An integrated approach : holistic assessment of vocational trainees in the NZ dairy farming industry : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Tertiary Education) at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand

Vocational training qualifications in New Zealand have undergone significant change since 2008 due to the Targeted Review of Qualifications (TRoQ) initiated by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). In 2016, Primary ITO introduced programmes for these new qualifications to the dairy farming sector. A new holistic assessment approach was implemented, centred on an integrated Evidence Portfolio. The purpose of this research was to: a) Compare the new assessment methodology with the previous approach, from the perspective of the Trainees, Employers, and Assessors, and: b) Determine the extent to which the new assessment approach enabled Learners to apply theoretical knowledge to practical workplace situations. While much research has been done about competency-based Vocational Education and Training (VET), it largely focusses on institution-based learners, not those who are based in the workplace. This research aimed to contribute to the literature by examining competency-based assessment in a post-TRoQ, New Zealand workplace-based context. The sample groups for this research were drawn from dairy farming trainees who were enrolled in the new qualifications, and had also achieved one of the previous qualifications. The employers and assessors of these trainees were also included. The research utilised semi-structured interviews with the participants to gain their views on the new assessment methodology and how it compared to the previous method. The findings of this research largely reinforce the literature on competency-based VET. A new contribution is made by examining competency-based VET in a workplace-based context. The new assessment methodology was successful in enabling trainees to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical workplace situations and it was preferred by the participants over the previous assessment method. It is concluded that the notion of how competence is viewed in a New Zealand VET context should be revisited, and that it could assume a wider focus. This research also highlights the link between underpinning theoretical knowledge and practical workplace performance and suggests that performance of practical workplace tasks could provide sufficient evidence to assess Trainees’ theoretical knowledge in the final stages of their qualification

The Bold and the Beautiful: How Aspects of Personality Affect Foreign Language Pronunciation

In the main study, a group of Polish learners of English completed a number of mimicry tasks in three languages: Italian, Dutch and Chinese, as well as a narration task in English. Mimicry performance and English pronunciation were then assessed by native speakers and compared. Participants also completed a questionnaire concerning their feelings about the languages they were to mimic and a second questionnaire designed to detect affective factors such as language learning anxiety, as well as attitudes towards the pronunciation of Polish and English. The pilot study suggested that the perceived attractiveness of the foreign language to be mimicked did not affect the performance of most participants, and that mimicry skill was fairly constant across languages. However, those who were particularly concerned about their personal appearance showed greater fluctuation in their ability to mimic and their performance appeared to be influenced by their attitude towards the language. This is referred to by the author as the Cecily effect. That study also confirmed the results of my previous experimental work showing that mimicry skill is correlated to some degree with English language pronunciation and that both pronunciation and mimicry are negatively affected by high levels of anxiety. The main study sets out to investigate whether or not these conclusions hold true for a larger sample population and also seeks to determine the effect of confidence and willingness to take risks on scores for both foreign language pronunciation and mimicry exercises

Thea Astley’s modernism of the 'Deep North', or on (un)kindness

Although she is often perceived as a writer of the local, the rural or the regional, Thea Astley herself notes writing by American modernists as her primary literary influence, and emphasises the ethical value of transnational reading and writing. Similarly, she draws parallels between writing of the American ‘Deep South’ and her own writing of the ‘Deep North’, with a particular focus on the struggles of the racial or cultural outsider. In this article, I pursue Astley’s peculiar blend of these literary genres — modernism, the Gothic and the transnational — as a means of understanding her conceptualisation of kindness and community. Although Astley rejects the necessity of literary community, her writing emphasises instead the value of interpersonal engagement and social responsibility. With a focus on her first novel, Girl with a Monkey (1958), this article considers Astley’s representation of the distinction between community and kindness, particularly for young Catholic women in Queensland in the early twentieth century. In its simultaneous critique of the expectations placed on women and its upholding of the values of kindness and charity, Astley considers our responsibilities in our relations with the Other and with community

Training approaches for the deployment of a mechanical chest compression device : a randomised controlled manikin study

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of training strategy on team deployment of a mechanical chest compression device. Design: Randomised controlled manikin trial. Setting: Large teaching hospital in the UK Participants: Twenty teams, each comprising three clinicians. Participating individuals were health professionals with intermediate or advanced resuscitation training. Interventions: Teams were randomised in a 1:1 ratio to receive either standard mechanical chest compression device training or pit-crew device training. Training interventions lasted up to one hour. Performance was measured immediately after training in a standardised simulated cardiac arrest scenario in which teams were required to deploy a mechanical chest compression device. Primary and secondary outcome measures: Primary outcome was chest compression flow-fraction in the minute preceding the first mechanical chest compression. Secondary outcomes included cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality and mechanical device deployment metrics, and non-technical skill performance. Outcomes were assessed using video recordings of the test scenario. Results: In relation to the primary outcome of chest compression flow-fraction in the minute preceding the first mechanical chest compression, we found that pit-crew training was not superior to standard training (0.76 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.79) v 0.77 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.82), Mean difference -0.01 (95% CI -0.06 to 0.03), p=0.572). There was also no difference between groups in performance in relation to any secondary outcome

