Self-Directed Learning for the Knowledge Worker

Learning is an increasingly critical function for every individual as we race into a technological and global advanced society. Consider that with advances in technology the amount of information we can obtain has grown, our workdays have expanded, and our work expectations are boundaryless. Now, more so than ever, individuals who want to be competitive must choose to continue learning. Not just gathering information but learning such that they are obtaining key information and can measure their own learning success. With this awareness, self-directed learning becomes a critical skill for all individuals in all life roles. The chapter will define self-directed learning, discuss relevant theories, present two self-assessment learning tools, and finally, offer a model for application.

What are People That Seek Care for Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy Experiencing in Their Daily Life?

This qualitative study sought to answer three questions: What is it like to live with rotator cuff tendinopathy? What are the barriers and facilitators of a healthy lifestyle with an aging shoulder? And, what are the outcomes that matter most to people seeking care for rotator cuff tendinopathy? Patients diagnosed with rotator cuff tendinopathy participated in group discussions using semi-structured guides that focus on diagnosis, daily experiences living with rotator cuff tendinopathy, goals, concerns, and clinical care experiences. A hybrid of initial inductive coding of themes and subsequent deductive consideration of these themes within the capability, comfort, and calm framework was utilized. Themes associated with rotator cuff tendinopathy were less restful sleep, difficulty with work and life transitions, loss of baseline abilities, and limitation in social roles in the capability realm; physical pain, despair, and loneliness in the comfort realm; and lack of direction or progress and feeling uncared for in the calm realm. Barriers identified included: the sense that rotator cuff tendinopathy is something correctable rather than age-associated and the sense that painful activities will make the tendinopathy worse (common misconceptions); tenuous relationships and limited trust with clinicians; loss of hope; and a sense that care is directionless. What matters most to a person seeking specialty care for shoulder pain are feeling that they are getting effective care and not being dismissed; maintaining meaningful activity and life roles; and replacing despair and frustration with hope and progress. Anticipating these needs may facilitate the design of more effective care models. Level of Evidence: N/A.

Psychometric Validation of the Wisconsin Community Participation Scale in a Sample of People with Chronic Health Conditions and Disabilities Living in the Community

Increasing community participation can reduce the risk for functional disabilities; participation is influenced by person and environment contextual factors. Development and validation of a brief community participation assessment can advance and support evidence-based assessment in clinical rehabilitation counseling practice. It will be an invaluable rehabilitation and public health surveillance tool that can be used to gauge the health conditions and participation of people with disabilities. The current study evaluated and validated the Wisconsin Community Participation Scale (WCPS) in 982 individuals with chronic health conditions and disabilities. Participants indicated five most meaningful life roles: (a) being able to get around with or without help, (b) live independently with or without help, (c) live a healthy lifestyle, (d) work, and (e) leisure and recreation activities. The WCPS scores were positively associated with physical health, mental health, and life satisfaction and negatively related to functional disability in the theoretically expected directions. The WCPS can help rehabilitation counselors assess their clients’ current level of participation in meaningful life roles that are important to them. Rehabilitation counselors can use the WCPS assessment data to guide treatment planning and empower clients to build confidence and self-efficacy to participate in personally meaningful activities in the community.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Participation in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Public health guidelines to prevent spreading COVID-19 place older adults at risk of loneliness and social isolation. Evidence suggests that participation protects older adults from such detrimental outcomes, therefore we aimed to identify the factors associated with participation in life roles among older adults living in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a telesurvey on a random sample of community-dwelling older adults living in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, between May and July 2020. Outcome measures included participation in life roles, physical function, physical activity, mobility, mental health, nutrition, and demographics. We conducted two multivariate regression analyses with the Late Life Disability Instrument’s (LLDI) frequency and limitations scales as the dependent variables. Candidate factors were organized by International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework domains; personal factors, body functions and structures, activities, and environmental factors. A total of 272 older adults completed the telesurvey (mean age 78 ±7.3 yrs, 70% female). Age, using walking aids, driving status, household income, education, mental health, nutrition, physical function, and dwelling type explained 47.1% (p<0.001) of the variance observed in LLDI frequency scores. Using walking aids, driving status, receiving health assistance, mental health, and physical function explained 33.9% (p<0.001) of the variance observed in LLDI limitation scores. These findings highlight factors from multiple ICF domains that are associated with participation limitation and frequency among older adults during the pandemic. Our findings have implications for developing public health initiatives to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the participation of older adults.

Research priorities for the management of complex fractures: a UK priority setting partnership with the James Lind Alliance

ObjectiveTo determine research priorities for the management of complex fractures, which represent the shared priorities of patients, their families, carers and healthcare professionals.Design/settingA national (UK) research priority setting partnership.ParticipantsPeople who have experienced a complex fracture, their carers and relatives, and relevant healthcare professionals and clinical academics involved in treating patients with complex fractures. The scope includes open fractures, fractures to joints broken into multiple pieces, multiple concomitant fractures and fractures involving the pelvis and acetabulum.MethodsA multiphase priority setting exercise was conducted in partnership with the James Lind Alliance over 21 months (October 2019 to June 2021). A national survey asked respondents to submit their research uncertainties which were then combined into several indicative questions. The existing evidence was searched to ensure that the questions had not already been sufficiently answered. A second national survey asked respondents to prioritise the research questions. A final shortlist of 18 questions was taken to a stakeholder workshop, where a consensus was reached on the top 10 priorities.ResultsA total of 532 uncertainties, submitted by 158 respondents (including 33 patients/carers) were received during the initial survey. These were refined into 58 unique indicative questions, of which all 58 were judged to be true uncertainties after review of the existing evidence. 136 people (including 56 patients/carers) responded to the interim prioritisation survey and 18 questions were taken to a final consensus workshop between patients, carers and healthcare professionals. At the final workshop, a consensus was reached for the ranking of the top 10 questions.ConclusionsThe top 10 research priorities for complex fracture include questions regarding rehabilitation, complications, psychological support and return to life-roles. These shared priorities will now be used to guide funders and teams wishing to research complex fractures over the coming decade.

