Peer Contagion and Adolescent Depression: The Role of Failure Anticipation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Zalk, Maarten Herman Walter; Kerr, Margaret; Branje, Susan J. T.; Stattin, Hakan; Meeus, Wim H. J.

2010-01-01

The current study investigated the mechanisms underlying peer contagion of depressive symptoms in adolescence. Five annual measurements of data were gathered from a large (N = 842) community-based network of adolescents (M = 14.3 years at first measurement). Results showed that, after controlling for selection and deselection of friends on the…

Putative EEG measures of social anxiety: Comparing frontal alpha asymmetry and delta-beta cross-frequency correlation.

PubMed

Harrewijn, A; Van der Molen, M J W; Westenberg, P M

2016-12-01

The goal of the present study was to examine whether frontal alpha asymmetry and delta-beta cross-frequency correlation during resting state, anticipation, and recovery are electroencephalographic (EEG) measures of social anxiety. For the first time, we jointly examined frontal alpha asymmetry and delta-beta correlation during resting state and during a social performance task in high (HSA) versus low (LSA) socially anxious females. Participants performed a social performance task in which they first watched and evaluated a video of a peer, and then prepared their own speech. They believed that their speech would be videotaped and evaluated by a peer. We found that HSA participants showed significant negative delta-beta correlation as compared to LSA participants during both anticipation of and recovery from the stressful social situation. This negative delta-beta correlation might reflect increased activity in subcortical brain regions and decreased activity in cortical brain regions. As we hypothesized, no group differences in delta-beta correlation were found during the resting state. This could indicate that a certain level of stress is needed to find EEG measures of social anxiety. As for frontal alpha asymmetry, we did not find any group differences. The present frontal alpha asymmetry results are discussed in relation to the evident inconsistencies in the frontal alpha asymmetry literature. Together, our results suggest that delta-beta correlation is a putative EEG measure of social anxiety.

The Experience of Peer Mentors in an Intervention to Promote Smoking Cessation in Persons with Psychiatric Illness.

PubMed

Dickerson, Faith; Savage, Christina L G; Schweinfurth, Lucy A B; Goldberg, Richard W; Bennett, Melanie; Dixon, Lisa; Daumit, Gail; Chinman, Matthew; Lucksted, Alicia

2016-05-01

Peer support is an important component of services for persons with psychiatric illness but the experience of peer mentors is not well understood. This study explored the experiences of peer mentors, all former smokers and persons with psychiatric illness, who provided smoking cessation counseling as part of a 6 month professionally-led intervention. Data was obtained from 383 contact log entries and in-depth interviews with eight peer mentors. Qualitative analysis indicated that mentor roles were unexpectedly varied beyond the focus on smoking cessation. Of the two aspects of "peer-ness," shared smoking history was more prominent, while the shared experience of psychiatric illness was sometimes overlooked. Peer mentors experienced multiple challenges trying to help participants to change their smoking behaviors. Nonetheless, they described their experience as personally rewarding. Future interventions may be improved by anticipating peer mentor role complexity and the inherent tension between providing person-centered support and promoting behavior change.

Anticipating Job Aiding and Training Requirements

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

own ability to learn with statements like “I know how to do this,” getting right to work on assignments, helping peers, elaborating beyond basic...know how to do this”, getting right to work on assignments, helping peers, elaborating beyond basic understandings) _____ Selecting...older. In was estimated that over 50 percent of the workforce in 2007 was eligible to retire [Ref. 5], thus raising concerns about how to: a) replace

Interactive Contributions of Cumulative Peer Stress and Executive Function Deficits to Depression in Early Adolescence.

PubMed

Agoston, Anna M; Rudolph, Karen D

2016-01-01

Exposure to peer stress contributes to adolescent depression, yet not all youth experience these effects. Thus, it is important to identify individual differences that shape the consequences of peer stress. This research investigated the interactive contribution of cumulative peer stress during childhood (second-fifth grades) and executive function (EF) deficits to depression during early adolescence (sixth grade). Youth (267 girls, 227 boys; X̄ age at Wave 1 = 7.95, SD = .37) completed questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to assess peer stress and depression, respectively; teachers completed the Behavior Rating Scale of Executive Function to assess everyday performance in several EF domains. As anticipated, exposure to peer stress in childhood predicted heightened sixth-grade depression in girls but not boys with higher levels of EF deficits. This study extends theory and research on individual differences in vulnerability to adolescent depression, in turn elucidating potential intervention targets.

Interactive Contributions of Cumulative Peer Stress and Executive Function Deficits to Depression in Early Adolescence

PubMed Central

Agoston, Anna M.; Rudolph, Karen D.

2017-01-01

Exposure to peer stress contributes to adolescent depression, yet not all youth experience these effects. Thus, it is important to identify individual differences that shape the consequences of peer stress. This research investigated the interactive contribution of cumulative peer stress during childhood (second-fifth grades) and executive function (EF) deficits to depression during early adolescence (sixth grade). Youth (267 girls, 227 boys; X̄age at Wave 1 = 7.95, SD = .37) completed questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to assess peer stress and depression, respectively; teachers completed the Behavior Rating Scale of Executive Function to assess everyday performance in several EF domains. As anticipated, exposure to peer stress in childhood predicted heightened sixth-grade depression in girls but not boys with higher levels of EF deficits. This study extends theory and research on individual differences in vulnerability to adolescent depression, in turn elucidating potential intervention targets. PMID:28936024

Selective skepticism: American and Chinese children's reasoning about evaluative academic feedback.

PubMed

Heyman, Gail D; Fu, Genyue; Lee, Kang

2013-03-01

Children's reasoning about the credibility of positive and negative evaluations of academic performance was examined. Across 2 studies, 7- and 10-year-olds from the United States and China (N = 334) judged the credibility of academic evaluations that were directed toward an unfamiliar peer. In Study 1, participants from China responded that criticism should be accepted to a greater extent than did participants from the United States, and children from both countries demonstrated a selective skepticism effect by treating negative feedback more skeptically than positive feedback. Study 2 replicated the selective skepticism effect among children from both countries and ruled out the possibility that it can be explained as a rational analysis of perceived base rates. The results suggest that children are selective in their trust of evaluative feedback and that their credibility judgments may be influenced by the desirability of the information that is being conveyed or its anticipated consequences.

The Socioemotional Costs and Benefits of Social-Evaluative Concerns: Do Girls Care Too Much?

PubMed Central

Rudolph, Karen D.; Conley, Colleen S.

2011-01-01

This research investigated the hypothesis that girls’ heightened concerns about social evaluation contribute to sex differences in depression and interpersonal competence during early adolescence. A short-term longitudinal study was conducted with 474 adolescents to examine the consequences of heightened social-evaluative concerns. Adolescents reported on their levels of social-evaluative concerns and depressive symptoms. Teachers provided ratings of adolescents’ competence with peers (displays of prosocial and aggressive behavior). As anticipated, girls demonstrated higher levels of social-evaluative concerns, depressive symptoms, and interpersonal competence than did boys. Moreover, path analysis confirmed that heightened social-evaluative concerns were associated both concurrently and over time with higher levels of depression, as well as with higher levels of interpersonal competence. Notably, social-evaluative concerns accounted fully for the sex difference in depression and partially for the sex difference in interpersonal competence. These findings highlight the need to consider both the socioemotional costs and benefits of sex-linked relational orientations. PMID:15660675

Healthcare system intervention for prevention of birth injuries - process evaluation of self-assessment, peer review, feedback and agreement for change.

PubMed

Nyström, Monica E; Westerlund, Anna; Höög, Elisabet; Millde-Luthander, Charlotte; Högberg, Ulf; Grunewald, Charlotta

2012-08-24

Patient safety is fundamental in high quality healthcare systems but despite an excellent record of perinatal care in Sweden some children still suffer from substandard care and unnecessary birth injuries. Sustainable patient safety improvements assume changes in key actors' mental models, norms and culture as well as in the tools, design and organisation of work. Interventions positively affecting team mental models on safety issues are a first step to enhancing change. Our purpose was to study a national intervention programme for the prevention of birth injuries with the aim to elucidate how the main interventions of self-assessment, peer review, feedback and written agreement for change affected the teams and their mental model of patient safety, and thereby their readiness for change. Knowledge of relevant considerations before implementing this type of patient safety intervention series could thereby be increased. Eighty participants in twenty-seven maternity units were interviewed after the first intervention sequence of the programme. A content analysis using a priori coding was performed in order to relate results to the anticipated outcomes of three basic interventions: self-assessment, peer review and written feedback, and agreement for change. The self-assessment procedure was valuable and served as a useful tool for elucidating strengths and weaknesses and identifying areas for improvement for a safer delivery in maternity units. The peer-review intervention was appreciated, despite it being of less value when considering the contribution to explicit outcome effects (i.e. new input to team mental models and new suggestions for actions). The feedback report and the mutual agreement on measures for improvements reached when signing the contract seemed exert positive pressures for change. Our findings are in line with several studies stressing the importance of self-evaluation by encouraging a thorough review of objectives, practices and outcomes for the continuous improvement of an organisation. Even though effects of the peer review were limited, feedback from peers, or other change agents involved, and the support that a clear and well-structured action plan can provide are considered to be two important complements to future self-assessment procedures related to patient safety improvement.

Going global: considerations for introducing global health into family medicine training programs.

PubMed

Evert, Jessica; Bazemore, Andrew; Hixon, Allen; Withy, Kelley

2007-10-01

Medical students and residents have shown increasing interest in international health experiences. Before attempting to establish a global health training program in a family medicine residency, program faculty must consider the goals of the international program, whether there are champions to support the program, the resources available, and the specific type of program that best fits with the residency. The program itself should include didactics, peer education, experiential learning in international and domestic settings, and methods for preparing learners and evaluating program outcomes. Several hurdles can be anticipated in developing global health programs, including finances, meeting curricular and supervision requirements, and issues related to employment law, liability, and sustainability.

Altered reward processing in adolescents with prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking.

PubMed

Müller, Kathrin U; Mennigen, Eva; Ripke, Stephan; Banaschewski, Tobias; Barker, Gareth J; Büchel, Christian; Conrod, Patricia; Fauth-Bühler, Mira; Flor, Herta; Garavan, Hugh; Heinz, Andreas; Lawrence, Claire; Loth, Eva; Mann, Karl; Martinot, Jean-Luc; Pausova, Zdenka; Rietschel, Marcella; Ströhle, Andreas; Struve, Maren; Walaszek, Bernadeta; Schumann, Gunter; Paus, Tomáš; Smolka, Michael N

2013-08-01

Higher rates of substance use and dependence have been observed in the offspring of mothers who smoked during pregnancy. Animal studies indicate that prenatal exposure to nicotine alters the development of brain areas related to reward processing, which might be a risk factor for substance use and addiction later in life. However, no study has examined the effect of maternal smoking on the offspring's brain response during reward processing. To determine whether adolescents with prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking differ from their nonexposed peers in the response of the ventral striatum to the anticipation or the receipt of a reward. An observational case-control study. Data were obtained from the IMAGEN Study, a European multicenter study of impulsivity, reinforcement sensitivity, and emotional reactivity in adolescents. The IMAGEN sample consists of 2078 healthy adolescents (age range, 13-15 years) recruited from March 1, 2008, through December 31, 2011, in local schools. We assessed an IMAGEN subsample of 177 adolescents with prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking and 177 nonexposed peers (age range, 13-15 years) matched by sex, maternal educational level, and imaging site. Response to reward in the ventral striatum measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging. In prenatally exposed adolescents, we observed a weaker response in the ventral striatum during reward anticipation (left side, F = 14.98 [P < .001]; right side, F = 15.95 [P < .001]) compared with their nonexposed peers. No differences were found regarding the responsivity of the ventral striatum to the receipt of a reward (left side, F = 0.21 [P = .65]; right side, F = 0.47 [P = .49]). The weaker responsivity of the ventral striatum to reward anticipation in prenatally exposed adolescents may represent a risk factor for substance use and development of addiction later in life. This result highlights the need for education and preventive measures to reduce smoking during pregnancy. Future analyses should assess whether prenatally exposed adolescents develop an increased risk for substance use and addiction and which role the reported neuronal differences during reward anticipation plays in this development.

Speech Presentation Cues Moderate Frontal EEG Asymmetry in Socially Withdrawn Young Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Claire; Zapp, Daniel J.; Nelson, S. Katherine; Perez-Edgar, Koraly

2012-01-01

Socially withdrawn individuals display solitary behavior across wide contexts with both unfamiliar and familiar peers. This tendency to withdraw may be driven by either past or anticipated negative social encounters. In addition, socially withdrawn individuals often exhibit right frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry at baseline and when…

A report on case reports

PubMed Central

Gopikrishna, Velayutham

2010-01-01

Case reports are defined as the scientific documentation of a single clinical observation and have a time-honored and rich tradition in medicine and scientific publication. This article discusses the role and relevance of case reports in the current evidence-based medical literature. It also seeks to help and guide authors to understand how to prepare a reasonable and well-written case report and how they may anticipate concerns that peer reviewers may express when scrutinizing their manuscript. An overview of the Journal of Conservative Dentistry’s review process of a manuscript submission is provided for the benefit of future authors. It is important to be able to read a case report critically and to use the information they contain appropriately. This article also discusses the factors to consider in evaluating individual case reports, and discusses a practical conceptual scheme for evaluating the potential value and educational content of a case report. PMID:21217956

Implementing Peer Learning in Clinical Education: A Framework to Address Challenges In the "Real World".

PubMed

Tai, Joanna Hong Meng; Canny, Benedict J; Haines, Terry P; Molloy, Elizabeth K

2017-01-01

Phenomenon: Peer learning has many benefits and can assist students in gaining the educational skills required in future years when they become teachers themselves. Peer learning may be particularly useful in clinical learning environments, where students report feeling marginalized, overwhelmed, and unsupported. Educational interventions often fail in the workplace environment, as they are often conceived in the "ideal" rather than the complex, messy real world. This work sought to explore barriers and facilitators to implementing peer learning activities in a clinical curriculum. Previous peer learning research results and a matrix of empirically derived peer learning activities were presented to local clinical education experts to generate discussion around the realities of implementing such activities. Potential barriers and limitations of and strategies for implementing peer learning in clinical education were the focus of the individual interviews. Thematic analysis of the data identified three key considerations for real-world implementation of peer learning: culture, epistemic authority, and the primacy of patient-centered care. Strategies for peer learning implementation were also developed from themes within the data, focusing on developing a culture of safety in which peer learning could be undertaken, engaging both educators and students, and establishing expectations for the use of peer learning. Insights: This study identified considerations and strategies for the implementation of peer learning activities, which took into account both educator and student roles. Reported challenges were reflective of those identified within the literature. The resultant framework may aid others in anticipating implementation challenges. Further work is required to test the framework's application in other contexts and its effect on learner outcomes.

Healthcare system intervention for prevention of birth injuries – process evaluation of self-assessment, peer review, feedback and agreement for change

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Patient safety is fundamental in high quality healthcare systems but despite an excellent record of perinatal care in Sweden some children still suffer from substandard care and unnecessary birth injuries. Sustainable patient safety improvements assume changes in key actors’ mental models, norms and culture as well as in the tools, design and organisation of work. Interventions positively affecting team mental models on safety issues are a first step to enhancing change. Our purpose was to study a national intervention programme for the prevention of birth injuries with the aim to elucidate how the main interventions of self-assessment, peer review, feedback and written agreement for change affected the teams and their mental model of patient safety, and thereby their readiness for change. Knowledge of relevant considerations before implementing this type of patient safety intervention series could thereby be increased. Methods Eighty participants in twenty-seven maternity units were interviewed after the first intervention sequence of the programme. A content analysis using a priori coding was performed in order to relate results to the anticipated outcomes of three basic interventions: self-assessment, peer review and written feedback, and agreement for change. Results The self-assessment procedure was valuable and served as a useful tool for elucidating strengths and weaknesses and identifying areas for improvement for a safer delivery in maternity units. The peer-review intervention was appreciated, despite it being of less value when considering the contribution to explicit outcome effects (i.e. new input to team mental models and new suggestions for actions). The feedback report and the mutual agreement on measures for improvements reached when signing the contract seemed exert positive pressures for change. Conclusions Our findings are in line with several studies stressing the importance of self-evaluation by encouraging a thorough review of objectives, practices and outcomes for the continuous improvement of an organisation. Even though effects of the peer review were limited, feedback from peers, or other change agents involved, and the support that a clear and well-structured action plan can provide are considered to be two important complements to future self-assessment procedures related to patient safety improvement. PMID:22920327

Neural Activation during Anticipated Peer Evaluation and Laboratory Meal Intake in Overweight Girls with and without Loss of Control Eating

PubMed Central

Jarcho, Johanna; Tanofsky-Kraff, Marian; Nelson, Eric E.; Engel, Scott G.; Vannucci, Anna; Field, Sara E.; Romer, Adrienne; Hannallah, Louise; Brady, Sheila M.; Demidowich, Andrew P.; Shomaker, Lauren B.; Courville, Amber B.; Pine, Daniel S.; Yanovski, Jack A.

