Research-to-Resource: Rethinking Method Course Instruction

Music education method courses include pedagogical content essential for successful classroom instruction. Preservice music educators, however, have expressed concerns with their method course experiences. Researchers have found that modeling, peer teaching experiences, various forms of feedback, and video recordings can help improve undergraduates’ teaching skills development. This research-to-resource article provides example applications and recommendations for enhancing preservice music educators’ method course experiences.

Pathways into childbearing delay of men and women in Australia

Childbearing delay is a pervasive feature of Australian society, but little research has been conducted to examine how socio-economic factors are linked to childbearing timing among Australian men and women. This paper addresses this by analysing the timing of first childbirth for a large sample of Australian residents (N = 4,444). The findings indicate that childbearing delay is socially patterned and that life course experiences shape the risk of delaying childbearing across genders. Having a tertiary qualification delays the transition to parenthood, especially for women. An uninterrupted career prolongs time to parenthood for women but accelerates it for men. Low occupational prestige, being married and having been in only one co-residential union are associated with earlier parenthood for both men and women. For each increase in education level, not being married is associated with increasing levels of childlessness. Clear-cut gender differences are found in the relationship between childlessness and childbearing delay.<br /><br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>Life-course experiences shape the risk of delaying childbearing.</li><br /><li>Tertiary-educated women are more than twice as likely to delay childbearing compared to their male counterparts.</li><br /><li>Marriage is a salient predictor for early entry into parenthood, despite of educational attainment.</li><br /><li>Clear-cut gender differences exist in the relationship between childlessness and childbearing delay.</li></ul>

What Do You Meme, Professor? An Experiment Using “Memes” in Pharmacy Education

Memes are social or cultural constructs and ideas dispersed from person to person. The modern definition of memes applies to images, photographs, or videos shared on digital platforms juxtaposed with text that utilizes the emotion, meaning, or joke behind the original “meme” to communicate the author’s message. Younger generations of learners are more prone to utilize digital and social media to distribute and consume information and use of these platforms has increased in modern classrooms. However, there are few examples of using memes for educational purposes, including student-generated content, and no known examples in pharmacy education. This commentary introduces the concept of a meme and describes an attempt to incorporate a student-generated meme assignment in a pharmacy course. Experiences and lessons learned are discussed as words of caution in incorporating and evaluating memes or other informal communication tools for educational purposes.

The role of instructor experiential values in shaping students’ course experiences, attitudes and behavioral intentions

Purpose Students’ experiences with instructors and courses determine an institute’s identity. With the instructor analogous to a brand spokesperson and the course to a brand, this study aims to examine the impact of the instructor experiential values on the student’s course experiences, as well as their attitudes and behavioral intentions towards the instructor. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a mixed-method approach that combines literature review and qualitative research, with two stages of empirical validation using structural equation modeling. Findings The instructor experiential values comprise appearance, entertainment, escapism, intrinsic enjoyment, efficiency and service excellence. The course experiences are composed of sensory, sentimental, behavioral and intellectual experiences. Strong effects of the instructor experiential values on the course experiences and, in turn, on the students’ attitudes and behavioral intentions are found. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to higher education literature by leveraging the theories of meanings transfer, experiential value and brand experience for a unique perspective to the students’ interactions with higher education institute instructors and courses. Originality/value The paper’s analogy of an instructor as a brand spokesperson endorsing the course brand is an original contribution to this domain.

Promoting Psychological Wellbeing across the Life Span: Prospects and Challenges in Nigeria

Psychological wellbeing consists of two philosophical perspectives: hedonic and eudaimonic viewpoints. These paradigms are developed and changes overtime across life span subject to life course experiences influenced by the individual’s live experience. More importantly early years’ experience moderate individuals’ psychological wellbeing as being positive or negative with attendant consequences. Understanding psychological wellbeing across developmental life course provides useful insights for life adjustment as individual, families and groups to navigate life turbulence.