Training of volunteer nurses during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939): A historical study

Background The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) is an example of a historic event involving nurses, with the participation of professional and volunteer nurses from Spain and other countries. In this context, nurses were trained over short periods of time and recruited to work at hospitals serving the two warring camps. Objectives To identify the characteristics of the training received by volunteer nurses on both sides in the Spanish Civil War and compare it with previous experiences in the history. Design Historical research. Methods Heuristic and hermeneutical analysis of nurse training manuals and news articles from 1936 to 1939. Spanish primary sources were consulted at the Red Cross Documentation Centre Archive in Madrid, the General Military Archive in Ávila, the Municipal Newspaper Archive in Madrid, and the archives of Spanish daily newspapers ABC and La Vanguardia. The following variables were analysed: duration, entry requirements, and theoretical content of the training courses. Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) has been used. Findings Both sides in the conflict offered a varied training programme, which was supported by official institutions and private initiatives. The courses lasted between one week and two months. Entry requirements were influenced by education level, age, moral conduct, health status, and social and political background. Training content focused on the techniques needed in conflict settings and covered specific moral values. Conclusions Despite the different social and political characteristics of the two warring factions, the variety of training programmes on offer, the entry requirements, and the theoretical content of volunteer nurse training were similar on both sides. At the end of the Spanish Civil War, volunteer nurses on the Republican side suffered reprisals or had to go into exile. We now know that some countries involved in World War II provided training courses for volunteer nurses. It would therefore be interesting to ascertain whether Spanish volunteer nurses contributed their experience to these courses.

What grades are needed to study Classical subjects at UK universities?

At a time when Classical subjects are in a perilous position in both the school and university curriculum, it is vital that Classics educators in the secondary and tertiary sectors work together to share information effectively. One such area requiring careful and coordinated partnership is the setting of entry requirements to undergraduate courses. Doing this well necessitates the communication of which types of qualifications meet these requirements and the promotion of inclusive and alternative pathways to widen access to the study of Classical (and related) subjects in Higher Education.

Problems associated with mass border testing of COVID-19

We evaluated the yield of exit screening for SARS-Cov-2 performed in order for travellers to meet entry requirements to Sweden. Among 472 people screened, no infectious case of COVID-19 was detected, while two previously known cases were redetected after having already completed isolation. Our data suggest that depending on the epidemiological situation in the area of departure, border screening can lead to very low positive predictive values and very high costs per relevant case detected.

How does the professional identity of teachers from India change when they work as early childhood educators in Ontario?

Many Early Childhood Educators (ECE) in Toronto are foreign-educated teachers. They take up this profession because they cannot enter the teaching profession. Training as ECEs takes a shorter time, has lower entry requirements, and is more affordable. The case studies undertaken for this project are based on qualitative data collected by interviewing and observing two former teachers from India, now working as ECEs in a for-profit daycare. The data shows that because of low compensation rates, poorer working conditions, and lack of appreciation, community and respect, especially compared to what they received in India, these teachers report a downward spiral in their professional identity. Their daily routines and practices follow the norms in childcare centers, but they feel as though their employers and parents do not value them. As a result, these ECEs struggling to suppress their dominant teacher identity, think of themselves simply as ‘babysitters’ and do not value the work they do.

How does the professional identity of teachers from India change when they work as early childhood educators in Ontario?

Many Early Childhood Educators (ECE) in Toronto are foreign-educated teachers. They take up this profession because they cannot enter the teaching profession. Training as ECEs takes a shorter time, has lower entry requirements, and is more affordable. The case studies undertaken for this project are based on qualitative data collected by interviewing and observing two former teachers from India, now working as ECEs in a for-profit daycare. The data shows that because of low compensation rates, poorer working conditions, and lack of appreciation, community and respect, especially compared to what they received in India, these teachers report a downward spiral in their professional identity. Their daily routines and practices follow the norms in childcare centers, but they feel as though their employers and parents do not value them. As a result, these ECEs struggling to suppress their dominant teacher identity, think of themselves simply as ‘babysitters’ and do not value the work they do.

Een taalvaardigheidstest voor anderstaligen voorgelegd aan leerlingen in het Nederlandstalig middelbaar onderwijs : Een onverwacht effect?