2015-01-01

The interpersonal model of loss of control (LOC) eating proposes that socially distressing situations lead to anxious states that trigger excessive food consumption. Self-reports support these links, but the neurobiological underpinnings of these relationships remain unclear. We therefore examined brain regions associated with anxiety in relation to LOC eating and energy intake in the laboratory. Twenty-two overweight and obese (BMIz: 1.9±0.4) adolescent (15.8±1.6y) girls with LOC eating (LOC+, n=10) and without LOC eating (LOC−, n=12) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a simulated peer interaction chatroom paradigm. Immediately after the fMRI scan, girls consumed lunch ad libitum from a 10,934-kcal laboratory buffet meal with the instruction to “let yourself go and eat as much as you want.” Pre-specified hypotheses regarding activation of five regions of interest were tested. Analysis of fMRI data revealed a significant group by peer feedback interaction in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), such that LOC+ had less activity following peer rejection (vs. acceptance), while LOC− had increased activity (p <.005). Moreover, functional coupling between vmPFC and striatum for peer rejection (vs. acceptance) interacted with LOC status: coupling was positive for LOC+, but negative in LOC− (p <.005). Activity of fusiform face area (FFA) during negative peer feedback from high-value peers also interacted with LOC status (p < .005). A positive association between FFA activation and intake during the meal was observed among only those with LOC eating. In conclusion, overweight and obese girls with LOC eating may be distinguished by a failure to engage regions of prefrontal cortex implicated in emotion regulation in response to social distress. The relationship between FFA activation and food intake supports the notion that heightened sensitivity to incoming interpersonal cues and perturbations in socio-emotional neural circuits may lead to overeating in order to cope with negative affect elicited by social discomfort in susceptible youth. PMID:25550068

College Students' Attitudes towards Age-Related Changes in Physical Appearance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kanter, Allison; Agliata, Daniel; Tantleff-Dunn, Stacey

The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with young adults' concerns about age related changes in body image and their anticipated impact on psychosocial functioning. One hundred and sixty-seven college students completed the Body Image and Aging Survey, designed to assess age related issues in body image, the Peer Dieting Survey,…

The Wishing Crystal: Joint Construction in the Junior-Primary Classroom. PEN.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkin, Bronwyn

When children begin school many of them do not anticipate the grammatical patterns and word choices that accompany written language, and which make written language so different from spoken language. It is for this reason that young students need varying degrees of scaffolding--teacher and peer support that enables them to gain increasing control…

Peering around the Corner: Futures Thinking for Academic Librarians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinchliffe, Lisa Janicke; Malenfant, Kara

2010-01-01

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has a long history of data collection, environmental scanning, and trends analysis. Its most recent work, "Futures Thinking for Academic Librarians," uses a 15-year horizon to look beyond the worries of the current economic cycle and the short-term future in order to anticipate the changing…

Sex-Role Attitudes of Self and Those Inferred of Peers, Performance, and Career Opportunities as Reported by Women in Nontraditional vs. Traditional Training Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chatterjee, Jharna; McCarrey, Michael

1989-01-01

Investigates the relationship between inferred sex role attitudes and women's participation in traditional versus nontraditional training programs. Examines the association between women's participation in a training program and their anticipation of difficulties in pursuing a nontraditional career. Examines performance differences by women with…

Adolescents' explicit and implicit evaluations of hypothetical and actual peers with different bullying participant roles.

PubMed

Pouwels, J Loes; Lansu, Tessa A M; Cillessen, Antonius H N

2017-07-01

This study examined how adolescents evaluate bullying at three levels of specificity: (a) the general concept of bullying, (b) hypothetical peers in different bullying participant roles, and (c) actual peers in different bullying participant roles. Participants were 163 predominantly ethnic majority adolescents in The Netherlands (58% girls; M age =16.34years, SD=0.79). For the hypothetical peers, we examined adolescents' explicit evaluations as well as their implicit evaluations. Adolescents evaluated the general concept of bullying negatively. Adolescents' explicit evaluations of hypothetical and actual peers in the bullying roles depended on their own role, but adolescents' implicit evaluations of hypothetical peers did not. Adolescents' explicit evaluations of hypothetical peers and actual peers were different. Hypothetical bullies were evaluated negatively by all classmates, whereas hypothetical victims were evaluated relatively positively compared with the other roles. However, when adolescents evaluated their actual classmates, the differences between bullies and the other roles were smaller, whereas victims were evaluated the most negatively of all roles. Further research should take into account that adolescents' evaluations of hypothetical peers differ from their evaluations of actual peers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Peer power: how Dare County, North Carolina, is addressing chronic disease through innovative programming.

PubMed

Thomas, Anne B; Ward, Ellie

2006-01-01

Peer Power is an innovative school-based program that trains high school students as health educators and mentors for middle school students. The program was designed to produce positive health behavior changes in youth and reduce long-term incidence of chronic diseases of the heart and lung. This program, developed at the Management Academy for Public Health, has been successful in receiving grant funds and has demonstrated positive behavioral changes in youth in the areas of physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use. Peer Power has far exceeded the anticipated outcomes and proven to be a catalyst for improved health behaviors throughout the community. Positive unintended consequences of Peer Power include the development of an effective social marketing campaign, reduction in tobacco sales to minors, and an increase in smoke-free restaurants in Dare County. Benefits received by Management Academy participants are evident through improved business and administrative skills at the Dare County Department of Public Health, the number of new and innovative programs that have succeeded in securing grant funds, and the sustainability of the programs developed.

Perceptions of family caring and its impact on peer associations and drug involvement among rural dwelling African American and White adolescents.

PubMed

Taylor, Matthew J; Merritt, Stephanie M; Brown, Carrie M

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the premise that adolescent perceptions of family caring are a precipitating source of substance use deterrence. More specifically, this study examined the role of family caring on communication of substance use harm and sanctions of use and the effect of these on peer substance involvement and individual use outcomes. A sample of rural dwelling African American and White 7th and 8th grade students (N = 1780) was assessed through self-report. It was anticipated that family caring would be positively related to harm communication and sanctions of use, and that these would be negatively related to peer substance involvement and individual use. Results suggest that family caring was positively linked to harm communication and sanctions of use, and that these were both negatively related to peer substance involvement and individual use. Several significant race differences were noted, which suggest differential associations between some variables. Results are discussed in terms of these race differences, as well as in terms of rural residency.

Anticipated Guilt for Not Helping and Anticipated Warm Glow for Helping Are Differently Impacted by Personal Responsibility to Help

PubMed Central

Erlandsson, Arvid; Jungstrand, Amanda Å.; Västfjäll, Daniel

2016-01-01

One important motivation for people behaving prosocially is that they want to avoid negative and obtain positive emotions. In the prosocial behavior literature however, the motivations to avoid negative emotions (e.g., guilt) and to approach positive emotions (e.g., warm glow) are rarely separated, and sometimes even aggregated into a single mood-management construct. The aim of this study was to investigate whether anticipated guilt if not helping and anticipated warm glow if helping are influenced similarly or differently when varying situational factors related to personal responsibility to help. Helping scenarios were created and pilot tests established that each helping scenario could be formulated both in a high-responsibility version and in a low-responsibility version. In Study 1 participants read high-responsibility and low-responsibility helping scenarios, and rated either their anticipated guilt if not helping or their anticipated warm glow if helping (i.e., separate evaluation). Study 2 was similar but here participants rated both their anticipated guilt if not helping and their anticipated warm glow if helping (i.e., joint evaluation). Anticipated guilt was clearly higher in the high-responsibility versions, but anticipated warm glow was unaffected (in Studies 1a and 1b), or even higher in the low-responsibility versions (Study 2). In Studies 3 (where anticipated guilt and warm glow were evaluated separately) and 4 (where they were evaluated jointly), personal responsibility to help was manipulated within-subjects. Anticipated guilt was again constantly higher in the high-responsibility versions but for many types of responsibility-manipulations, anticipated warm glow was higher in the low-responsibility versions. The results suggest that we anticipate guilt if not fulfilling our responsibility but that we anticipate warm glow primarily when doing over and beyond our responsibility. We argue that future studies investigating motivations for helping should measure both anticipated negative consequences for oneself if not helping, and anticipated positive consequences for oneself if helping. PMID:27733840

Anticipated Guilt for Not Helping and Anticipated Warm Glow for Helping Are Differently Impacted by Personal Responsibility to Help.

PubMed

Erlandsson, Arvid; Jungstrand, Amanda Å; Västfjäll, Daniel

2016-01-01

One important motivation for people behaving prosocially is that they want to avoid negative and obtain positive emotions. In the prosocial behavior literature however, the motivations to avoid negative emotions (e.g., guilt) and to approach positive emotions (e.g., warm glow) are rarely separated, and sometimes even aggregated into a single mood-management construct. The aim of this study was to investigate whether anticipated guilt if not helping and anticipated warm glow if helping are influenced similarly or differently when varying situational factors related to personal responsibility to help. Helping scenarios were created and pilot tests established that each helping scenario could be formulated both in a high-responsibility version and in a low-responsibility version. In Study 1 participants read high-responsibility and low-responsibility helping scenarios, and rated either their anticipated guilt if not helping or their anticipated warm glow if helping (i.e., separate evaluation). Study 2 was similar but here participants rated both their anticipated guilt if not helping and their anticipated warm glow if helping (i.e., joint evaluation). Anticipated guilt was clearly higher in the high-responsibility versions, but anticipated warm glow was unaffected (in Studies 1a and 1b), or even higher in the low-responsibility versions (Study 2). In Studies 3 (where anticipated guilt and warm glow were evaluated separately) and 4 (where they were evaluated jointly), personal responsibility to help was manipulated within-subjects. Anticipated guilt was again constantly higher in the high-responsibility versions but for many types of responsibility-manipulations, anticipated warm glow was higher in the low-responsibility versions. The results suggest that we anticipate guilt if not fulfilling our responsibility but that we anticipate warm glow primarily when doing over and beyond our responsibility. We argue that future studies investigating motivations for helping should measure both anticipated negative consequences for oneself if not helping, and anticipated positive consequences for oneself if helping.

KEY COMPARISON: Final report of comparison of the calibrations of hydrometers for liquid density determination between SIM laboratories: SIM.M.D-K4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becerra, Luis Omar

2009-01-01

This SIM comparison on the calibration of high accuracy hydrometers was carried out within fourteen laboratories in the density range from 600 kg/m3 to 1300 kg/m3 in order to evaluate the degree of equivalence among participant laboratories. This key comparison anticipates the planned key comparison CCM.D-K4, and is intended to be linked with CCM.D-K4 when results are available. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA).

Development, evaluation, and utility of a peer evaluation form for online teaching.

PubMed

Gaskamp, Carol D; Kintner, Eileen

2014-01-01

Formative assessment of teaching by peers is an important component of quality improvement for educators. Teaching portfolios submitted for promotion and tenure are expected to include peer evaluations. Faculty resources designed for peer evaluation of classroom teaching are often inadequate for evaluating online teaching. The authors describe development, evaluation, and utility of a new peer evaluation form for formative assessment of online teaching deemed relevant, sound, feasible, and beneficial.

Peer Evaluation of Teaching in an Online Information Literacy Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vega García, Susan A.; Stacy-Bates, Kristine K.; Alger, Jeff; Marupova, Rano

2017-01-01

This paper reports on the development and implementation of a process of peer evaluation of teaching to assess librarian instruction in a high-enrollment online information literacy course for undergraduates. This paper also traces a shift within libraries from peer coaching to peer evaluation models. One common model for peer evaluation, using…

A two-state comparative implementation of peer-support intervention to link veterans to health-related services after incarceration: a study protocol.

PubMed

Simmons, Molly M; Fincke, Benjamin G; Drainoni, Mari-Lynn; Kim, Bo; Byrne, Tom; Smelson, David; Casey, Kevin; Ellison, Marsha L; Visher, Christy; Blue-Howells, Jessica; McInnes, D Keith

2017-09-12

Approximately 600,000 persons are released from prison annually in the United States. Relatively few receive sufficient re-entry services and are at risk for unemployment, homelessness, poverty, substance abuse relapse and recidivism. Persons leaving prison who have a mental illness and/or a substance use disorder are particularly challenged. This project aims to create a peer mentor program to extend the reach and effectiveness of reentry services provided by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA). We will implement a peer support for reentry veterans sequentially in two states. Our outcome measures are 1) fidelity of the intervention, 2) linkage to VA health care and, 3) continued engagement in health care. The aims for this project are as follows: (1) Conduct contextual analysis to identify VA and community reentry resources, and describe how reentry veterans use them. (2) Implement peer-support, in one state, to link reentry veterans to Veterans' Health Administration (VHA) primary care, mental health, and SUD services. (3) Port the peer-support intervention to another, geographically, and contextually different state. This intervention involves a 2-state sequential implementation study (Massachusetts, followed by Pennsylvania) using a Facilitation Implementation strategy. We will conduct formative and summative analyses, including assessment of fidelity, and a matched comparison group to evaluate the intervention's outcomes of veteran linkage and engagement in VHA health care (using health care utilization measures). The study proceeds in 3 phases. We anticipate that a peer support program will be effective at improving the reentry process for veterans, particularly in linking them to health, mental health, and SUD services and helping them to stay engaged in those services. It will fill a gap by providing veterans with access to a trusted individual, who understands their experience as a veteran and who has experienced justice involvement. The outputs from this project, including training materials, peer guidebooks, and implementation strategies can be adapted by other states and regions that wish to enhance services for veterans (or other populations) leaving incarceration. A larger cluster-randomized implementation-effectiveness study is planned. This protocol is registered with clinicaltrials.gov on November 4, 2016 and was assigned the number NCT02964897 .

Validity of peer grading using Calibrated Peer Review in a guided-inquiry, conceptual physics course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, Edward; Goldberg, Fred; Robinson, Steve; McKean, Michael

2016-12-01

Constructing and evaluating explanations are important science practices, but in large classes it can be difficult to effectively engage students in these practices and provide feedback. Peer review and grading are scalable instructional approaches that address these concerns, but which raise questions about the validity of the peer grading process. Calibrated Peer Review (CPR) is a web-based system that scaffolds peer evaluation through a "calibration" process where students evaluate sample responses and receive feedback on their evaluations before evaluating their peers. Guided by an activity theory framework, we developed, implemented, and evaluated CPR-based tasks in guided-inquiry, conceptual physics courses for future teachers and general education students. The tasks were developed through iterative testing and revision. Effective tasks had specific and directed prompts and evaluation instructions. Using these tasks, over 350 students at three universities constructed explanations or analyzed physical phenomena, and evaluated their peers' work. By independently assessing students' responses, we evaluated the CPR calibration process and compared students' peer reviews with expert evaluations. On the tasks analyzed, peer scores were equivalent to our independent evaluations. On a written explanation item included on the final exam, students in the courses using CPR outperformed students in similar courses using traditional writing assignments without a peer evaluation element. Our research demonstrates that CPR can be an effective way to explicitly include the science practices of constructing and evaluating explanations into large classes without placing a significant burden on the instructor.

