Social Media Tools for the Development of Pre-Service Health Sciences Researchers during COVID-19 in Pakistan

The development of health sciences researchers has immense significance during a pandemic to control, manage, and prevent future outbreaks of the disease. This study focused on the use of social media tools (SMT) among pre-service health sciences researchers to complement their research competencies (RCT) and research completion levels (RC) during COVID-19. This study used the Vitae research development framework (RDF) to measure research competencies as a mediator between the use of social media tools and research completion levels among post-graduate health sciences students. A cross-section survey research approach was adopted to collect data from the post-graduate students (n = 410) enrolled in health sciences departments at universities in Pakistan. The SmartPLS 3.3.8 software was used to analyze data through Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that different social media tools such as communication, information management, and multimedia have a direct influence on the research competencies of the pre-service researchers and have an indirect effect on the research completion levels. Health sciences institutions may devise social-media-based instructional strategies to develop post-graduate students’ research competencies, such as personal effectiveness, research governance, and research engagement, to help them compile their research and complete their degree program in time during an emergency.

НАУКОВА ПРОЄКТНА ДІЯЛЬНІСТЬ ЯК ПЕРЕДУМОВА ФОРМУВАННЯ ФАХОВИХ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТЕЙ ЗДОБУВАЧІВ ВИЩОЇ ОСВІТИ З ЕЛЕКТРИЧНОЇ ІНЖЕНЕРІЇ

Purpose. Determination of the role of scientific project activity in the formation of professional competencies of applicants for higher education in the field of electrical engineering.Methodology. The method of scientific projects is used to form the professional competencies of applicants for higher education in the specialty “Electricity, electrical engineering and electromechanics”.Findings. The implementation of project scientific activities using the base of engineering and scientific projects to improve energy efficiency motivates applicants for higher education to acquire new knowledge, creates the preconditions for the development and implementation of a modern educational program in the field of electrical engineering, contributes to the integration of a new structure into the university system – an energy-innovative hub of knowledge.Originality. In the work design methods and teaching technologies in the field of electrical engineering were further developed, which provide the use of the university base of scientific and engineering projects on energy efficiency and participation in the implementation of projects of applicants for higher education, which allows to form professional (scientific-research) competencies of applicants and to develop modern educational program.Practical value. The research results can be used to update educational programs in electrical engineering and to support the development of energy efficiency at the university when creating an energy-innovative knowledge hub that will allow organizing a complex interaction of the components “education – science (innovation) – business (entrepreneurship) – state”.

Latin American professors’ research culture in the digital age

The processes of social confinement caused by the global health crisis (COVID-19), have forced professors to assume new research competencies that allow them to improve science indicators and contribute to the research culture in the digital era for the Latin American region. This article analyzes the research culture of Latin American professors in 20 countries in the digital era, and their relationship with the production of scientific papers indexed in the Journal Citation Report (JCR) between 1996 and 2019. A questionnaire (with validity and reliability criteria) with a Likert-type scale was applied to 2,215 professors selected from five international scientific events. The main results show that 78% of the professors have less than 15 years of teaching experience, with ages under 44 years of age and 38.9% of them with an undergraduate academic level, 62.5% of whom responded that they have never published in indexed journals, and that they do not know the proper application of paradigms and research designs. On the other hand, 23.86% of the total citations are self-citations. Therefore, the results reflect a significant relationship between the research culture of professors and Latin American scientific production. Finally, Latin American professors have found themselves in economic, political and social circumstances that affect good research and scientific publication practices, leaving a training gap in research competencies in the new digital era. Los procesos de confinamiento social provocados por la crisis de salud mundial (COVID-19), han obligado a los docentes a asumir nuevas competencias investigativas que le permitan mejorar los indicadores de ciencia y aportar a la cultura de investigación en la era digital para la región latinoamericana. Este artículo analiza la cultura investigativa de los docentes latinoamericanos de 20 países, en la era digital y su relación con la producción de documentos científicos indexados en Journal Citation Report (JCR) entre 1996 y 2019. Se aplicó un cuestionario (con criterios de validez y confiabilidad) con escala tipo Likert a 2.215 docentes derivados de cinco eventos científicos internacionales. Los principales resultados dan cuenta que el 78% de los docentes tienen menos de 15 años de experiencia docente con edades que no superan los 44 años y un nivel académico del 38,9% de pregrado. Estos, a su vez, en un 62,5% respondieron que nunca han publicado en revistas indexadas, además desconociendo la aplicación adecuada de los paradigmas y diseños de investigación. Por otra parte, el 23,86% de las citaciones totales son auto citas. Por tanto, los resultados reflejan una relación significativa entre la cultura investigativa del docente y la producción científica latinoamericana. Finalmente, los docentes latinoamericanos se han visto en circunstancias económicas, políticas y sociales que afectan las buenas prácticas de investigación y publicación científica dejando entre ver una brecha de formación sobre competencias investigativas en la nueva era digital.

How Do the Romanian Students Consider the Research Competencies Appropriate for Their Future Career?