FEMALE CHARACTER AS AUTHOR'S ALTER EGO IN IRENA KARPA'S NOVEL "GOOD NEWS FROM THE ARAL SEA"

The study investigates the problem of representation of the female image in the autobiographical paradigm of Irena Karpa's novel “Good News from the Aral Sea” because the tendencies of subjectivism describe the writer's work as a manifestation of generational and gender identities. Thus, the modern cultural process is marked by the active presence of writers not only through their texts, but also through various public activities and social networks, which allows the reader to have an idea of the author's private history and accordingly correlate it with artistic narrative. Therewith, the form of the autobiographical narrative is considered as a way for the writer to articulate her experience as gender-marked and is a form of constructing the identity of the character – the author's alter ego. Irena Karpa's book simulates four types of modern heroines, united by common topos of birth and residence, but it is Rita's plot line that is considered as the embodiment of an autobiographical narrative. The figure of this heroine is shown at the junction of two cultures: Ukrainian and European. However, the drama of her life story is provoked by the self-identification of the mistress, who is always in a relationship with two men at the same time, which determines her identity. In the novel, it is love stories that unfold the dynamism of the heroine' s character: she mimics each subsequent man, changing role models from victim to muse. Other life roles: mother, wife, daughter are secondary, and are outside the priority zone. The correlation of the artistic world of the novel with the actual biography of the writer gives grounds to interpret the novel as an autofiction.

Career Exploration as Social and Emotional Learning: A Collaborative Ethnography with Spanish Children from Low-Income Contexts

Children’s career exploration is a critical aspect of career development. Through it, children explore the interplay between their different life roles, including those related to work (in a broad sense), learning, and education. Through career exploration, children can (re)construct the emotions derived from the interactions between personal and contextual factors by giving meaning to life experiences. This process involves cognitive and affective activities. Evidence suggests that children from low-income contexts are more likely to drop out of school and show lower educational aspirations. Providing career exploration interventions introduces an intentional learning that allows children to develop a higher level of career awareness and increase their aspirations for the future. The sample analyzed consisted of students between 6 and 8 years old from a low-income school in Seville (Spain). The data collection methods used have been those of collaborative ethnography (e.g., unstructured interviews, student productions, and photographs). Co-analysis was the chosen method for systematizing the information used in this research. Our results have revealed a system of influences which plays an important role in the different contexts and emotions that the children derive from their interactions with different spaces and socialization agents. In short, through career exploration, children mobilize exploratory behaviors, providing emotional responses. Collaborative ethnography has been shown to be a valid process for research on career exploration as social and emotional learning.

Participation experience for persons with oculomotor impairments after acquired brain injury

Introduction While individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) often receive occupational therapy, relatively little is known about how those with related oculomotor problems characterize their ability to participate in everyday activities and life roles. This study describes the difficulties experienced by this population. Method This study is a thematic analysis of qualitative responses to open-ended questions based on answers to a standardized assessment. Thirty rehabilitation outpatients with ABI-related oculomotor impairments participated in semi-structured interviews to describe their experiences of difficulties in everyday activities. Results Difficulties were associated with three themes: challenges of the activities and environments (activity requirements, physical and socioeconomic environments, and time), self-identified personal difficulties (physical, cognitive, and socioemotional), and changes in habits/roles/priorities (modifications to activities and environments, loss and negative consequences, and life management changes). Conclusion How people with ABI-related oculomotor impairments experience difficulties while participating in activities is dynamic and complex. Challenging activity requirements and environments often led to personal difficulties, which limited participation. Activity modifications, changes in priorities, and managing energy budget enhanced participation. A model of the experience is proposed. Findings suggest using activity analysis and teaching compensatory methods and life management strategies with individuals may assist in ability to participate.

Implementation of Work-life Balance in Companies – The Case of Poland

Making it easier for employees to maintain work-life balance and to facilitate the combination of different social roles increases job satisfaction. WLB is usually analysed in the context of a conflict between various requirements relating to involvement in one’s work and playing other important life roles.

Outcomes Related to Activity Performance and Participation of Non-Pharmacological Cancer-Related Fatigue Interventions

Increased cancer survivorship means more people are living with cancer-related fatigue (CRF), which is associated with activity performance limitations, restricted participation in meaningful life roles, and reduced quality of life. To identify whether non-pharmacological interventions that are effective in minimizing CRF also have an impact on everyday activity performance and participation outcomes for adult cancer survivors. This is a systematic review with narrative synthesis. Eight databases were searched (Medline, CINAHL, PsychINFO, EMBASE, Scopus, OT Seeker, CENTRAL, Cochrane SR database), from 2000 to 2020 for randomized controlled trials of effective non-pharmacological CRF interventions in adult cancer survivors with fatigue. A total of 5,762 studies were identified of which 29 studies were reviewed. In 28 studies, quality of life was investigated as a primary or secondary outcome, where concepts of participation or activity performance were used. Review findings indicate there is insufficient evidence to determine whether activity performance and participation is affected by CRF interventions.