduFlow-2 was tested using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling. Several models were tested. The model with a second-order factor best fit the data. We tested the invariance of the flow scale measure for gender and for the type of training (MOOC/on-site). We were able to show that the flow scale is invariant of the modalities of these two variables. Results revealed good psychometric qualities for the scale, making it suitable for both on-site and distance learning. The analysis also revealed significant relationships with the classic variables of motivation, self-efficacy, learning climate, and life satisfaction. Furthermore, all four dimensions of the model were found to be adequate and consistent with the underlying theoretical arguments. In the end, this new, short flow scale and the theoretical model were demonstrated to be promising for future studies in the field of education.

E-cooperative problem solving as a strategy for learning mathematics during the COVID-19 pandemic

The aim of the article is to present the benefits of cooperative learning in mathematics in distance teaching conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. In longitudinal studies, six math teachers formed a collaborative network and developed scenarios for three projects to be implemented by students on an educational platform. During their eight-week implementation, the principles of cooperative learning, using the methodical implications of the self-determination theory (SDT) have been followed. Mathematical problems were solved using the capabilities of the Teams platform. Among students (N = 104) from five sixth grades of primary school who took part in the study, measurements of social-emotional skills were carried out using the Distance Learning Climate questionnaire (DLC-21), designed for the study. The students have shown a high level of mathematical performance (84.8%), the significant increase of the relatedness to the group and the significant decrease in a sense of situational fear. The results also indicate a high level of students' sense of competence and satisfaction associated with the implementation of mathematical projects. The obtained results should be included in further research on the effectiveness of distance mathematics teaching methods.

Supervisor-Subordinate Age Dissimilarity and Its Impact on Supervisory Ratings of Employability: Does Supportive Learning Context Make a Difference?

Status incongruence resulting from a supervisor who is younger than their subordinate potentially leads to age stereotyping of employees. This article investigates the relationship between age difference and supervisory ratings of five competence-based measures of subordinate employability (Occupational Expertise, Anticipation/Optimisation, Personal Flexibility, Corporate Sense, and Balance). In addition, we consider the buffering role of a supportive learning context which allows older workers access to learning resources. Learning context is represented by duration of the supervisory relationship, perceived organizational learning climate and participation in, and application of, training and development. Using 295 dyads of employees and their direct supervisors in a Dutch building company, findings show that age dissimilarity reflecting status incongruence was related to lower supervisory ratings of Occupational Expertise (job-related competence) and Corporate Sense (social/organizational competence) regardless of learning context. Longer duration relationships exacerbated, rather than buffered, the age difference effect on some types of supervisory ratings. The implications of these findings for age stereotyping with regard to employability are considered.

Les effets d'une posture plurilingue de l'écriture collaborative sur l'expérience émotionnelle d’apprenantes créolophones et la qualité de leurs productions écrites

The purpose of this research was to determine, first, how a plurilingual or monolingual posture adopted during a collaborative writing task influences the emotional experience of Creole learners of French as a second language (FL2), and second, how this emotional experience interacts with the quality of the written production. To this end, 39 FL2 Creole-speaking learners collaboratively wrote texts under two experimental conditions: one imposing the exclusive use of FL2 during the collaborative activity and the other allowing free choice as to the languages to be used. After each task, participants individually answered a self-evaluation questionnaire to measure their emotional state while doing the task. In order to establish a relationship between the emotions experienced by the learners and their writing performance, the texts from both conditions were evaluated using an analytical rubric. The results showed that the participants experienced more positive emotions when they were free to use all their linguistic resources, including their native language (L1). Thus, their emotional experience was significantly more positive in the condition without linguistic constraints. While having access to L1 use contributed to a more positive learning climate, obligatory second language (L2) use was primarily associated with tension and anxiety. Also, participants who experienced positive emotions, regardless of the task, wrote better texts and scored highest on overall quality.

The influence of nursing students’ perfectionism tendency and perception of instructor caring on incivility experienced by nursing students

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the influences of nursing students perfectionism tendencies and their perception of instructor caring on incivility experienced by nursing students during clinical practice.Methods: A descriptive correlational study was conducted. The participants were 244 nursing students from five universities in B city. Data were analyzed using an independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, Scheffé test and a stepwise regression analysis.Results: The mean score for incivility in nursing students was 2.61 out of 5 points. The explanatory power of the model for incivility was in nursing students 52.8% of the variance in training in student’s university hospital (β=-.15, p=.002), total period of clinical practice (β=.17, p<.001), confidence through caring (β=-.23, p<.001), respectful sharing (β=-.15, p=.005), supportive learning climate (β=-.15, p=.005), self-oriented perfectionism (β=.14, p=.004), and socially prescribed perfectionism (β=.18, p<.001).Conclusion: The research results suggest that instructor caring is an important factor in regard to the incivility of nursing students. Organizational efforts and institutional devices will be needed to improve the incivility in clinical environments. By communicating with students and showing them respect, clinical nurses will help nursing students cope with incivility and recognize the clinical practice education environment positively.