Report on the loss of the Mars Climate Orbiter Mission : JPL special review board

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brace, Richard; Casani, John; Farquhar, Robert; Haynes, Norm; Jordan, Frank; Kohlhase, Charles; Mitchell, Robert; Polutchko, Robert J.; Schallenmuller, Al; Slonski, John P.;

Musculoskeletal Complications and Bone Metastases in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Estrogen Deprivation Therapy

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

of Cancer Research (AACR). C. Dissemination of results to communities of interest Results for these studies were presented by invitation to peers...cause release of growth factors into circulation where they act on peripheral tissues. Previous studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that...at the end of the study (nine weeks post -surgery and five weeks after tumor inoculation). As anticipated, OVX resulted in significant uterine

Identifying Perceived Barriers along the HIV Care Continuum: Findings from Providers, Peer Educators, and Observations of Provider–Patient Interactions in Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Kulkarni, Sarah; Hoffman, Susie; Gadisa, Tsigereda; Melaku, Zenebe; Fantehun, Mesganaw; Yigzaw, Muluneh; El-Sadr, Wafaa; Remien, Robert; Tymejczyk, Olga; Nash, Denis; Elul, Batya

2015-01-01

Increasing the proportion of HIV-positive individuals who link promptly to and are retained in care remains challenging in sub- Saharan Africa, but little evidence is available from the provider perspective. In 4 Ethiopian health facilities, we (1) interviewed providers and peer educators about their perceptions of service delivery- and patient-level barriers and (2) observed provider–patient interactions to characterize content and interpersonal aspects of counseling. In interviews, providers and peer educators demonstrated empathy and identified nonacceptance of HIV status, anticipated stigma from unintended disclosure, and fear of antiretroviral therapy as patient barriers, and brusque counseling and insufficient counseling at provider-initiated testing sites as service delivery-related. However, observations from the same clinics showed that providers often failed to elicit patients’ barriers to retention, making it unlikely these would be addressed during counseling. Training is needed to improve interpersonal aspects of counseling and ensure providers elicit and address barriers to HIV care experienced by patients. PMID:26173944

Variability in Students' Evaluating Processes in Peer Assessment with Calibrated Peer Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, J.; Van Horne, S.; Ward, A. S.; Bettis, E. A., III; Gikonyo, J.

2017-01-01

This study investigated students' evaluating process and their perceptions of peer assessment when they engaged in peer assessment using Calibrated Peer Review. Calibrated Peer Review is a web-based application that facilitates peer assessment of writing. One hundred and thirty-two students in an introductory environmental science course…

Sensitivity to Peer Evaluation and Its Genetic and Environmental Determinants: Findings from a Population-Based Twin Study.

PubMed

Klippel, Annelie; Reininghaus, Ulrich; Viechtbauer, Wolfgang; Decoster, Jeroen; Delespaul, Philippe; Derom, Cathérine; de Hert, Marc; Jacobs, Nele; Menne-Lothmann, Claudia; Rutten, Bart; Thiery, Evert; van Os, Jim; van Winkel, Ruud; Myin-Germeys, Inez; Wichers, Marieke

2018-02-23

Adolescents and young adults are highly focused on peer evaluation, but little is known about sources of their differential sensitivity. We examined to what extent sensitivity to peer evaluation is influenced by interacting environmental and genetic factors. A sample of 354 healthy adolescent twin pairs (n = 708) took part in a structured, laboratory task in which they were exposed to peer evaluation. The proportion of the variance in sensitivity to peer evaluation due to genetic and environmental factors was estimated, as was the association with specific a priori environmental risk factors. Differences in sensitivity to peer evaluation between adolescents were explained mainly by non-shared environmental influences. The results on shared environmental influences were not conclusive. No impact of latent genetic factors or gene-environment interactions was found. Adolescents with lower self-rated positions on the social ladder or who reported to have been bullied more severely showed significantly stronger responses to peer evaluation. Not genes, but subjective social status and past experience of being bullied seem to impact sensitivity to peer evaluation. This suggests that altered response to peer evaluation is the outcome of cumulative sensitization to social interactions.

Lexical Activation during Sentence Comprehension in Adolescents with History of Specific Language Impairment

PubMed Central

Borovsky, Arielle; Burns, Erin; Elman, Jeffrey L.; Evans, Julia L.

2015-01-01

One remarkable characteristic of speech comprehension in typically developing (TD) children and adults is the speed with which the listener can integrate information across multiple lexical items to anticipate upcoming referents. Although children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) show lexical deficits (Sheng & McGregor, 2010) and slower speed of processing (Leonard et al., 2007), relatively little is known about how these deficits manifest in real-time sentence comprehension. In this study, we examine lexical activation in the comprehension of simple transitive sentences in adolescents with a history of SLI and age-matched, TD peers. Participants listened to sentences that consisted of the form, Article-Agent-Action-Article-Theme, (e.g., The pirate chases the ship) while viewing pictures of four objects that varied in their relationship to the Agent and Action of the sentence (e.g., Target, Agent-Related, Action-Related, and Unrelated). Adolescents with SLI were as fast as their TD peers to fixate on the sentence’s final item (the Target) but differed in their post-action onset visual fixations to the Action-Related item. Additional exploratory analyses of the spatial distribution of their visual fixations revealed that the SLI group had a qualitatively different pattern of fixations to object images than did the control group. The findings indicate that adolescents with SLI integrate lexical information across words to anticipate likely or expected meanings with the same relative fluency and speed as do their TD peers. However, the failure of the SLI group to show increased fixations to Action-Related items after the onset of the action suggests lexical integration deficits that result in failure to consider alternate sentence interpretations. PMID:24099807

Factors Influencing Students' Peer Evaluation in Cooperative Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Persons, Obeua S.

1998-01-01

In an accounting class in which 25% of grades were derived from group work, students completed peer evaluations. Regression analyses revealed that accounting majors and students with higher grade point averages received higher peer evaluations. Higher group homework and class participation grades were associated with higher peer evaluations. (SK)

A Peer-Reviewed Research Assignment for Large Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, LaRhee; Buising, Charisse

2000-01-01

Introduces a writing exercise students work on in collaborative groups. Aims to enhance students' scientific research paper writing skills and provide experience working in collaborative groups. Presents evaluation criteria for peer-group evaluation of a poster presentation, intra-group evaluation of peer performance, and peer-group evaluation of…

Peer Evaluation of Teaching or "Fear" Evaluation: In Search of Compatibility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salih, Abdel Rahman Abdalla

2013-01-01

Peer evaluation or review of teaching is one of the factors of quality assurance system at the present time. However, peer evaluation is sometimes approached with trepidation and with the feeling that it may not be fair and free of bias. This paper examines teachers' perceptions of peer evaluation as an enhancement for quality teaching. A…

Risk-Taking Behavior in a Computerized Driving Task: Brain Activation Correlates of Decision-Making, Outcome, and Peer Influence in Male Adolescents.

PubMed

Vorobyev, Victor; Kwon, Myoung Soo; Moe, Dagfinn; Parkkola, Riitta; Hämäläinen, Heikki

2015-01-01

Increased propensity for risky behavior in adolescents, particularly in peer groups, is thought to reflect maturational imbalance between reward processing and cognitive control systems that affect decision-making. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate brain functional correlates of risk-taking behavior and effects of peer influence in 18-19-year-old male adolescents. The subjects were divided into low and high risk-taking groups using either personality tests or risk-taking rates in a simulated driving task. The fMRI data were analyzed for decision-making (whether to take a risk at intersections) and outcome (pass or crash) phases, and for the influence of peer competition. Personality test-based groups showed no difference in the amount of risk-taking (similarly increased during peer competition) and brain activation. When groups were defined by actual task performance, risk-taking activated two areas in the left medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) significantly more in low than in high risk-takers. In the entire sample, risky decision-specific activation was found in the anterior and dorsal cingulate, superior parietal cortex, basal ganglia (including the nucleus accumbens), midbrain, thalamus, and hypothalamus. Peer competition increased outcome-related activation in the right caudate head and cerebellar vermis in the entire sample. Our results suggest that the activation of the medial (rather than lateral) PFC and striatum is most specific to risk-taking behavior of male adolescents in a simulated driving situation, and reflect a stronger conflict and thus increased cognitive effort to take risks in low risk-takers, and reward anticipation for risky decisions, respectively. The activation of the caudate nucleus, particularly for the positive outcome (pass) during peer competition, further suggests enhanced reward processing of risk-taking under peer influence.

Psychosocial and career outcomes of peer mentorship in medical resident education: a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Pethrick, Helen; Nowell, Lorelli; Oddone Paolucci, Elizabeth; Lorenzetti, Liza; Jacobsen, Michele; Clancy, Tracey; Lorenzetti, Diane L

2017-08-31

Many medical residents lack ready access to social and emotional supports that enable them to successfully cope with the challenges associated with medical residency. This absence of support has been shown to lead to high levels of burnout, decreased mental wellbeing, and difficulty mastering professional competencies in this population. While there is emerging evidence that peer mentoring can be an important source of psychosocial and career-related support for many individuals, the extent of the evidence regarding the benefits of peer mentorship in medical residency education has not yet been established. We describe a protocol for a systematic review to assess the effects of peer mentoring on medical residents' mental wellbeing, social connectedness, and professional competencies. Studies included in this review will be those that report on peer-mentoring relationships among medical residents. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies will be eligible for inclusion. No date or language limits will be applied. We will search EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, Education Research Complete, and Academic Research Complete databases to identify relevant studies. Two authors will independently assess all abstracts and full-text studies for inclusion and study quality and extract study data in duplicate. This is the first systematic review to explicitly explore the role of peer mentoring in the context of medical residency education. We anticipate that the findings from this review will raise awareness of the benefits and challenges associated with peer-mentoring relationships, further the development and implementation of formal peer-mentoring programs for medical residents, and, through identifying gaps in the existing literature, inform future research efforts. This protocol has not been registered in PROSPERO or any other publicly accessible registry.

Space Wei QI: The Launch of Shenzhou V

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

the anticipated plans to reinvigorate the U.S. manned space exploration program. What the United States plans to do is important, but in the context of...announcing unilateral plans and forcing China into a pace it likely cannot afford. Or the United States can initiate an incremental program of space... planning for the fu- ture. As the only country of sufficient size and resources to become potentially a peer competitor, and the largest remaining communist

Peer Evaluation: A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weaver, Richard L., II

Acknowledging the value of peer evaluation in the classroom, this paper describes the peer evaluation system used in a basic speech communication course at an Ohio university. The first section of the paper defines peer evaluation and describes the situation at the university to provide some understanding of the context in which the system was…

Audience-Oriented Writing and Peer Evaluation. SCO Cahier No. 19.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rijlaarsdam, G.

To demonstrate that peer evaluation is an appropriate means of improving written composition, particularly in terms of audience and goal orientation, the use of peer evaluation as a teaching method is discussed and then the connection between peer evaluation and audience awareness is drawn. Based on observation of Dutch 17-year-old students, the…

Speech Presentation Cues Moderate Frontal EEG Asymmetry in Socially Withdrawn Young Adults

PubMed Central

Cole, Claire; Zapp, Daniel J.; Nelson, S. Katherine; Pérez-Edgar, Koraly

2011-01-01

Socially withdrawn individuals display solitary behavior across wide contexts with both unfamiliar and familiar peers. This tendency to withdraw may be driven by either past or anticipated negative social encounters. In addition, socially withdrawn individuals often exhibit right frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry at baseline and when under stress. In the current study we examined shifts in frontal EEG activity in young adults (N=41) at baseline, as they viewed either an anxiety-provoking or a benign speech video, and as they subsequently prepared for their own speech. Results indicated that right frontal EEG activity increased, relative to the left, only for socially withdrawn participants exposed to the anxious video. These results suggest that contextual affective cues may prime an individual’s response to stress, particularly if they illustrate or substantiate an anticipated negative event. PMID:22169714

Peer engagement in harm reduction strategies and services: a critical case study and evaluation framework from British Columbia, Canada.

PubMed

Greer, Alissa M; Luchenski, Serena A; Amlani, Ashraf A; Lacroix, Katie; Burmeister, Charlene; Buxton, Jane A

2016-05-27

Engaging people with drug use experience, or 'peers,' in decision-making helps to ensure harm reduction services reflect current need. There is little published on the implementation, evaluation, and effectiveness of meaningful peer engagement. This paper aims to describe and evaluate peer engagement in British Columbia from 2010-2014. A process evaluation framework specific to peer engagement was developed and used to assess progress made, lessons learned, and future opportunities under four domains: supportive environment, equitable participation, capacity building and empowerment, and improved programming and policy. The evaluation was conducted by reviewing primary and secondary qualitative data including focus groups, formal documents, and meeting minutes. Peer engagement was an iterative process that increased and improved over time as a consequence of reflexive learning. Practical ways to develop trust, redress power imbalances, and improve relationships were crosscutting themes. Lack of support, coordination, and building on existing capacity were factors that could undermine peer engagement. Peers involved across the province reviewed and provided feedback on these results. Recommendations from this evaluation can be applied to other peer engagement initiatives in decision-making settings to improve relationships between peers and professionals and to ensure programs and policies are relevant and equitable.

Will they like me? Adolescents’ emotional responses to peer evaluation

PubMed Central

Guyer, Amanda E.; Caouette, Justin D.; Lee, Clinton C.; Ruiz, Sarah K.

2014-01-01

Relative to children and adults, adolescents are highly focused on being evaluated by peers. This increased attention to peer evaluation has implications for emotion regulation in adolescence, but little is known about the characteristics of the evaluatee and evaluator that influence emotional reactions to evaluative outcomes. The present study used a computer-based social evaluation task to examine predictors of adolescents’ emotional responses to feedback from unknown peers. Nine-to-seventeen-year-olds (N = 36) completed the “chatroom task” and indicated the degree to which each peer would be interested in interacting with them and how good they felt after receiving acceptance and rejection feedback from peers. We examined whether adolescents’ age and gender impacted their emotional responses to being accepted or rejected by peers of different age groups (i.e., early or middle adolescence) and genders. We also tested whether expectations about peers’ interest was associated with variability in adolescents’ emotional responses to the evaluative outcome. Upon being accepted by middle adolescent male peers, females in the middle relative to early years of adolescence reported greater well-being, whereas males reported similar levels of well-being regardless of their own age. Following acceptance from middle adolescent female peers, females reported greater well-being than males. Adolescents with high expectations for being liked by peers felt better after being accepted versus rejected relative to those with low expectations. For adolescents with low expectations, acceptance and rejection were associated with similar levels of well-being. Adolescents’ emotional responses to peer evaluation are influenced by specific individual characteristics and antecedent preparation for evaluation that may serve an emotion regulatory purpose. PMID:25076803

The Potential of Peer Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Susan Moore; Fiarman, Sarah E.

2012-01-01

Peer review of teachers is controversial for several reasons. Some say peer reviewers encroach on the rightful domain of the principal as instructional leader. Others argue that, because peer evaluators are fellow teachers, they may be biased or unwilling to make hard decisions. Many teachers find the prospect of peer evaluation unsettling because…

Evaluation of a Peer-Led Drug Abuse Risk Reduction Project for Runaway/Homeless Youths.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fors, Stuart W.; Jarvis, Sara

1995-01-01

Evaluates the Drug Prevention in Youth risk reduction program that was implemented in shelters for runaway/homeless youths in the southeastern United States. An evaluation strategy was developed allowing for comparisons between peer-led, adult-led and nonintervention groups. Well-trained and motivated peer/near-peer leaders made particularly…

Developing a Stakeholder-Driven Anticipated Timeline of Impact for Evaluation of Social Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sridharan, Sanjeev; Campbell, Bernadette; Zinzow, Heidi

2006-01-01

The authors present a stakeholder-driven method, the earliest anticipated timeline of impact, which is designed to assess stakeholder expectations for the earliest time frame in which social programs are likely to affect outcomes. The utility of the anticipated timeline of impact is illustrated using an example from an evaluation of a…

Are mastery and ability goals both adaptive? Evaluation, initial goal construction and the quality of task engagement.

PubMed

Butler, Ruth

2006-09-01

The aims of this research were to examine the predictions that (a) the kind of evaluation pupils anticipate will influence their initial achievement goals and, as a result, the quality and consequences of task engagement; and (b) initial mastery goals will promote new learning and intrinsic motivation and initial ability goals will promote entity beliefs that ability is fixed. Participants were 312 secondary school pupils at ages 13-15. Pupils expected to receive normative evaluation, temporal evaluation (scores over time) or no evaluation. Mastery and ability goals were measured before pupils worked on challenging problems; intrinsic motivation and entity beliefs were measured after task completion. Anticipation of temporal evaluation enhanced initial mastery goals, anticipation of normative evaluation enhanced ability goals and the no-evaluation condition undermined both. Anticipation of temporal evaluation enhanced new learning (strategy acquisition and performance gains) and intrinsic motivation both directly and by enhancing initial mastery goals; anticipation of normative evaluation enhanced entity beliefs by enhancing ability goals. Results confirmed that evaluation conveys potent cues as to the goals of activity. They also challenged claims that both mastery and ability goals can be adaptive by demonstrating that these were differentially associated with positive versus negative processes and outcomes. Results have theoretical and applied implications for understanding and improving evaluative practices and student motivation.

Development of self-protective biases in response to social evaluative feedback

PubMed Central

Rodman, Alexandra M.; Powers, Katherine E.; Somerville, Leah H.