High stakes university entrance language tests for L2-speakers are assumed to measure the language proficiency needed for academic success. Few studies have investigated the claim that L1-speakers automatically have a sufficient language proficiency level and consequently do not need to be tested. In Flanders, Belgium, there are no real entry requirements or tests for L1-speakers, except for Dentistry and Medicine. In that respect, it is interesting to investigate how Flemish secondary school students score on a language test designed for L2-students. This study focuses on the results of a small-scale study carried out with 50 pupils of the regular Flemish schooling system. All pupils took the computer test of the Interuniversity test Dutch as a Foreign Language (ITNA) testing reading, listening and language in use, one of the two officially recognized university entrance tests in Flanders. Interestingly, not all of the pupils pass the test. Especially pupils with a multilingual background or from a lower socio-economic background seem to have more difficulties passing the threshold.SamenvattingVoordat L2-sprekers zich kunnen inschrijven in het hoger onderwijs, moeten ze een taalvaardigheidstoets afleggen. Er wordt vanuit gegaan dat zo’n toelatingstest het taalniveau meet dat noodzakelijk is voor academisch succes. Weinig studies onderzochten echter de bewering dat L1-sprekers automatisch over het gevraagde taalvaardigheidsniveau beschikken. Zij hoeven immers geen test af te leggen. In Vlaanderen, België, zijn er geen verplichte of bindende universitaire toelatingstoetsen voor L1-sprekers, behalve de toelatingsproeven bij geneeskunde of tandheelkunde. In dat opzicht is het interessant om na te gaan hoe Vlaamse leerlingen uit het secundair onderwijs scoren op een taalvaardigheidstest voor anderstaligen. Deze studie richt zich op de resultaten van een kleinschalig onderzoek met vijftig laatstejaarsscholieren uit het reguliere Vlaamse onderwijssysteem. Alle scholieren legden de computertest van de Interuniversitaire Taaltest Nederlands voor Anderstaligen (ITNA) af, wat een van de twee officieel erkende universitaire toelatingstesten in Vlaanderen is. Niet alle scholieren legden de ITNA-computertest succesvol af. Vooral leerlingen met een meertalige achtergrond of met een lage socio-economische status bleken meer moeite te hebben om de cesuur te behalen.

African Reading of Psalm 24:3-6: The Implications for the Enforcement of Morality among Christians in Africa.

This paper deals with the African reading of Psalm 24:3-6: The implications for the enforcement of morality among Christians in Africa. The book of Psalms is subdivided into five books comparable to the Pentateuch. Psalm 24 falls into the first book which is used as a liturgy of entrance into the Israelite temple. In Psalm 24:3-6 a worshipper asks for entry requirements to be met which are clean hands and pure hearts, not lifting up the soul to what is false, and not swearing deceitfully. The methodology used is the African perspective of readers’ response. Pastors and Christian leaders must lead the people with integrity befitting the sacredness of the hill of the Lord. Christians are the temple of God and are expected to observe ritual purity everywhere every time in order to receive blessings from God, (Onyame). Keywords: Morality, Shrine, clean hands, pure hearts, ritual purity.

The Predictive Validity of the IELTS Test and Contribution of IELTS Preparation Courses to International Students’ Subsequent Academic Study: Insights from Vietnamese International Students in the UK

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores have been widely used as the language entry requirements for international students in many English-medium universities. However, research on the predictive validity of IELTS on subsequent academic performance has been inconclusive. Additionally, despite the proliferation of IELTS preparation courses, very few attempts have been made to explore the extent to which these courses support course takers’ development of knowledge and skills needed for their subsequent university study. This paper investigated (a) the predictive validity of IELTS results on the subsequent academic performance of Vietnamese international students at UK universities, and (b) the extent to which an IELTS preparation course in Vietnam supported its course takers in their subsequent academic study in the UK. Questionnaires with 80 Vietnamese international students from 31 universities across the UK showed that there was a positive significant correlation between these students’ IELTS scores and their academic results. Follow-up interviews with two undergraduates and two postgraduates who had previously studied in the same IELTS preparation course, but were studying different academic disciplines at different institutions in the UK, and analysis of the materials used in their IELTS preparation course and university courses revealed that the course positively supported these students’ subsequent academic study, but certain skills and knowledge needed in their academic study were not effectively covered in the IELTS preparation course.

Aspirations for Higher Education: Evidence from Youth Living in Kenneth Gardens Municipal Housing Estate (Durban)

This paper explores the obstacles that prevent young people from accessing higher education. Inadequate and unequal access to higher education internationally and in South Africa, in particular, has undermined young people’s potential to contribute to national development. In South Africa, limited access to higher education for the majority remains a major problem. Hence, young people are underdeveloped socially, economically and academically. Thus, lack of educational opportunities relegates young people to the periphery of the mainstream socio-economic development. This paper uses Kenneth Gardens as a case study to interrogate a lack of access to higher education and its implications for youth vulnerability and non-participation in their own development. The research was qualitative in nature. The imperial data were solicited from semi-structured interviews with Kenneth Gardens youth. In addition, participant observation was used as a research instrument. The major findings from the research were the lack of aspirations as one of the major obstacles that hinder youth from accessing higher education, and the research also found that lack of funding, lack of awareness and inability to meet the minimum university entry requirements were underlying factors. Additionally, a lack of career guidance in schools and unemployed graduates were found to be fundamental for poor access to higher education.

Understanding FDI in Socialist Nations

The link between foreign direct investment and economic growth has been widely studied. The studies have provided insights into how developing nations enable growth by adjusting policies to entice investors. Foreign investors entering emerging markets have to make strategic decisions on how to set up their operations. Investors look for markets and countries that would maximize their returns and position themselves as leaders in the industry. Hence, understanding entry requirements and economic policies are vital to understanding FDI. Keeping this in mind, this chapter analyses FDI in socialist nations and how their policies have evolved over time. The chapter will analyze the motivations and trends in FDI and how institutional conditions have enabled or impeded growth. The chapter studies China and Vietnam and compares their approach to FDI. The chapter uses Eclectic Theory posited by Dunning to understand changes in policies and how socialist nations are evolving to accept FDIs. The chapter concludes with a comparison section and presents scope for further research.