Students’ research competencies are seen today, for any specialist, as necessary, both in terms of their use in academic training but also for the future careers. The analysis of educational practices in various education systems shows that the development of those skills starts sooner or later along the educational paths. We consider that research competencies are necessary in more and more diverse contexts, together with the development of educational practices that should develop the research competences in the initial and continuous training processes. This study aims to capture the correlation between the perceptions of Romanian students concerning the need to develop research competencies, and the extent to which they are effectively formed in actual higher education programs. The steps made for the development of each career, but also the successful completion of the university studies imply the development and practice of research competencies. The research aims to identify how students from several Romanian universities perceive the need to gather research competencies, what is the meaning of those skills, in what situations are used, but also what barriers are encountered in the research activity. Seeking to minimize any negative impact of research on the well-being status, we believe that a key factor in facilitating well-being is related to responsible research and innovation. Another important aspect of this research is offered by the identification of the respondents’ perceptions considering the importance of research in the students’ future professional activity, which could implicitly determine the interest in ensuring the individual and organizational well-being. For the present research, we aim to find a correlation of research competencies with the well-being status, to identify the necessary research competencies among the objectives of training, to determine the structural elements of research competencies, to identify situations / contexts in which such skills may be useful, to identify aspects that alters the well-being status in research activities, as well as solutions for promoting the well-being status in research activities.

Formation of research competencies among students in the course of physics. Manipulative and dialogic strategies

В статье рассматриваются вопросы проектирования учебного процесса, с учетом наиболее оптимальных для достижения образовательных задач подходов, необходимости формирования профессиональных компетенций и профессиональной культуры при подготовке специалистов в области машиностроения, физико-технических наук и технологий, авиационной и ракетно-космической техники. Определяется возможность организации учебного процесса как некоторых этапов, на каждом из которых должна решаться определенная образовательная задача. Обосновывается необходимость пересмотра и внедрения новых форм взаимодействия участников образовательного процесса. Рассмотрены возможности курса физики и обоснована целесообразность использования манипулятивной стратегии для формирования исследовательских компетенций у обучающихся вузов. Материал представленный в статье является обобщением опыта преподавания физики в Военно-космической академии имени А.Ф. Можайского. Статья предназначена для преподавателей физики вузов. The article deals with the issues of designing the educational process, taking into account the most optimal approaches for achieving educational objectives, the need for the formation of professional competencies and professional culture in the training of specialists in the field of mechanical engineering, physical and technical sciences and technologies, aviation and rocket and space technology. The possibility of organizing the educational process as some stages is determined, at each of which a certain educational task must be solved. The necessity of revision and introduction of new forms of interaction of participants in the educational process is substantiated. The possibilities of the physics course are considered and the expediency of using a manipulative strategy for the formation of research competencies among university students is substantiated. The material presented in the article is a generalization of the experience of teaching physics at the Military Space Academy named after A.F. Mozhaisky. The article is intended for university physics teachers.

Development of the Scientific Research Competency Scale for nurses

Background The planning, implementation, finalisation and reporting of high-quality research depends on the knowledge, skills and competencies of the many individuals who make carrying out the research possible. Aims This study aims to develop a valid and reliable scale in order to identify the scientific research competencies of nursing professionals at undergraduate and graduate level. Methods This methodological study was carried out on 937 nursing personnel, 422 (45%) of whom were academic members and 515 (55%) were undergraduate students. The Anxiety Scale Towards Research and the Attitude Scale Towards Scientific Research were used for the criterion validity. Results The Scientific Research Competency Scale comprises 57 items in four sub-dimensions named as ‘technical skills’, ‘attitude and behaviours’, ‘estimation capacity’ and ‘foreign language skill’. The Cronbach alpha, Guttmann split-half and Spearman Brown reliability coefficients for the scientific research competency scale were, respectively, 0.98, 0.96 and 0.96. The sensitivity and specificity value, by which the research competency of individuals could be determined with minimum error, was indicated to be at 190 breakpoints of the scientific research competency scale. Conclusions As a result, the scientific research competency scale developed is a valid and reliable tool that can be used to determine the scientific research competencies of nursing professionals.

Improving the Research Competence of Students in Physics (On the Example of Teaching Semiconductor Physics)

The development of the didactic provision of an improved methodology for the formation and objective assessment of the level of preparation for research activities of future physics teachers based on a competency-based approach serves to develop the component nature of future physics teachers. This article provides information about the organization of experimental work on the formation of research competencies of future physics teachers, professional tasks of a research nature of various levels of complexity; mastery of research technology.

Development and Psychometric Testing of a Self-Rated Scale Based on National Nursing Core Competency Standards

Background and PurposeThe objectives of this study were to develop a National Nursing Core Competency Standards (NNCCS)-based instrument and determine its construct validity and internal consistency reliability.MethodsA methodologic research design was used to validate the 59-item scale based on the responses of 600 nurses. The scale items were culled from the client care, leadership and management, and research competencies identified in the NNCCS.ResultsThe results of the analyses confirmed 53 items and gave rise to a five-factor solution. The five dimensions are leadership, management, research, ethico-legal, and strategic competencies.ConclusionsThe seminal psychometric testing provided an evidence of acceptable validity and reliability of the proposed instrument. Further testing was recommended to accrue the psychometric soundness of the instrument.