2017-01-01

Adolescence is a developmental period marked by heightened attunement to social evaluation. While adults have been shown to enact self-protective processes to buffer their self-views from evaluative threats like peer rejection, it is unclear whether adolescents avail themselves of the same defenses. The present study examines how social evaluation shapes views of the self and others differently across development. N = 107 participants ages 10–23 completed a reciprocal social evaluation task that involved predicting and receiving peer acceptance and rejection feedback, along with assessments of self-views and likability ratings of peers. Here, we show that, despite equivalent experiences of social evaluation, adolescents internalized peer rejection, experiencing a feedback-induced drop in self-views, whereas adults externalized peer rejection, reporting a task-induced boost in self-views and deprecating the peers who rejected them. The results identify codeveloping processes underlying why peer rejection may lead to more dramatic alterations in self-views during adolescence than other phases of the lifespan. PMID:29180428

Will They Like Me? Adolescents' Emotional Responses to Peer Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guyer, Amanda E.; Caouette, Justin D.; Lee, Clinton C.; Ruiz, Sarah K.

2014-01-01

Relative to children and adults, adolescents are highly focused on being evaluated by peers. This increased attention to peer evaluation has implications for emotion regulation in adolescence, but little is known about the characteristics of the evaluatee and evaluator that influence emotional reactions to evaluative outcomes. The present study…

Paired Comparison Evaluations of Managerial Effectiveness by Peers and Supervisors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siegel, Laurence

1982-01-01

Solicited paired comparison evaluations for a group of savings and loan association branch managers. Peer evaluations were obtained from 16 of these managers; supervisory evaluations were obtained from four officers. Interjudge agreement (both within and between groups) was high. Peer-generated evaluations assisted officers in making acceptable…

Partnerships Enhancing Practice: A Preliminary Model of Technology-Based Peer-to-Peer Evaluations of Teaching in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Servilio, Kathryn L.; Hollingshead, Aleksandra; Hott, Brittany L.

2017-01-01

In higher education, current teaching evaluation models typically involve senior faculty evaluating junior faculty. However, there is evidence that peer-to-peer junior faculty observations and feedback may be just as effective. This descriptive case study utilized an inductive analysis to examine experiences of six special education early career…

Iterative Design and Classroom Evaluation of Automated Formative Feedback for Improving Peer Feedback Localization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Huy; Xiong, Wenting; Litman, Diane

2017-01-01

A peer-review system that automatically evaluates and provides formative feedback on free-text feedback comments of students was iteratively designed and evaluated in college and high-school classrooms. Classroom assignments required students to write paper drafts and submit them to a peer-review system. When student peers later submitted feedback…

Psychometric properties of the Peer Proficiency Assessment (PEPA): a tool for evaluation of undergraduate peer counselors' motivational interviewing fidelity.

PubMed

Mastroleo, Nadine R; Mallett, Kimberly A; Turrisi, Rob; Ray, Anne E

2009-09-01

Despite the expanding use of undergraduate student peer counseling interventions aimed at reducing college student drinking, few programs evaluate peer counselors' competency to conduct these interventions. The present research describes the development and psychometric assessments of the Peer Proficiency Assessment (PEPA), a new tool for examining Motivational Interviewing adherence in undergraduate student peer delivered interventions. Twenty peer delivered sessions were evaluated by master and undergraduate student coders using a cross-validation design to examine peer based alcohol intervention sessions. Assessments revealed high inter-rater reliability between student and master coders and good correlations between previously established fidelity tools. Findings lend support for the use of the PEPA to examine peer counselor competency. The PEPA, training for use, inter-rater reliability information, construct and predictive validity, and tool usefulness are described.

Development of a Peer Teaching-Assessment Program and a Peer Observation and Evaluation Tool

PubMed Central

Trujillo, Jennifer M.; Barr, Judith; Gonyeau, Michael; Van Amburgh, Jenny A.; Matthews, S. James; Qualters, Donna

2008-01-01

Objectives To develop a formalized, comprehensive, peer-driven teaching assessment program and a valid and reliable assessment tool. Methods A volunteer taskforce was formed and a peer-assessment program was developed using a multistep, sequential approach and the Peer Observation and Evaluation Tool (POET). A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency and practicality of the process and to establish interrater reliability of the tool. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated. Results ICCs for 8 separate lectures evaluated by 2-3 observers ranged from 0.66 to 0.97, indicating good interrater reliability of the tool. Conclusion Our peer assessment program for large classroom teaching, which includes a valid and reliable evaluation tool, is comprehensive, feasible, and can be adopted by other schools of pharmacy. PMID:19325963

Toward a neural basis for peer-interaction: what makes peer-learning tick?

PubMed Central

Clark, Ian; Dumas, Guillaume

2015-01-01

Many of the instructional practices that have been advanced as intrinsically motivating are inherent in socio-constructivist learning environments. There is now emerging scientific evidence to explain why interactive learning environments promote the intrinsic motivation to learn. The “two-body” and “second person” approaches have begun to explore the “dark matter” of social neuroscience: the intra- and inter-individual brain dynamics during social interaction. Moreover, studies indicate that when young learners are given expanded opportunities to actively and equitably participate in collaborative learning activities they experienced feelings of well-being, contentment, or even excitement. Neuroscience starts demonstrating how this naturally rewarding aspect is strongly associated with the implication of the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway during social interaction. The production of dopamine reinforces the desire to continue the interaction, and heightens feelings of anticipation for future peer-learning activities. Here we review how cooperative learning and problem-solving interactions can bring about the “intrinsic” motivation to learn. Overall, the reported theoretical arguments and neuroscientific results have clear implications for school and organization approaches and support social constructivist perspectives. PMID:25713542

Peer acceptance and rejection through the eyes of youth: pupillary, eyetracking and ecological data from the Chatroom Interact task

PubMed Central

Stroud, Laura R.; Siegle, Greg J.; Dahl, Ronald E.; Lee, Kyung Hwa; Nelson, Eric E.

2012-01-01

We developed an ecologically valid virtual peer interaction paradigm—the Chatroom Interact Task in which 60 pre-adolescents and adolescents (ages 9–17 years) were led to believe that they were interacting with other youth in a simulated internet chatroom. Youth received rejection and acceptance feedback from virtual peers. Findings revealed increased pupil dilation, an index of increased activity in cognitive and affective processing regions of the brain, to rejection compared to acceptance trials, which was greater for older youth. Data from a cell-phone Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) protocol completed following the task indicated that increased pupillary reactivity to rejection trials was associated with lower feelings of social connectedness with peers in daily life. Eyetracking analyses revealed attentional biases toward acceptance feedback and away from rejection feedback. Biases toward acceptance feedback were stronger for older youth. Avoidance of rejection feedback was strongest among youth with increased pupillary reactivity to rejection, even in the seconds leading up to and following rejection feedback. These findings suggest that adolescents are sensitive to rejection feedback and seek to anticipate and avoid attending to rejection stimuli. Furthermore, the salience of social rejection and acceptance feedback appears to increase during adolescence. PMID:21775386

Adolescents' emotions and reasoning in contexts of moral conflict and social exclusion.

PubMed

Malti, Tina; Ongley, Sophia F; Dys, Sebastian P; Colasante, Tyler

2012-01-01

This article explores how adolescents feel and think about contexts of moral conflict and social exclusion. We asked twelve-year-old adolescents how they would feel about intentionally harming another peer, omitting a prosocial duty, and excluding another peer. We then asked them to explain the reasoning behind their feelings and report on levels of sympathy. In all contexts, adolescents anticipated a variety of negative emotions for reasons of fairness and empathy. However, more feelings of guilt were reported in contexts of intentional harm than in other contexts. Adolescents with high levels of sympathy reported more guilt, for reasons of fairness and empathy, than adolescents with low levels of sympathy. These findings provide a window into adolescents' emotions and reasoning regarding moral and social issues. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

In the Pen of the Author or Eye of the Beholder? A Measurement Framework for Understanding Peer Evaluation in Writing Assignments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Branum-Martin, Lee; Patchan, Melissa M.

2016-01-01

Peer learning is often used in classrooms to help and support knowledge and skill acquisition. One form of peer learning, peer assessment, involves the quantitative (i.e., peer ratings) or qualitative (i.e., peer feedback) evaluation of a learner's performance by another learner among students. While we might be concerned about the quality of the…

Effectiveness of the ACA (Availability, Current issues and Anticipation) training programme on GP-patient communication in palliative care; a controlled trial

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Communicating effectively with palliative care patients has been acknowledged to be somewhat difficult, but little is known about the effect that training general practitioners (GPs) in specific elements of communication in palliative care might have. We hypothesized that GPs exposed to a new training programme in GP-patient communication in palliative care focusing on availability of the GP for the patient, current issues the GP should discuss with the patient and anticipation by the GP of various scenarios (ACA), would discuss more issues and become more skilled in their communication with palliative care patients. Methods In this controlled trial among GPs who attended a two-year Palliative Care Peer Group Training Course in the Netherlands only intervention GPs received the ACA training programme. To evaluate the effect of the programme a content analysis (Roter Interaction Analysis System) was performed of one videotaped 15-minute consultation of each GP with a simulated palliative care patient conducted at baseline, and one at 12 months follow-up. Both how the GP communicated with the patient (‘availability’) and the number of current and anticipated issues the GP discussed with the patient were measured quantitatively. We used linear mixed models and logistic regression models to evaluate between-group differences over time. Results Sixty-two GPs were assigned to the intervention and 64 to the control group. We found no effect of the ACA training programme on how the GPs communicated with the patient or on the number of issues discussed by GPs with the patient. The total number of issues discussed by the GPs was eight out of 13 before and after the training in both groups. Conclusion The ACA training programme did not influence how the GPs communicated with the simulated palliative care patient or the number of issues discussed by the GPs in this trial. Further research should evaluate whether this training programme is effective for GPs who do not have a special interest in palliative care and whether studies using outcomes at patient level can provide more insight into the effectiveness of the ACA training programme. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN56722368 PMID:23819723

The Fundamental Neutron Physics Beamline at the Spallation Neutron Source.

PubMed

Greene, Geoffrey; Cianciolo, Vince; Koehler, Paul; Allen, Richard; Snow, William Michael; Huffman, Paul; Gould, Chris; Bowman, David; Cooper, Martin; Doyle, John

2005-01-01

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), currently under construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with an anticipated start-up in early 2006, will provide the most intense pulsed beams of cold neutrons in the world. At a projected power of 1.4 MW, the time averaged fluxes and fluences of the SNS will approach those of high flux reactors. One of the flight paths on the cold, coupled moderator will be devoted to fundamental neutron physics. The fundamental neutron physics beamline is anticipated to include two beam-lines; a broad band cold beam, and a monochromatic beam of 0.89 nm neutrons for ultracold neutron (UCN) experiments. The fundamental neutron physics beamline will be operated as a user facility with experiment selection based on a peer reviewed proposal process. An initial program of five experiments in neutron decay, hadronic weak interaction and time reversal symmetry violation have been proposed.

Development and Evaluation of a Peer Support Program for Parents Facing Perinatal Loss.

PubMed

Diamond, Rachel M; Roose, Rosmarie E

2016-01-01

The purpose of this program evaluation was to understand the perspectives of peer parents and parents receiving support within a peer support program for perinatal bereavement at a midsized hospital within the midwestern United States. To document participants' perceptions of the program, a focus group was conducted with peer parents, and surveys were completed by both peer parents and parents receiving support. In this article we review our model of a peer support program for perinatal bereavement and report on parents' evaluation of the program. Recommendations through which other organizations can develop peer support programs for parents who have experienced a perinatal loss are provided. © 2016 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

The Attitudes of First Year Senior Secondary School Students toward Their Science Classes in the Sudan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lado, Longun Moses

This study examined the influence of a set of relevant independent variables on students' decision to major in math or science disciplines, on the one hand, or arts or humanities disciplines, on the other. The independent variables of interest in the study were students' attitudes toward science, their gender, their socioeconomic status, their age, and the strength and direction of parents' and peers' influences on their academic decisions. The study answered five research questions that concerned students' intention in math or science, the association between students' attitudes and their choice to major in math or science, the extent to which parents' and peers' perspectives influence students' choice of major, and the influence of a combination of relevant variables on students' choice of major. The scholarly context for the study was literature relating to students' attitudes toward science and math, their likelihood of taking courses or majoring in science or math and various conditions influencing their attitudes and actions with respect to enrollment in science or math disciplines. This literature suggested that students' experiences, their gender, parents' and peers' influence, their socio-economic status, teachers' treatment of them, school curricula, school culture, and other variables may influence students' attitudes toward science and math and their decision regarding the study of these subjects. The study used a questionnaire comprised of 28 items to elicit information from students. Based upon cluster sampling of secondary schools, the researcher surveyed 1000 students from 10 secondary schools and received 987 responses. The researcher used SPSS to analyze students' responses. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and multiple regression analyses to provide findings that address the study's research questions. The following are the major findings from the study: (1) The instrument used to measure students' attitudes toward science and mathematics was not highly reliable, perhaps contributing to an attenuation of the relationship between attitude toward science and mathematics and choice of a science or mathematics major (rather than an arts or humanities major). (2) Far more students than the researcher had anticipated provided responses indicating that they planned to major in a science or mathematics discipline rather than an arts or humanities discipline. (3) Students' attitudes towards math and science were more favorable than the researcher anticipated based on findings from previous related studies. This result suggests the possibility of social desirability bias in students' responses. (4) Three significant predicator variables contributed to a significant logistic regression equation in which choice of science or mathematics major was the dependent variable: gender (negative association), attitude toward science and math (positive association), and peer influence 1 (positive association). Gender was the strongest predictor. (5) Five significant predictor variables contributed to a significant multiple linear regression equation in which attitude toward science and mathematics was the dependent variable: peer influence 1 (positive association), parent influence 1 (positive association), parent influence 2 (positive association), books in home (positive association), and peer influence 2 (positive association). The results reveal that among the targeted variables (gender, attitude, peer influence 1, peer influence 2, parent influence 1, parent influence 2, books in home, and age) only gender, peer influence 1, and attitude were significant predictors of students' major in math or science.

Paired peer review of university classroom teaching in a school of nursing and midwifery.

PubMed

Bennett, Paul N; Parker, Steve; Smigiel, Heather

2012-08-01

Peer review of university classroom teaching can increase the quality of teaching but is not universally practiced in Australian universities. To report an evaluation of paired peer-review process using both paper and web based teaching evaluation tools. Twenty university teachers in one metropolitan Australian School of Nursing and Midwifery were randomly paired and then randomly assigned to a paper based or web-based peer review tool. Each teacher reviewed each other's classroom teaching as part of a peer review program. The participants then completed an 18 question survey evaluating the peer review tool and paired evaluation process. Responses were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. Regardless of the tool used, participants found this process of peer review positive (75%), collegial (78%), supportive (61%) and non-threatening (71%). Participants reported that the peer review will improve their own classroom delivery (61%), teaching evaluation (61%) and planning (53%). The web-based tool was found to be easier to use and allowed more space than the paper-based tool. Implementation of a web-based paired peer review system can be a positive method of peer review of university classroom teaching. Pairing of teachers to review each other's classroom teaching is a promising strategy and has the potential to improve teaching in teaching universities. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The near-peer tutoring programme: embracing the ‘doctors-to-teach’ philosophy – a comparison of the effects of participation between the senior and junior near-peer tutors

PubMed Central

Liew, Siaw-Cheok; Sow, Chew-Fei; Sidhu, Jagmohni; Nadarajah, Vishna Devi

2015-01-01

Background While there is an increasing pool of literature documenting the benefits of near-peer tutoring programme, little is known about the benefits for junior and senior peer tutors. Knowledge of the peer tutors’ perceived benefits at different levels of seniority will aid in the development of a near-peer tutoring programme that will better fulfil both curricula and personal aspirations of near-peer tutors. We, therefore, investigated the perceived benefits of participation in a near-peer tutoring programme for junior as well as senior near-peer tutors. Methods Pre- and post-participation questionnaires were distributed to near-peer tutors after their clinical skills teaching sessions with Phase I undergraduate medical students. The Peer Tutor Assessment Instrument questionnaires were distributed to the 1) students, and to the 2) near-peer tutors (junior and senior) after each teaching and learning session for self-evaluation. Results The senior near-peer tutors felt that their participation in the programme had enhanced their skills (p=0.03). As a whole, the near-peer tutors were more motivated (Pre 5.32±0.46; Post 5.47±0.50; p=0.210) to participate in future teaching sessions but did not expect that having teaching experiences would make teaching as their major career path in the future (Pre 4.63±1.07; Post 4.54±0.98; p=0.701). The senior near-peer tutors were evaluated significantly higher by the students (p=0.0001). Students’ evaluations of near-peer tutors on the domain of critical analysis was higher than self-evaluations (p=0.003). Conclusions Generally, the near-peer tutors perceived that they have benefited most in their skills enhancement and these near-peer tutors were scored highly by the students. However, senior near-peer tutors do not perceive that the programme has a lasting impact on their choice of career path. PMID:26356229

The near-peer tutoring programme: embracing the 'doctors-to-teach' philosophy - a comparison of the effects of participation between the senior and junior near-peer tutors.