Infant brain subjected to oscillatory loading

Past research into brain injury biomechanics has focussed on short duration impulsive events as opposed to the oscillatory loadings associated with Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS). A series of 2D finite element models of an axial slice of the infant head were created to provide qualitative information on the behaviour of the brain during shaking. The test series explored variations in subarachnoid cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) thickness and geometry. A new method of CSF modeling based on Reynolds lubrication theory was included to provide a more realistic brain-CSF interaction. The results indicate that the volume of subarachnoid CSF, and inclusion of thickness variations due to gyri, are important to the resultant behaviour. Stress concentrations in the deep brain are reduced by fluid redistribution and gyral contact. These results provide direction for future 3D modeling of SBS

Potential consequences of linear approximation in economics

Econometric models ; Monetary policy ; Equilibrium (Economics)

The implementation of cardiac arrest treatment recommendations in English acute NHS trusts : a national survey

Purpose of the study: There are approximately 35 000 in-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year. Successful resuscitation requires integration of the medical science, training and education of clinicians and implementation of best practice in the clinical setting. In 2015, the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) published its latest resuscitation treatment recommendations. It is currently unknown the extent to which these treatment recommendations have been successfully implemented in practice in English NHS acute hospital trusts. Methods: We conducted an electronic survey of English acute NHS trusts to assess the implementation of key ILCOR resuscitation treatment recommendations in relation to in-hospital cardiac arrest practice at English NHS acute hospital trusts. Results: Of 137 eligible trusts, 73 responded to the survey (response rate 53.3%). The survey identified significant variation in the implementation of ILCOR recommendations. In particular, the use of waveform capnography (n=33, 45.2%) and ultrasound (n=29, 39.7%) was often reported to be available only in specialist areas. Post-resuscitation debriefing occurs following every in-hospital cardiac arrest in few trusts (5.5%, n=4), despite a strong ILCOR recommendation. In contrast, participation in a range of quality improvement strategies such as the National Cardiac Arrest Audit (90.4%, n=66) and resuscitation equipment provision/audit (91.8%, n=67) were high. Financial restrictions were identified by 65.8% (n=48) as the main barrier to guideline implementation. Conclusion: Our survey found that ILCOR treatment recommendations had not been fully implemented in most English NHS acute hospital trusts. Further work is required to better understand barriers to implementation

The do's, don'ts and don't knows of establishing a sustainable longitudinal integrated clerkship

INTRODUCTION: The longitudinal integrated clerkship is a model of clinical medical education that is increasingly employed by medical schools around the world. These guidelines are a result of a narrative review of the literature which considered the question of how to maximize the sustainability of a new longitudinal integrated clerkship program. METHOD: All four authors have practical experience of establishing longitudinal integrated clerkship programs. Each author individually constructed their Dos, Donts and Dont Knows and the literature that underpinned them. The lists were compiled and revised in discussion and a final set of guidelines was agreed. A statement of the strength of the evidence is included for each guideline. RESULTS: The final set of 18 Dos, Donts and Dont Knows is presented with an appraisal of the evidence for each one. CONCLUSION: Implementing a longitudinal integrated clerkship is a complex process requiring the involvement of a wide group of stakeholders in both hospitals and communities. The complexity of the change management processes requires careful and sustained attention, with a particular focus on the outcomes of the programs for students and the communities in which they learn. Effective and consistent leadership and adequate resourcing are important. There is a need to select teaching sites carefully, involve students and faculty in allocation of students to sites and support students and faculty though the implementation phase and beyond. Work is needed to address the Dont Knows, in particular the question of how cost-effectiveness is best measured

South-South cooperation in health professional education : a literature review

In the literature on the evolution of funding approaches there is criticism of traditional funding strategies and the promotion of inclusive models, such as South-South Cooperation (SSC) and triangular models. The latter are felt to have a number of advantages. This article has four broad objectives: (i) to present a literature review on the evolution of Southern approaches to development co-operation; (ii) to indicate examples of current co-operative programmes in health and health professional education in Africa; (iii) to assess the advantages and disadvantages of these models; and (iv) to mention some emerging issues in monitoring and evaluation. The Boolean logic approach was used to search for applicable literature within three topic layers. Searches were conducted using PubMed, PLoS and other accessible databases. An initial draft of the article was presented to a group of academics and researchers at the Flemish Inter-University Council (VLIR-UOS) Primafamed annual workshop held in August 2010 in Swaziland. Comments and suggestions from the group were included in later versions of the article. It is important to note that the existence of various funding models implemented by a variety of actors makes it difficult to measure their effects. In health and health professional education, however, SSC and triangular models of aid provide conditions for more effective programming through their focus on participation and long-term involvement. With an eye towards evaluating programmes, a number of salient issues are emerging. The importance of context is highlighted

Improving outcomes from in-hospital cardiac arrest

Over 200 000 adults a year sustain a cardiac arrest while in hospital in the United States.1 Most trials have taken place outside hospital,2 yet the aetiology, patient characteristics, time to treatment, and outcomes are quite different to cardiac arrests occurring in inpatients. Clinical guidelines for in-hospital resuscitation are therefore mainly drawn from the extrapolation of findings from out-of-hospital trials, observational studies, and consensus of expert opinion coordinated through the International Liaison Committee for Resuscitation.3 Given the cost, logistical, and ethical challenges of conducting randomised trials in cardiac arrest, the use of high quality observational data to provide insights into the effectiveness of treatments is attractive. The main limitation of observational studies is the risk that the outcome is affected by both the treatment allocation and other factors that influence the treatment allocation. Propensity scoring methods have been growing in popularity as a way of reducing confounding related to measured variables