PubMed

Liew, Siaw-Cheok; Sow, Chew-Fei; Sidhu, Jagmohni; Nadarajah, Vishna Devi

2015-01-01

Background While there is an increasing pool of literature documenting the benefits of near-peer tutoring programme, little is known about the benefits for junior and senior peer tutors. Knowledge of the peer tutors' perceived benefits at different levels of seniority will aid in the development of a near-peer tutoring programme that will better fulfil both curricula and personal aspirations of near-peer tutors. We, therefore, investigated the perceived benefits of participation in a near-peer tutoring programme for junior as well as senior near-peer tutors. Methods Pre- and post-participation questionnaires were distributed to near-peer tutors after their clinical skills teaching sessions with Phase I undergraduate medical students. The Peer Tutor Assessment Instrument questionnaires were distributed to the 1) students, and to the 2) near-peer tutors (junior and senior) after each teaching and learning session for self-evaluation. Results The senior near-peer tutors felt that their participation in the programme had enhanced their skills (p=0.03). As a whole, the near-peer tutors were more motivated (Pre 5.32±0.46; Post 5.47±0.50; p=0.210) to participate in future teaching sessions but did not expect that having teaching experiences would make teaching as their major career path in the future (Pre 4.63±1.07; Post 4.54±0.98; p=0.701). The senior near-peer tutors were evaluated significantly higher by the students (p=0.0001). Students' evaluations of near-peer tutors on the domain of critical analysis was higher than self-evaluations (p=0.003). Conclusions Generally, the near-peer tutors perceived that they have benefited most in their skills enhancement and these near-peer tutors were scored highly by the students. However, senior near-peer tutors do not perceive that the programme has a lasting impact on their choice of career path.

The near-peer tutoring programme: embracing the 'doctors-to-teach' philosophy--a comparison of the effects of participation between the senior and junior near-peer tutors.

PubMed

Liew, Siaw-Cheok; Sow, Chew-Fei; Sidhu, Jagmohni; Nadarajah, Vishna Devi

2015-01-01

While there is an increasing pool of literature documenting the benefits of near-peer tutoring programme, little is known about the benefits for junior and senior peer tutors. Knowledge of the peer tutors' perceived benefits at different levels of seniority will aid in the development of a near-peer tutoring programme that will better fulfil both curricula and personal aspirations of near-peer tutors. We, therefore, investigated the perceived benefits of participation in a near-peer tutoring programme for junior as well as senior near-peer tutors. Pre- and post-participation questionnaires were distributed to near-peer tutors after their clinical skills teaching sessions with Phase I undergraduate medical students. The Peer Tutor Assessment Instrument questionnaires were distributed to the 1) students, and to the 2) near-peer tutors (junior and senior) after each teaching and learning session for self-evaluation. The senior near-peer tutors felt that their participation in the programme had enhanced their skills (p=0.03). As a whole, the near-peer tutors were more motivated (Pre 5.32±0.46; Post 5.47±0.50; p=0.210) to participate in future teaching sessions but did not expect that having teaching experiences would make teaching as their major career path in the future (Pre 4.63±1.07; Post 4.54±0.98; p=0.701). The senior near-peer tutors were evaluated significantly higher by the students (p=0.0001). Students' evaluations of near-peer tutors on the domain of critical analysis was higher than self-evaluations (p=0.003). Generally, the near-peer tutors perceived that they have benefited most in their skills enhancement and these near-peer tutors were scored highly by the students. However, senior near-peer tutors do not perceive that the programme has a lasting impact on their choice of career path.

OpenKnowledge for peer-to-peer experimentation in protein identification by MS/MS

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Traditional scientific workflow platforms usually run individual experiments with little evaluation and analysis of performance as required by automated experimentation in which scientists are being allowed to access numerous applicable workflows rather than being committed to a single one. Experimental protocols and data under a peer-to-peer environment could potentially be shared freely without any single point of authority to dictate how experiments should be run. In such environment it is necessary to have mechanisms by which each individual scientist (peer) can assess, locally, how he or she wants to be involved with others in experiments. This study aims to implement and demonstrate simple peer ranking under the OpenKnowledge peer-to-peer infrastructure by both simulated and real-world bioinformatics experiments involving multi-agent interactions. Methods A simulated experiment environment with a peer ranking capability was specified by the Lightweight Coordination Calculus (LCC) and automatically executed under the OpenKnowledge infrastructure. The peers such as MS/MS protein identification services (including web-enabled and independent programs) were made accessible as OpenKnowledge Components (OKCs) for automated execution as peers in the experiments. The performance of the peers in these automated experiments was monitored and evaluated by simple peer ranking algorithms. Results Peer ranking experiments with simulated peers exhibited characteristic behaviours, e.g., power law effect (a few dominant peers dominate), similar to that observed in the traditional Web. Real-world experiments were run using an interaction model in LCC involving two different types of MS/MS protein identification peers, viz., peptide fragment fingerprinting (PFF) and de novo sequencing with another peer ranking algorithm simply based on counting the successful and failed runs. This study demonstrated a novel integration and useful evaluation of specific proteomic peers and found MASCOT to be a dominant peer as judged by peer ranking. Conclusion The simulated and real-world experiments in the present study demonstrated that the OpenKnowledge infrastructure with peer ranking capability can serve as an evaluative environment for automated experimentation. PMID:22192521

Anticipation of public speaking in virtual reality reveals a relationship between trait social anxiety and startle reactivity.

PubMed

Cornwell, Brian R; Johnson, Linda; Berardi, Luciano; Grillon, Christian

2006-04-01

Startle reflex modification has become valuable to the study of fear and anxiety, but few studies have explored startle reactivity in socially threatening situations. Healthy participants ranging in trait social anxiety entered virtual reality (VR) that simulates standing center-stage in front of an audience to anticipate giving a speech and count backward. We measured startle and autonomic reactivity during anticipation of both tasks inside VR after a single baseline recording outside VR. Trait social anxiety, but not general trait anxiety, was positively correlated with startle before entering VR and most clearly during speech anticipation inside VR. Speech anticipation inside VR also elicited stronger physiologic responses relative to anticipation of counting. Under social-evaluative threat, startle reactivity showed robust relationships with fear of negative evaluation, a central aspect of social anxiety and clinical social phobia. Context-specific startle modification may be an endophenotype for subtypes of pathological anxiety.

Validity of Peer Evaluation for Team-Based Learning in a Dental School in Japan.

PubMed

Nishigawa, Keisuke; Hayama, Rika; Omoto, Katsuhiro; Okura, Kazuo; Tajima, Toyoko; Suzuki, Yoshitaka; Hosoki, Maki; Ueda, Mayu; Inoue, Miho; Rodis, Omar Marianito Maningo; Matsuka, Yoshizo

2017-12-01

The aim of this study was to determine the validity of peer evaluation for team-based learning (TBL) classes in dental education in comparison with the term-end examination records and TBL class scores. Examination and TBL class records of 256 third- and fourth-year dental students in six fixed prosthodontics courses from 2013 to 2015 in one dental school in Japan were investigated. Results of the term-end examination during those courses, individual readiness assurance test (IRAT), group readiness assurance test (GRAT), group assignment projects (GAP), and peer evaluation of group members in TBL classes were collected. Significant positive correlations were found between all combinations of peer evaluation, IRAT, and term-end examination. Individual scores also showed a positive correlation with group score (total of GRAT and GAP). From the investigation of the correlations in the six courses, significant positive correlations between peer evaluation and individual score were found in four of the six courses. In this study, peer evaluation seemed to be a valid index for learning performance in TBL classes. To verify the effectiveness of peer evaluation, all students have to realize the significance of scoring the team member's performance. Clear criteria and detailed instruction for appropriate evaluation are also required.

Self-evaluation and peer-feedback of medical students' communication skills using a web-based video annotation system. Exploring content and specificity.

PubMed

Hulsman, Robert L; van der Vloodt, Jane

2015-03-01

Self-evaluation and peer-feedback are important strategies within the reflective practice paradigm for the development and maintenance of professional competencies like medical communication. Characteristics of the self-evaluation and peer-feedback annotations of medical students' video recorded communication skills were analyzed. Twenty-five year 4 medical students recorded history-taking consultations with a simulated patient, uploaded the video to a web-based platform, marked and annotated positive and negative events. Peers reviewed the video and self-evaluations and provided feedback. Analyzed were the number of marked positive and negative annotations and the amount of text entered. Topics and specificity of the annotations were coded and analyzed qualitatively. Students annotated on average more negative than positive events. Additional peer-feedback was more often positive. Topics most often related to structuring the consultation. Students were most critical about their biomedical topics. Negative annotations were more specific than positive annotations. Self-evaluations were more specific than peer-feedback and both show a significant correlation. Four response patterns were detected that negatively bias specificity assessment ratings. Teaching students to be more specific in their self-evaluations may be effective for receiving more specific peer-feedback. Videofragmentrating is a convenient tool to implement reflective practice activities like self-evaluation and peer-feedback to the classroom in the teaching of clinical skills. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Olympic Fisher Reintroduction Project: Progress report 2008-2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jeffrey C. Lewis,; Patti J. Happe,; Jenkins, Kurt J.; Manson, David J.

2012-01-01

This progress report summarizes the final year of activities of Phase I of the Olympic fisher restoration project. The intent of the Olympic fisher reintroduction project is to reestablish a self-sustaining population of fishers on the Olympic Peninsula. To achieve this goal, the Olympic fisher reintroduction project released 90 fishers within Olympic National Park from 2008 to 2010. The reintroduction of fishers to the Olympic Peninsula was designed as an adaptive management project, including the monitoring of released fishers as a means to (1) evaluate reintroduction success, (2) investigate key biological and ecological traits of fishers, and (3) inform future reintroduction, monitoring, and research efforts. This report summarizes reintroduction activities and preliminary research and monitoring results completed through December 2011. The report is non-interpretational in nature. Although we report the status of movement, survival, and home range components of the research, we have not completed final analyses and interpretation of research results. Much of the data collected during the monitoring and research project will be analyzed and interpreted in the doctoral dissertation being developed by Jeff Lewis; the completion of this dissertation is anticipated prior to April 2013. We anticipate that this work, and analyses of other data collected during the project, will result in several peer-reviewed scientific publications in ecological and conservation journals, which collectively will comprise the final reporting of work summarized here. These publications will include papers addressing post-release movements, survival, resource selection, food habits, and age determination of fishers.

Managing RFID sensors networks with a general purpose RFID middleware.

PubMed

Abad, Ismael; Cerrada, Carlos; Cerrada, Jose A; Heradio, Rubén; Valero, Enrique

2012-01-01

RFID middleware is anticipated to one of the main research areas in the field of RFID applications in the near future. The Data EPC Acquisition System (DEPCAS) is an original proposal designed by our group to transfer and apply fundamental ideas from System and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems into the areas of RFID acquisition, processing and distribution systems. In this paper we focus on how to organize and manage generic RFID sensors (edge readers, readers, PLCs, etc…) inside the DEPCAS middleware. We denote by RFID Sensors Networks Management (RSNM) this part of DEPCAS, which is built on top of two new concepts introduced and developed in this work: MARC (Minimum Access Reader Command) and RRTL (RFID Reader Topology Language). MARC is an abstraction layer used to hide heterogeneous devices inside a homogeneous acquisition network. RRTL is a language to define RFID Reader networks and to describe the relationship between them (concentrator, peer to peer, master/submaster).

"Very much evolving": a qualitative study of the views of psychiatrists about peer support workers.

PubMed

Collins, Rachael; Firth, Lucy; Shakespeare, Tom

2016-06-01

Mental health services continue to develop service user involvement, including a growth in employment of peer support workers (PSWs). Despite the importance of the views and attitudes expressed by psychiatrists, this topic has not previously been studied. To gain insight into the views and attitudes psychiatrists have about PSWs. A qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with 11 psychiatrists in the East of England. Psychiatrists were broadly positive and supportive of PSWs. Interviewees not only could anticipate a range of possible benefits of employing PSWs, but also had concerns regarding their implementation and management. There was a lack of clarity and consistency between interviewees about what the exact role of a PSW might involve. This study provides insights into how PSWs are perceived by psychiatrists. While broadly positive attitudes exist, the research highlights certain challenges, particularly role ambiguity.

Evaluating Youth Sexual Health Peer Education Programs: "Challenges and Suggestions for Effective Evaluation Practices"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaworsky, Denise; Larkin, June; Sriranganathan, Gobika; Clout, Jerri; Janssen, Jesse; Campbell, Lisa; Flicker, Sarah; Stadnicki, Dan; Erlich, Leah; Flynn, Susan

2013-01-01

Although peer sexual health education is a common form of sexual health promotion for youth, systematic reviews of these programs are relatively rare. In this study we interviewed youth peer educators to inquire about their experience of program evaluation and their perception of what is needed to develop effective evaluation practices. Data were…

Examining the Levels of Job Satisfaction among Peer Evaluators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Althea Rochelle

2013-01-01

This study focused on assessing the levels of job satisfaction among peer evaluators in a large, metropolitan public K-12 school district in Florida. Peer evaluators were defined as former classroom teachers with five or more years of teaching experience who observe and evaluate teachers with two or more years of teaching experience. Seventy-eight…

Peer Sexual Health Education: Interventions for Effective Programme Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sriranganathan, Gobika; Jaworsky, Denise; Larkin, June; Flicker, Sarah; Campbell, Lisa; Flynn, Susan; Janssen, Jesse; Erlich, Leah

2012-01-01

Peer education is used as a health promotion strategy in a number of areas, including sexual health. Although peer education programmes have been around for some time, published systematic evaluations of youth sexual health peer education programmes are rare. This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of youth sexual health peer…

Sex Differences in Learned Helplessness: I. Differential Debilitation with Peer and Adult Evaluators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bush, Ellen S.; Dweck, Carol S.

1976-01-01

Peer and adult evaluators were used to examine sex differences in responses of 108 fifth graders to failure feedback. Performance in boys improved with feedback from adult agents but did not change with peer feedback. Performance in girls improved with peer feedback but showed little improvement with adult feedback. (GO)

Peer Tutoring: A Guide to Program Design. Research and Development Series No. 260.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashley, William L.; And Others

This publication presents guidelines for planning, implementing, and evaluating a peer tutoring program within a vocational setting. Chapter 1 discusses benefits of peer tutoring and presents a compilation of guidelines, suggestions, and examples for planning, developing, and evaluating a peer tutoring program. Tasks in each area--program…

Implementing a centralized institutional peer tutoring program.

PubMed

Gaughf, Natalie White; Foster, Penni Smith

2016-01-01

Peer tutoring has been found to be beneficial to both students and peer tutors in health sciences education programs. This article describes the implementation of a centralized, institutional peer tutoring program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, an academic health science center in the U.S. The Program: This multispecialty peer tutoring program paired students experiencing academic difficulties with peer tutors who showed prior academic success, professionalism and effective communication skills. The program allowed students and peer tutors to coordinate their own tutoring services. Evaluations by both students and peer tutors showed satisfaction with the program. Recommendations for developing and implementing an effective peer tutoring program are presented, including utilization of an online system, consistent program policy with high professionalism expectations, funding, program evaluation and data tracking.

Children's feedback preferences in response to an experimentally manipulated peer evaluation outcome: the role of depressive symptoms.

PubMed

Reijntjes, Albert; Dekovic, Maja; Vermande, Marjolijn; Telch, Michael J

2007-06-01

The present study examined the linkage between pre-adolescent children's depressive symptoms and their preferences for receiving positive vs. negative feedback subsequent to being faced with an experimentally manipulated peer evaluation outcome in real time. Participants (n = 142) ages 10 to 13, played a computer contest based on the television show Survivor and were randomized to either a peer rejection (i.e., receiving the lowest total 'likeability' score from a group of peer-judges), a peer success (i.e., receiving the highest score), or a control peer evaluation condition. Children's self-reported feedback preferences were then assessed. Results revealed that participants assigned to the negative evaluation outcome, relative to either the success or the control outcome, showed a significantly higher subsequent preference for negatively tuned feedback. Contrary to previous work and predictions derived from self-verification theory, children higher in depressive symptoms were only more likely to prefer negative feedback in response to the negative peer evaluation outcome. These effects for depression were not accounted for by either state mood at baseline or mood change in response to the feedback manipulation.

Attitude of Nigerian Secondary School Teachers to Peer Evaluation of Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joshua, Monday T.; Joshua, Akon M.; Bassey, Bassey A.; Akubuiro, Idorenyin M.

2006-01-01

The study investigated the general attitude of Nigerian secondary school teachers toward peer evaluation of teachers. It also sought to determine whether teacher characteristics such as gender, school geographical location, academic qualification and teaching experience affected Nigerian teachers' attitude toward peer evaluation of teachers. To…

Peer Passenger Norms and Pressure: Experimental Effects on Simulated Driving Among Teenage Males.

PubMed

Bingham, C Raymond; Simons-Morton, Bruce G; Pradhan, Anuj K; Li, Kaigang; Almani, Farideh; Falk, Emily B; Shope, Jean T; Buckley, Lisa; Ouimet, Marie Claude; Albert, Paul S

2016-08-01

Serious crashes are more likely when teenage drivers have teenage passengers. One likely source of this increased risk is social influences on driving performance. This driving simulator study experimentally tested the effects of peer influence (i.e., risk-accepting compared to risk-averse peer norms reinforced by pressure) on the driving risk behavior (i.e., risky driving behavior and inattention to hazards) of male teenagers. It was hypothesized that peer presence would result in greater driving risk behavior (i.e., increased driving risk and reduced latent hazard anticipation), and that the effect would be greater when the peer was risk-accepting. Fifty-three 16- and 17-year-old male participants holding a provisional U.S., State of Michigan driver license were randomized to either a risk-accepting or risk-averse condition. Each participant operated a driving simulator while alone and separately with a confederate peer passenger. The simulator world included scenarios designed to elicit variation in driving risk behavior with a teen passenger present in the vehicle. Significant interactions of passenger presence (passenger present vs. alone) by risk condition (risk-accepting vs. risk-averse) were observed for variables measuring: failure to stop at yellow light intersections (Incident Rate Ratio (IRR)=2.16; 95% Confidence Interval [95CI]=1.06, 4.43); higher probability of overtaking (IRR=10.17; 95CI=1.43, 73.35); shorter left turn latency (IRR=0.43; 95CI=0.31,0.60); and, failure to stop at an intersection with an occluded stop sign (IRR=7.90; 95CI=2.06,30.35). In all cases, greater risky driving by participants was more likely with a risk-accepting passenger versus a risk-averse passenger present and a risk-accepting passenger present versus driving alone. Exposure of male teenagers to a risk-accepting confederate peer passenger who applied peer influence increased simulated risky driving behavior compared with exposure to a risk-averse confederate peer passenger or driving alone. These results are consistent with the contention that variability in teenage risky driving is in part explained by social influences.

Peer Passenger Norms and Pressure: Experimental Effects on Simulated Driving Among Teenage Males

PubMed Central

Bingham, C. Raymond; Simons-Morton, Bruce G.; Pradhan, Anuj K.; Li, Kaigang; Almani, Farideh; Falk, Emily B.; Shope, Jean T.; Buckley, Lisa; Ouimet, Marie Claude; Albert, Paul S.

2016-01-01

Objective Serious crashes are more likely when teenage drivers have teenage passengers. One likely source of this increased risk is social influences on driving performance. This driving simulator study experimentally tested the effects of peer influence (i.e., risk-accepting compared to risk-averse peer norms reinforced by pressure) on the driving risk behavior (i.e., risky driving behavior and inattention to hazards) of male teenagers. It was hypothesized that peer presence would result in greater driving risk behavior (i.e., increased driving risk and reduced latent hazard anticipation), and that the effect would be greater when the peer was risk-accepting. Methods Fifty-three 16- and 17-year-old male participants holding a provisional U.S., State of Michigan driver license were randomized to either a risk-accepting or risk-averse condition. Each participant operated a driving simulator while alone and separately with a confederate peer passenger. The simulator world included scenarios designed to elicit variation in driving risk behavior with a teen passenger present in the vehicle. Results Significant interactions of passenger presence (passenger present vs. alone) by risk condition (risk-accepting vs. risk-averse) were observed for variables measuring: failure to stop at yellow light intersections (Incident Rate Ratio (IRR)=2.16; 95% Confidence Interval [95CI]=1.06, 4.43); higher probability of overtaking (IRR=10.17; 95CI=1.43, 73.35); shorter left turn latency (IRR=0.43; 95CI=0.31,0.60); and, failure to stop at an intersection with an occluded stop sign (IRR=7.90; 95CI=2.06,30.35). In all cases, greater risky driving by participants was more likely with a risk-accepting passenger versus a risk-averse passenger present and a risk-accepting passenger present versus driving alone. Conclusions Exposure of male teenagers to a risk-accepting confederate peer passenger who applied peer influence increased simulated risky driving behavior compared with exposure to a risk-averse confederate peer passenger or driving alone. These results are consistent with the contention that variability in teenage risky driving is in part explained by social influences. PMID:27818610

Supporting Mediated Peer-Evaluation to Grade Answers to Open-Ended Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Marsico, Maria; Sciarrone, Filippo; Sterbini, Andrea; Temperini, Marco

2017-01-01

We show an approach to semi-automatic grading of answers given by students to open ended questions (open answers). We use both peer-evaluation and teacher evaluation. A learner is modeled by her Knowledge and her assessments quality (Judgment). The data generated by the peer- and teacher-evaluations, and by the learner models is represented by a…

Group Peer Assessment for Summative Evaluation in a Graduate-Level Statistics Course for Ecologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ArchMiller, Althea; Fieberg, John; Walker, J.D.; Holm, Noah

2017-01-01

Peer assessment is often used for formative learning, but few studies have examined the validity of group-based peer assessment for the summative evaluation of course assignments. The present study contributes to the literature by using online technology (the course management system Moodle™) to implement structured, summative peer review based on…

An Evaluation of Participation in a Schools-Based Youth Mental Health Peer Education Training Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Reilly, Aileen; Barry, James; Neary, Marie-Louise; Lane, Sabrina; O'Keeffe, Lynsey

2016-01-01

The use of peer education has been well documented within the discipline of health promotion, but not within the youth mental health domain. This paper describes an evaluation of an innovative schools-based peer education training programme that involved preparing young people to deliver a mental health workshop to their peers. Participants…

Temporal dynamics of reward anticipation in the human brain.

PubMed

Zhang, Yuanyuan; Li, Qi; Wang, Zhao; Liu, Xun; Zheng, Ya

2017-09-01

Reward anticipation is a complex process including cue evaluation, motor preparation, and feedback anticipation. The present study investigated whether these psychological processes were dissociable on neural dynamics in terms of incentive valence and approach motivation. We recorded EEG when participants were performing a monetary incentive delay task, and found a cue-P3 during the cue-evaluation stage, a contingent negative variation (CNV) during the motor-preparation stage, and a stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) during the feedback-anticipation stage. Critically, both the cue-P3 and SPN exhibited an enhanced sensitivity to gain versus loss anticipation, which was not observed for the CNV. Moreover, both the cue-P3 and SPN, instead of the CNV, for gain anticipation selectively predicted the participants' approach motivation as measured in a following effort expenditure for rewards task, particularly when reward uncertainty was maximal. Together, these results indicate that reward anticipation consists of several sub-stages, each with distinct functional significance, thus providing implications for neuropsychiatric diseases characterized by dysfunction in anticipatory reward processing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Peer-assessment of medical communication skills: the impact of students' personality, academic and social reputation on behavioural assessment.

PubMed

Hulsman, Robert L; Peters, Joline F; Fabriek, Marcel

2013-09-01

Peer-assessment of communication skills may contribute to mastery of assessment criteria. When students develop the capacity to judge their peers' performance, they might improve their capacity to examine their own clinical performance. In this study peer-assessment ratings are compared to teacher-assessment ratings. The aim of this paper is to explore the impact of personality and social reputation as source of bias in assessment of communication skills. Second year students were trained and assessed history taking communication skills. Peers rated the students' personality and academic and social reputation. Peer-assessment ratings were significantly correlated with teacher-ratings in a summative assessment of medical communication. Peers did not provide negative ratings on final scales but did provide negative ratings on subcategories. Peer- and teacher-assessments were both related to the students' personality and academic reputation. Peer-assessment cannot replace teacher-assessment if the assessment should result in high-stake decisions about students. Our data do not confirm the hypothesis that peers are overly biased by personality and reputation characteristics in peer-assessment of performance. Early introduction of peer-assessment in medical education would facilitate early acceptance of this mode of evaluation and would promote early on the habit of critical evaluation of professional clinical performance and acceptance of being evaluated critically by peers. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neural correlates of prosocial peer influence on public goods game donations during adolescence.

PubMed

Van Hoorn, Jorien; Van Dijk, Eric; Güroğlu, Berna; Crone, Eveline A

2016-06-01

A unique feature of adolescent social re-orientation is heightened sensitivity to peer influence when taking risks. However, positive peer influence effects are not yet well understood. The present fMRI study tested a novel hypothesis, by examining neural correlates of prosocial peer influence on donation decisions in adolescence. Participants (age 12-16 years; N = 61) made decisions in anonymous groups about the allocation of tokens between themselves and the group in a public goods game. Two spectator groups of same-age peers-in fact youth actors-were allegedly online during some of the decisions. The task had a within-subjects design with three conditions: (1) EVALUATION: spectators evaluated decisions with likes for large donations to the group, (2) Spectator: spectators were present but no evaluative feedback was displayed and (3) Alone: no spectators nor feedback. Results showed that prosocial behavior increased in the presence of peers, and even more when participants received evaluative feedback from peers. Peer presence resulted in enhanced activity in several social brain regions including medial prefrontal cortex, temporal parietal junction (TPJ), precuneus and superior temporal sulcus. TPJ activity correlated with donations, which suggests similar networks for prosocial behavior and sensitivity to peers. These findings highlight the importance of peers in fostering prosocial development throughout adolescence. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Peer Evaluation of Team Member Effectiveness as a Formative Educational Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mentzer, Nathan; Laux, Dawn; Zissimopoulos, Angelika; Richards, K. Andrew R.

2017-01-01

Peer evaluation of team member effectiveness is often used to complement cooperative learning in the classroom by holding students accountable for their team contributions. Drawing on the tenants of self-determination theory, this study investigated the impact of formative peer evaluation in university level team-based design projects. The…

Majority Children's Evaluation of Acculturation Preferences of Immigrant and Emigrant Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verkuyten, Maykel; Thijs, Jochem; Sierksma, Jellie

2014-01-01

Using an experimental design, native majority group children (8-13 years, N = 842) evaluated acculturation strategies (assimilation, integration, and separation) adopted by immigrant and emigrant peers. There were medium to large effects of the perceived acculturation strategies on children's peer evaluations. Overall, assimilation was valued…

Circles of Care: Development and Initial Evaluation of a Peer Support Model for African Americans with Advanced Cancer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanson, Laura C.; Armstrong, Tonya D.; Green, Melissa A.; Hayes, Michelle; Peacock, Stacie; Elliot-Bynum, Sharon; Goldmon, Moses V.; Corbie-Smith, Giselle; Earp, Jo Anne

2013-01-01

Peer support interventions extend care and health information to underserved populations yet rarely address serious illness. Investigators from a well-defined academic-community partnership developed and evaluated a peer support intervention for African Americans facing advanced cancer. Evaluation methods used the Reach, Efficacy, Adoption,…

Peer Assessment of Evaluation Products: Practice in the Department of National Defence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Ira; Browell, J. Edward

1996-01-01

Evaluation reports produced in the Canadian Department of National Defense have been subject to peer assessment since 1972, but the evaluation literature contains little evidence to support the practice. Peer assessments are used to ensure that standards have been met, to correct errors, and to gain insight from reviewers. (Author/SLD)

Subjective evaluation of a peer support program by women with breast cancer: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Ono, Miho; Tsuyumu, Yuko; Ota, Hiroko; Okamoto, Reiko

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the subjective evaluation of a breast cancer peer support program based on a survey of the participants who completed the program. Semistructured interviews were held with 10 women with breast cancer. The responses were subject to a qualitative inductive analysis. Women with breast cancer who participated in the breast cancer peer support program evaluated the features of the program and cited benefits, such as "Receiving individual peer support tailored to your needs," "Easily consulted trained peer supporters," and "Excellent coordination." Also indicated were benefits of the peer support that was received, such as "Receiving peer-specific emotional support," "Obtaining specific experimental information," "Re-examining yourself," and "Making preparations to move forward." The women also spoke of disadvantages, such as "Strict management of personal information" and "Matching limitations." In this study, the subjective evaluation of a peer support program by women with breast cancer was clarified . The women with breast cancer felt that the program had many benefits and some disadvantages. These results suggest that there is potential for peer support-based patient-support programs in medical services that are complementary to the current support that is provided by professionals. © 2016 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.

Self-reported reasons for breastfeeding cessation among low-income women enrolled in a peer counseling breastfeeding support program.

PubMed

Rozga, Mary R; Kerver, Jean M; Olson, Beth H

2015-02-01

Peer counseling programs have demonstrated efficacy in improving breastfeeding rates in the low-income population, but there is little research concerning why women enrolled in these programs ultimately discontinue breastfeeding. This study aimed to describe the self-reported reasons for discontinuing breastfeeding among women who are receiving peer counseling support by participant characteristics and timing of discontinuation. This study is a secondary analysis of data collected from 7942 participants who discontinued breastfeeding while enrolled in a peer counseling breastfeeding support program from 2005 to 2011. Reasons for discontinuing breastfeeding were assessed in relation to participant characteristics and weaning age using chi-square analyses and Kruskall-Wallis analyses of variance. The most common reasons reported for discontinuing breastfeeding were mother's preference (39%) and low milk supply (21%), although reasons differed by age of infant weaning (P < .001). Among participants who discontinued the earliest, the most commonly cited reasons were breastfeeding challenges [median duration (interquartile range), 4.7 (2.0, 13.4) weeks], followed by low milk supply [8.9 (4.6, 19.1) weeks] and mother's preference [12.9 (5.0, 25.7) weeks]. Women who were younger, were less educated, were non-Hispanic black, were unmarried, and had no prior breastfeeding experience were the most likely to discontinue breastfeeding due to mother's preference. Peer counselors are in a unique position to offer breastfeeding education and encouragement and may be able to use evidence presented here to anticipate specified concerns either prenatally or postpartum, to prevent early breastfeeding discontinuation. © The Author(s) 2014.

Use of serologic testing to assess immune status of companion animals.

PubMed

Tizard, I; Ni, Y

1998-07-01

At the November 1997 meeting of the AVMA Council on Biologic and Therapeutic Agents, the Council recommended that the JAVMA publish an article on the current status of the use of serologic testing in an effort to assist practitioners who must make decisions regarding vaccination of companion animals (i.e., dogs, cats, and horses). It is anticipated that the peer-reviewed article provided here will be of benefit to veterinarians and will facilitate their attempts to maintain animal health through the knowledgeable use of vaccines.

Survey identifies trends in equipment acquisitions.

PubMed

Anderson, H J

1990-09-20

Automated laboratory equipment, medical imaging equipment, and patient monitors top the list of hospitals' priorities for equipment acquisition during the next year. This is according to an exclusive survey sponsored by the Linc Group, Inc., Chicago, and Hospitals magazine. The new survey also found that equipment acquisitions are most often financed with internal funds and gifts; that equipment purchasing budgets are on the rise; and that executives believe that most equipment makes money for their hospitals. Find out what your peers have to say about anticipated trends in equipment acquisition and financing during the next year.

The Impact of Peer Mentoring on Levels of Student Wellbeing, Integration and Retention: A Controlled Comparative Evaluation of Residential Students in UK Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collings, R.; Swanson, V.; Watkins, R.

2014-01-01

Peer mentoring is becoming increasingly popular in UK higher education, however, there remains little good quality, theoretically driven and evaluative research. The current study aims to bridge the gap between theory, practice and evaluation by providing a controlled evaluation of a peer mentoring scheme within UK universities. 109 first year…

Emotion socialization in anxious youth: Parenting buffers emotional reactivity to peer negative events

PubMed Central

Oppenheimer, Caroline W.; Ladouceur, Cecile D.; Waller, Jennifer M.; Ryan, Neal D.; Allen, Kristy Benoit; Sheeber, Lisa; Forbes, Erika E; Dahl, Ronald E.; Silk, Jennifer S.

2016-01-01

Anxious youth exhibit heightened emotional reactivity, particularly to social-evaluative threat, such as peer evaluation and feedback, compared to non-anxious youth. Moreover, normative developmental changes during the transition into adolescence may exacerbate emotional reactivity to peer negative events, particularly for anxious youth. Therefore, it is important to investigate factors that may buffer emotional reactivity within peer contexts among anxious youth. The current study examined the role of parenting behaviors in child emotional reactivity to peer and non-peer negative events among 86 anxious youth in middle childhood to adolescence (Mean age = 11.29, 54% girls). Parenting behavior and affect was observed during a social-evaluative laboratory speech task for youth, and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods were used to examine youth emotional reactivity to typical daily negative events within peer and non-peer contexts. Results showed that parent positive behaviors, and low levels of parent anxious affect, during the stressful laboratory task for youth buffered youth negative emotional reactivity to real-world negative peer events, but not non-peer events. Findings inform our understanding of parenting influences on anxious youth's emotional reactivity to developmentally salient negative events during the transition into adolescence. PMID:26783026

Emotion Socialization in Anxious Youth: Parenting Buffers Emotional Reactivity to Peer Negative Events.

PubMed

Oppenheimer, Caroline W; Ladouceur, Cecile D; Waller, Jennifer M; Ryan, Neal D; Allen, Kristy Benoit; Sheeber, Lisa; Forbes, Erika E; Dahl, Ronald E; Silk, Jennifer S

2016-10-01

Anxious youth exhibit heightened emotional reactivity, particularly to social-evaluative threat, such as peer evaluation and feedback, compared to non-anxious youth. Moreover, normative developmental changes during the transition into adolescence may exacerbate emotional reactivity to peer negative events, particularly for anxious youth. Therefore, it is important to investigate factors that may buffer emotional reactivity within peer contexts among anxious youth. The current study examined the role of parenting behaviors in child emotional reactivity to peer and non-peer negative events among 86 anxious youth in middle childhood to adolescence (Mean age = 11.29, 54 % girls). Parenting behavior and affect was observed during a social-evaluative laboratory speech task for youth, and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods were used to examine youth emotional reactivity to typical daily negative events within peer and non-peer contexts. Results showed that parent positive behaviors, and low levels of parent anxious affect, during the stressful laboratory task for youth buffered youth negative emotional reactivity to real-world negative peer events, but not non-peer events. Findings inform our understanding of parenting influences on anxious youth's emotional reactivity to developmentally salient negative events during the transition into adolescence.

Does This Make Me Look Fat? Peer Crowd and Peer Contributions to Adolescent Girls' Weight Control Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackey, Eleanor Race; La Greca, Annette M.

2008-01-01

Based on the Theory of Reasoned Action, this study evaluated a "socialization" model linking girls' peer crowd affiliations (e.g., Jocks, Populars) with their own weight concern, perceived peer weight norms, and weight control behaviors. An alternative "selection" model was also evaluated. Girls (N = 236; M age = 15.95 years) from diverse ethnic…

Children’s Feedback Preferences in Response to an Experimentally Manipulated Peer Evaluation Outcome: The Role of Depressive Symptoms

PubMed Central

Dekovic, Maja; Vermande, Marjolijn; Telch, Michael J.

2007-01-01

The present study examined the linkage between pre-adolescent children’s depressive symptoms and their preferences for receiving positive vs. negative feedback subsequent to being faced with an experimentally manipulated peer evaluation outcome in real time. Participants (n = 142) ages 10 to 13, played a computer contest based on the television show Survivor and were randomized to either a peer rejection (i.e., receiving the lowest total ‘likeability’ score from a group of peer-judges), a peer success (i.e., receiving the highest score), or a control peer evaluation condition. Children’s self-reported feedback preferences were then assessed. Results revealed that participants assigned to the negative evaluation outcome, relative to either the success or the control outcome, showed a significantly higher subsequent preference for negatively tuned feedback. Contrary to previous work and predictions derived from self-verification theory, children higher in depressive symptoms were only more likely to prefer negative feedback in response to the negative peer evaluation outcome. These effects for depression were not accounted for by either state mood at baseline or mood change in response to the feedback manipulation. PMID:17279340

Peer Observation Reports and Student Evaluations of Teaching: Who Are the Experts?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ackerman, David; Gross, Barbara L.; Vigneron, Franck

2009-01-01

This study is an exploratory inquiry into the perceptions of university faculty regarding two forms of teaching evaluations, student evaluations of teaching (SET), and peer observation reports (POR). Which, if either, better assesses the quality of instruction? Who are the real experts in judging teaching quality: peers who are experts in their…

Motivated To Win: Relationship between Anticipatory and Outcome Reward-Related Neural Activity

PubMed Central

Nusslock, Robin

2015-01-01

Reward-processing involves two temporal stages characterized by two distinct neural processes: reward-anticipation and reward-outcome. Intriguingly, very little research has examined the relationship between neural processes involved in reward-anticipation and reward-outcome. To investigate this, one needs to consider the heterogeneity of reward-processing within each stage. To identify different stages of reward processing, we adapted a reward time-estimation task. While EEG data were recorded, participants were instructed to button-press 3.5 s after the onset of an Anticipation-Cue and received monetary reward for good time-estimation on the Reward trials, but not on No-Reward trials. We first separated reward-anticipation into event related potentials (ERPs) occurring at three sub-stages: reward/no-reward cue-evaluation, motor-preparation and feedback-anticipation. During reward/no-reward cue-evaluation, the Reward-Anticipation Cue led to a smaller N2 and larger P3. During motor-preparation, we report, for the first time, that the Reward-Anticipation Cue enhanced the Readiness Potential (RP), starting approximately 1 s before movement. At the subsequent feedback-anticipation stage, the Reward-Anticipation Cue elevated the Stimulus-Preceding Negativity (SPN). We also separated reward-outcome ERPs into different components occurring at different time-windows: the Feedback-Related Negativity (FRN), Feedback-P3 (FB-P3) and Late-Positive Potentials (LPP). Lastly, we examined the relationship between reward-anticipation and reward-outcome ERPs. We report that individual-differences in specific reward-anticipation ERPs uniquely predicted specific reward-outcome ERPs. In particular, the reward-anticipation Early-RP (1 to .8 s before movement) predicted early reward-outcome ERPs (FRN and FB-P3), whereas, the reward-anticipation SPN most strongly predicted a later reward-outcome ERP (LPP). Results have important implications for understanding the nature of the relationship between reward-anticipation and reward-outcome neural-processes. PMID:26433773

Promoting Residential Renewable Energy via Peer-to-Peer Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heiskanen, Eva; Nissilä, Heli; Tainio, Pasi

2017-01-01

Peer-to-peer learning is gaining increasing attention in nonformal community-based environmental education. This article evaluates a novel modification of a concept for peer-to-peer learning about residential energy solutions (Open Homes). We organized collective "Energy Walks" visiting several homes with novel energy solutions and…

Adult-onset offenders: Is a tailored theory warranted?

PubMed Central

Beckley, Amber L.; Caspi, Avshalom; Harrington, Honalee; Houts, Renate M.; Mcgee, Tara Renae; Morgan, Nick; Schroeder, Felix; Ramrakha, Sandhya; Poulton, Richie; Moffitt, Terrie E.

2016-01-01

Purpose To describe official adult-onset offenders, investigate their antisocial histories and test hypotheses about their origins. Methods We defined adult-onset offenders among 931 Dunedin Study members followed to age 38, using criminal-court conviction records. Results Official adult-onset offenders were 14% of men, and 32% of convicted men, but accounted for only 15% of convictions. As anticipated by developmental theories emphasizing early-life influences on crime, adult-onset offenders’ histories of antisocial behavior spanned back to childhood. Relative to juvenile-offenders, during adolescence they had fewer delinquent peers and were more socially inhibited, which may have protected them from conviction. As anticipated by theories emphasizing the importance of situational influences on offending, adult-onset offenders, relative to non-offenders, during adulthood more often had schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and alcohol-dependence, had weaker social bonds, anticipated fewer informal sanctions, and self-reported more offenses. Contrary to some expectations, adult-onset offenders did not have high IQ or high socioeconomic-status families protecting them from juvenile conviction. Conclusions A tailored theory for adult-onset offenders is unwarranted because few people begin crime de novo as adults. Official adult-onset offenders fall on a continuum of crime and its correlates, between official non-offenders and official juvenile-onset offenders. Existing theories can accommodate adult-onset offenders. PMID:27134318

A magnetoencephalography study of visual processing of pain anticipation.

PubMed

Machado, Andre G; Gopalakrishnan, Raghavan; Plow, Ela B; Burgess, Richard C; Mosher, John C

2014-07-15

Anticipating pain is important for avoiding injury; however, in chronic pain patients, anticipatory behavior can become maladaptive, leading to sensitization and limiting function. Knowledge of networks involved in pain anticipation and conditioning over time could help devise novel, better-targeted therapies. With the use of magnetoencephalography, we evaluated in 10 healthy subjects the neural processing of pain anticipation. Anticipatory cortical activity elicited by consecutive visual cues that signified imminent painful stimulus was compared with cues signifying nonpainful and no stimulus. We found that the neural processing of visually evoked pain anticipation involves the primary visual cortex along with cingulate and frontal regions. Visual cortex could quickly and independently encode and discriminate between visual cues associated with pain anticipation and no pain during preconscious phases following object presentation. When evaluating the effect of task repetition on participating cortical areas, we found that activity of prefrontal and cingulate regions was mostly prominent early on when subjects were still naive to a cue's contextual meaning. Visual cortical activity was significant throughout later phases. Although visual cortex may precisely and time efficiently decode cues anticipating pain or no pain, prefrontal areas establish the context associated with each cue. These findings have important implications toward processes involved in pain anticipation and maladaptive pain conditioning. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

Dynamic online peer evaluations to improve group assignments in nursing e-learning environment.

PubMed

Adwan, Jehad

2016-06-01

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the use of online peer evaluation forms for online group activities in improving group project outcomes. The investigator developed and used a web-based Google Forms® self and peer evaluation form of 2 group assignments' rubric for junior and senior nursing students. The form covered elements of the assignments including: research activity, analysis of the literature, writing of report, participation in making of presentation, overall contribution to the project, and participation in the weekly group discussions. Items were rated from 1 (did not contribute) to 5 (outstanding contribution) in addition to NA when one activity did not apply. The self and peer evaluation process was conducted twice: once after group assignment 1 and once after group assignment 2. The group assignments final products were done in the form of VoiceThread online presentations that were shared with the rest of the class reflecting the groups' work on a health informatics topic of interest. Data collected as the students completed self and peer evaluations for group assignments 1 and 2. Also, optional comments regarding member performance were collected to add contextual information in addition to ratings. Students received credit for completing the peer evaluations and the grade for the particular assignment was affected by their performance based on peer evaluations of their contributions. Students' peer evaluations showed in a color-coded spreadsheet which enabled the course faculty to view real time results of students' ratings after each assignment. The faculty provided timely and tailored feedback to groups or individuals as needed, using positive feedback and commending high performance while urging struggling individual students and groups to improve lower ratings in specific areas. Comparing evaluations of both assignments, there were statistically significant improvements among all students. The mean scores of the entire sample were skewed toward the higher end of the scale, suggesting an overall high performance group. However, analysis of the lower performing individuals showed consistent and statistically significant improvements in all areas of the evaluation criteria. Anonymous peer evaluation activities and timely faculty feedback in e-Learning environment can be a useful tool to faculty to improve group performance over time by engaging the learners within their groups. Peer evaluations provided real time view of group mid-semester formative evaluations that allowed the faculty to provide timely and tailored feedback on student performance which allowed for better outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of a Peer Evaluation Technique on Nursing Students' Anxiety Levels.

PubMed

Stewart, Patricia; Greene, Debbie; Coke, Sallie

2017-11-16

Techniques to help decrease students' stress and anxiety during a nursing program can be beneficial to their overall health and mental well-being. A quasi-experimental design was used to examine if a peer evaluation technique during clinical skill practice sessions decreases anxiety prior to skill performance evaluation with nursing faculty. Participant feedback supports the integration of a peer evaluation technique when learning clinical skills.

Peer Ratings: Scoring Strategy Development and Reliability Demonstration on Air Force Basic Trainees. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borman, Walter C.; Rosse, Rodney L.

As an alternative for or adjunct to paper-and-pencil tests for predicting personnel performance, the United States Air Force studied the use of peer ratings as an evaluative tool. Purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of peer ratings among Air Force basic trainees. Peer ratings were obtained from more than 27,000…

Adolescent personality factors in self-ratings and peer nominations and their prediction of peer acceptance and peer rejection.

PubMed

Scholte, R H; van Aken, M A; van Lieshout, C F

1997-12-01

In this study, the robustness of the Big Five personality factors in adolescents' self-ratings and peer nominations was investigated. Data were obtained on 2,001 adolescents attending secondary school (885 girls; 1,116 boys; M age = 14.5 years). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on the self-ratings confirmed the Big Five personality factors. In contrast, exploratory analysis on the peer nominations revealed five different factors: Aggression-Inattentiveness, Achievement-Withdrawal, Self-Confidence, Sociability, and Emotionality-Nervousness. It is suggested that peers evaluate group members not in terms of their personality but in terms of their group reputation. Peer evaluations contributed substantially to the prediction of peer acceptance and rejection; the Big Five personality factors based on self-ratings did not.

Process evaluation of school-based peer education for HIV prevention among Yemeni adolescents

PubMed Central

Al-Iryani, Buthaina; Basaleem, Huda; Al-Sakkaf, Khaled; Kok, Gerjo; van den Borne, Bart

2013-01-01

In 2005, a survey was conducted among all the 27 high schools of Aden, which revealed low levels of knowledge on major prevention measures, and a high level of stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV (PLWH). The results served as a baseline for implementing a school-based peer education intervention for HIV prevention in the 27 schools of Aden. In 2008, and after 3 years of implementation, a quasi-experimental evaluation was conducted, which revealed that the peer education intervention has succeeded in improving HIV knowledge and skills; and in decreasing stigmatization of PLWH. This process evaluation aims to give a deeper understanding of the quasi-experimental evaluation which was conducted in the 27 high schools of Aden, and to highlight the factors that facilitated or inhibited school peer education in such a conservative Muslim setting. Qualitative methodologies were pursued, where 12 focus group discussions and 12 in-depth interviews were conducted with peer educators, targeted students, school principals, social workers, and parents of peer educators. Results revealed that school-peer education was well received. There was an apparent positive effect on the life skills of peer educators, but the intervention had a lesser effect on targeted students. Key enabling factors have been the high quality of training for peer educators, supportive school principals, and acceptance of the intervention by parents. These findings are important for improving the life skills and peer education intervention at the school level, and in better planning and implementation of life skills and peer programmes at a national scale. PMID:23777570

Process evaluation of school-based peer education for HIV prevention among Yemeni adolescents.

PubMed

Al-Iryani, Buthaina; Basaleem, Huda; Al-Sakkaf, Khaled; Kok, Gerjo; van den Borne, Bart

2013-03-01

In 2005, a survey was conducted among all the 27 high schools of Aden, which revealed low levels of knowledge on major prevention measures, and a high level of stigma and discrimination towards people living with HIV (PLWH). The results served as a baseline for implementing a school-based peer education intervention for HIV prevention in the 27 schools of Aden. In 2008, and after 3 years of implementation, a quasi-experimental evaluation was conducted, which revealed that the peer education intervention has succeeded in improving HIV knowledge and skills; and in decreasing stigmatization of PLWH. This process evaluation aims to give a deeper understanding of the quasi-experimental evaluation which was conducted in the 27 high schools of Aden, and to highlight the factors that facilitated or inhibited school peer education in such a conservative Muslim setting. Qualitative methodologies were pursued, where 12 focus group discussions and 12 in-depth interviews were conducted with peer educators, targeted students, school principals, social workers, and parents of peer educators. Results revealed that school-peer education was well received. There was an apparent positive effect on the life skills of peer educators, but the intervention had a lesser effect on targeted students. Key enabling factors have been the high quality of training for peer educators, supportive school principals, and acceptance of the intervention by parents. These findings are important for improving the life skills and peer education intervention at the school level, and in better planning and implementation of life skills and peer programmes at a national scale.

Validity and reliability assessment of a peer evaluation method in team-based learning classes.

PubMed

Yoon, Hyun Bae; Park, Wan Beom; Myung, Sun-Jung; Moon, Sang Hui; Park, Jun-Bean

2018-03-01

Team-based learning (TBL) is increasingly employed in medical education because of its potential to promote active group learning. In TBL, learners are usually asked to assess the contributions of peers within their group to ensure accountability. The purpose of this study is to assess the validity and reliability of a peer evaluation instrument that was used in TBL classes in a single medical school. A total of 141 students were divided into 18 groups in 11 TBL classes. The students were asked to evaluate their peers in the group based on evaluation criteria that were provided to them. We analyzed the comments that were written for the highest and lowest achievers to assess the validity of the peer evaluation instrument. The reliability of the instrument was assessed by examining the agreement among peer ratings within each group of students via intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) analysis. Most of the students provided reasonable and understandable comments for the high and low achievers within their group, and most of those comments were compatible with the evaluation criteria. The average ICC of each group ranged from 0.390 to 0.863, and the overall average was 0.659. There was no significant difference in inter-rater reliability according to the number of members in the group or the timing of the evaluation within the course. The peer evaluation instrument that was used in the TBL classes was valid and reliable. Providing evaluation criteria and rules seemed to improve the validity and reliability of the instrument.

Peer assessment of student-produced mechanics lab report videos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douglas, Scott S.; Aiken, John M.; Lin, Shih-Yin; Greco, Edwin F.; Alicea-Muñoz, Emily; Schatz, Michael F.

2017-12-01

We examine changes in students' rating behavior during a semester-long sequence of peer evaluation laboratory exercises in an introductory mechanics course. We perform a quantitative analysis of the ratings given by students to peers' physics lab reports, and conduct interviews with students. We find that peers persistently assign higher ratings to lab reports than do experts, that peers begin the semester by giving high ratings most frequently and end the semester with frequent middle ratings, and that peers go through the semester without much change in the frequency of low ratings. We then use student interviews to develop a model for student engagement with peer assessment. This model is based on two competing influences which appear to shape peer evaluation behavior: a strong disinclination to give poor ratings with a complementary preference to give high ratings when in doubt, and an attempt to develop an expertlike criticality when assessing peers' work.

Is positive thinking in anticipation of a performance situation better than distraction? An experimental study in preadolescents.

PubMed

Vassilopoulos, Stephanos P; Brouzos, Andreas; Tsorbatzoudis, Haralambos; Tziouma, Olga

2017-04-01

The current study compares the effects of experimentally induced positive anticipatory thinking and distraction in preadolescents aged 12-13. Eighty-seven participants were instructed to either engage in positive anticipatory thoughts or perform a distraction task while preparing to perform a sporting activity in front of their peers. Results revealed that trait social anxiety was associated with more negative estimates of sport performance and catastrophic thoughts relating to the impending sport activity. Additionally, compared to children who distracted, children in the positive anticipation condition showed significantly increased anxiety levels, more catastrophic thoughts and more negative predictions of sport performance and appearance, although these effects did not appear to interact with trait social anxiety. Finally, no significant manipulation effect on participants' observable behavior was found. The findings further highlight the utility of distracting from an impending, anxiety-provoking situation to keep anxious feelings to a low level. © 2017 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using Wikis to Enhance Website Peer Evaluation in an Online Website Development Course: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

He, Wu

2011-01-01

Peer evaluations are often used to improve learning in educational settings. As more and more online courses are offered, it is becoming increasingly important to explore new techniques for conducting peer evaluation in online courses. In recent years, wikis have increasingly been used in higher education to support learning and group work.…

How to Assess Quality of Research in Iran, From Input to Impact? Introduction of Peer-Based Research Evaluation Model in Iran.

PubMed

Ebadifar, Asghar; Baradaran Eftekhari, Monir; Owlia, Parviz; Habibi, Elham; Ghalenoee, Elham; Bagheri, Mohammad Reza; Falahat, Katayoun; Eltemasi, Masoumeh; Sobhani, Zahra; Akhondzadeh, Shahin

2017-11-01

Research evaluation is a systematic and objective process to measure relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of research activities, and peer review is one of the most important tools for assessing quality of research. The aim of this study was introducing research evaluation indicators based on peer reviewing. This study was implemented in 4 stages. A list of objective-oriented evaluation indicators were designed in 4 axes, including; governance and leadership, structure, knowledge production and research impact. The top 10% medical sciences research centers (RCs) were evaluated based on peer review. Adequate equipment and laboratory instruments, high quality research publication and national or international cooperation were the main strengths in medical sciences RCs and the most important weaknesses included failure to adhere to strategic plans, parallel actions in similar fields, problems in manpower recruitment, knowledge translation & exchange (KTE) in service providers and policy makers' levels. Peer review evaluation can improve the quality of research.

Impact of interventions to improve the quality of peer review of biomedical journals: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Bruce, Rachel; Chauvin, Anthony; Trinquart, Ludovic; Ravaud, Philippe; Boutron, Isabelle

2016-06-10

The peer review process is a cornerstone of biomedical research. We aimed to evaluate the impact of interventions to improve the quality of peer review for biomedical publications. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and WHO ICTRP databases, for all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the impact of interventions to improve the quality of peer review for biomedical publications. We selected 22 reports of randomized controlled trials, for 25 comparisons evaluating training interventions (n = 5), the addition of a statistical peer reviewer (n = 2), use of a checklist (n = 2), open peer review (i.e., peer reviewers informed that their identity would be revealed; n = 7), blinded peer review (i.e., peer reviewers blinded to author names and affiliation; n = 6) and other interventions to increase the speed of the peer review process (n = 3). Results from only seven RCTs were published since 2004. As compared with the standard peer review process, training did not improve the quality of the peer review report and use of a checklist did not improve the quality of the final manuscript. Adding a statistical peer review improved the quality of the final manuscript (standardized mean difference (SMD), 0.58; 95 % CI, 0.19 to 0.98). Open peer review improved the quality of the peer review report (SMD, 0.14; 95 % CI, 0.05 to 0.24), did not affect the time peer reviewers spent on the peer review (mean difference, 0.18; 95 % CI, -0.06 to 0.43), and decreased the rate of rejection (odds ratio, 0.56; 95 % CI, 0.33 to 0.94). Blinded peer review did not affect the quality of the peer review report or rejection rate. Interventions to increase the speed of the peer review process were too heterogeneous to allow for pooling the results. Despite the essential role of peer review, only a few interventions have been assessed in randomized controlled trials. Evidence-based peer review needs to be developed in biomedical journals.

Peer-to-Peer Training Facilitator’s Guide: Development and Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

from similar social groupings, who are not professional teachers, helping each other to learn (Topping, 2005). Often P2P training is led by a...applications. Hewlett (2004) reported on the effectiveness of instructional techniques through quantitative program evaluations of Peer- Led Team Learning...course such as chemistry to become discussion group leaders in the course (Peer- Led Team Learning Workshop Project, 2007). Notably, others outlined

Socially Anxious and Peer-Victimized Preadolescents: "Doubly Primed" for Distress?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erath, Stephen A.; Tu, Kelly M.; El-Sheikh, Mona

2012-01-01

We examined independent and interactive associations linking preadolescents' socially anxious feelings and peer victimization experiences with their social behaviors (rated by parents and teachers) and psychophysiological arousal during lab simulations of salient peer stress situations in preadolescence (peer evaluation and peer rebuff).…

Development and Evaluation of Innovative Peer-Led Physical Activity Programs for Mental Health Service Users

PubMed Central

Graham, Candida R.; Larstone, Roseann; Griffiths, Brenda; de Leeuw, Sarah; Anderson, Lesley; Powell-Hellyer, Stephanie; Long, Nansi

2017-01-01

Abstract Mental health service users (MHSUs) have elevated rates of cardiometabolic disturbance. Improvements occur with physical activity (PA) programs. We report the development and evaluation of three innovative peer-developed and peer-led PA programs: 1) walking; 2) fitness; and 3) yoga. Qualitative evaluation with 33 MHSUs in British Columbia, Canada, occurred. These programs yielded improvements for participants, highlighted by powerful narratives of health improvement, and improved social connections. The feasibility and acceptability of innovative peer-developed and peer-led programs were shown. Analyses revealed concepts related to engagement and change. Relating core categories, we theorize effective engagement of MHSUs requires accessibility on three levels (geographic, cost, and program flexibility) and health behavior change occurs within co-constituent relationships (to self, to peers, and to the wider community). This study highlights the benefits of peer involvement in developing and implementing PA programs and provides a theoretical framework of understanding engagement and behavior change in health programs for MHSUs. PMID:28953007

Peer social support training in UK prisons.

PubMed

Stewart, Warren; Lovely, Rachel

2017-10-11

To undertake a service evaluation to assess the effect of peer social support training using two separate learning programmes, which were designed to assist prisoners to support older prisoners and prisoners with disabilities. The service evaluation used an action research approach to support planning, delivery and data collection. Eleven interviews with nine prisoners who had undertaken the peer social support training programmes and two members of prison staff (one nurse manager and one prison officer) were recorded and transcribed by the researchers. This data was coded and thematically analysed to evaluate the findings. Recommendations were made regarding the format and content of the training. The training was well received by the peer social support worker trainees and had several positive outcomes, including increased peer social support, improved relationships between peer social support workers and older prisoners and prisoners with disabilities, increased self-esteem, measured as 'social capital', among peer social support workers, and effective teamworking. The peer social support training programmes were considered to be a positive intervention and were effective in supporting peer social support roles. Recommendations for future training of prisoner peer support workers include involving existing peer social support workers in training and recruitment, and enhancing the role of peer social support workers in prisons by providing them with job descriptions. ©2012 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.

Effects of a Peer Tutor Training Program on Tutors and Tutees with Severe Disabilities in Adapted Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vonlintel, Drew James

2015-01-01

This dissertation examines the efficacy of peer tutor training in adapted physical education (APE). A peer tutor evaluation form was created to assess the skills of untrained peer tutors (n = 12). Once skills were assessed, a peer tutor training protocol was created. The protocol was implemented in a peer tutor training program. After peer tutors…

Writing to Learn: An Evaluation of the Calibrated Peer Review™ Program in Two Neuroscience Courses

PubMed Central

Prichard, J. Roxanne

2005-01-01

Although the majority of scientific information is communicated in written form, and peer review is the primary process by which it is validated, undergraduate students may receive little direct training in science writing or peer review. Here, I describe the use of Calibrated Peer Review™ (CPR), a free, web-based writing and peer review program designed to alleviate instructor workload, in two undergraduate neuroscience courses: an upper- level sensation and perception course (41 students, three assignments) and an introductory neuroscience course (50 students; two assignments). Using CPR online, students reviewed primary research articles on assigned ‘hot’ topics, wrote short essays in response to specific guiding questions, reviewed standard ‘calibration’ essays, and provided anonymous quantitative and qualitative peer reviews. An automated grading system calculated the final scores based on a student’s essay quality (as determined by the average of three peer reviews) and his or her accuracy in evaluating 1) three standard calibration essays, 2) three anonymous peer reviews, and 3) his or her self review. Thus, students were assessed not only on their skill at constructing logical, evidence-based arguments, but also on their ability to accurately evaluate their peers’ writing. According to both student self-reports and instructor observation, students’ writing and peer review skills improved over the course of the semester. Student evaluation of the CPR program was mixed; while some students felt like the peer review process enhanced their understanding of the material and improved their writing, others felt as though the process was biased and required too much time. Despite student critiques of the program, I still recommend the CPR program as an excellent and free resource for incorporating more writing, peer review, and critical thinking into an undergraduate neuroscience curriculum. PMID:23493247

Exploring "Badging" for Peer Review, Extended Learning and Evaluation, and Reflective/Critical Feedback within an Online Graduate Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Eileen A.; McQuigge, Amy

2013-01-01

The use of digital badges for peer-credentialing web-shared work offers the promise of extending classroom learning beyond explicit course objectives and evaluations. This pilot study of peer-awarded badges examines the results of an online graduate course where students voted on and evaluated the web-shared work of their colleagues on different…

Elevated outcome-anticipation and outcome-evaluation ERPs associated with a greater preference for larger-but-delayed rewards.

PubMed

Pornpattananangkul, Narun; Nadig, Ajay; Heidinger, Storm; Walden, Keegan; Nusslock, Robin

2017-06-01

Although waiting for a reward reduces or discounts its value, some people have a stronger tendency to wait for larger rewards and forgo smaller-but-immediate rewards. This ability to delay gratification is captured by individual differences in so-called intertemporal choices in which individuals are asked to choose between larger-but-delayed versus smaller-but-immediate rewards. The current study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine whether enhancement in two neurocognitive processes, outcome anticipation and outcome evaluation, modulate individual variability in intertemporal responses. After completing a behavioral intertemporal choice task, 34 participants performed an ERP gambling task. From this ERP task, we separately examined individual differences in outcome anticipation (stimulus-preceding negativity; SPN), early outcome valuation (feedback-related negativity; FRN), and late outcome evaluation (P3). We observed that both elevated outcome-anticipation (SPN) and late outcome-evaluation (P3) neural processes predicted a stronger preference toward larger-but-delayed rewards. No relationship was observed between intertemporal responses and early outcome evaluation (FRN), indicating that the relationship between outcome evaluation and intertemporal responses was specific to the late outcome-evaluation processing stream. Moreover, multiple regression analyses indicated that the SPN and P3 independently modulate individual differences in intertemporal responses, suggesting separate mechanisms underlie the relationship between these two neurocognitive processes and intertemporal responses. Accordingly, we identify two potential neurocognitive modulators of individual variability in intertemporal responses. We discuss the mechanisms underlying these modulators in terms of anticipation-related processing (SPN) and a saliency bias toward gain (compared to loss) outcomes (P3).

Development, implementation and evaluation of a peer review of teaching (PRoT) initiative in nursing education.

PubMed

Mager, Diana R; Kazer, Meredith W; Conelius, Jaclyn; Shea, Joyce; Lippman, Doris T; Torosyan, Roben; Nantz, Kathryn

2014-06-03

For many years, an area of research in higher education has been emerging around the development and implementation of fair and effective peer evaluation programs. Recently, a new body of knowledge has developed regarding the development and implementation of fair and effective peer evaluation programs resulting in formative and summative evaluations. The purpose of this article is to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a peer review of teaching (PRoT) program for nursing faculty, initiated at one small comprehensive university in the northeastern United States. Pairs of nursing faculty evaluated each other's teaching, syllabi, and course materials after collaborating in a pre-evaluation conference to discuss goals of the classroom visit. Qualitative data gathered in post project focus groups revealed that faculty found their modified PRoT process to be a mutually beneficial experience that was more useful, flexible and collegial, and less stressful than their previous evaluation process.

Online Peer Evaluation for Assessing Perceived Academic Engagement in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oncu, Semiral

2015-01-01

Many institutions monitor academic engagement to investigate student achievement and institutional performance. Relying only on self-reports is prone to misjudgment. Peer evaluation through teamwork has the potential to substitute for measuring engagement, which has not been emphasized in the literature. This study examines whether peer evaluation…

Effects of a videotape feedback package on the peer interactions of children with serious behavioral and emotional challenges.

PubMed Central

Kern-Dunlap, L; Dunlap, G; Clarke, S; Childs, K E; White, R L; Stewart, M P

1992-01-01

Peer interactions are among the greatest challenges experienced by children who have severe emotional and behavioral problems. This study evaluated an intervention package designed to increase the ratio of these children's desirable to undesirable interactions. The package included three principal components: (a) observation of videotapes following regularly scheduled peer activity sessions; (b) self-evaluation of the children's peer interactions observed on the videotapes; and (c) delayed feedback and reinforcement for desirable peer interactions. Five students from two elementary schools participated. Multiple baseline designs and one reversal were used to evaluate the effects of the intervention package. The results showed that the intervention produced lower levels of undesirable peer interactions and higher ratios of desirable to undesirable interactions for all participants. The results are discussed in regard to their conceptual and applied implications and in terms of specific directions for future research. PMID:1634428

Supporting anticipation in driving through attentional and interpretational in-vehicle displays.

PubMed

Stahl, Patrick; Donmez, Birsen; Jamieson, Greg A

2016-06-01

This paper evaluates two different types of in-vehicle interfaces to support anticipation in driving: one aids attention allocation and the other aids interpretation of traffic in addition to attention allocation. Anticipation is a competency that has been shown to facilitate safety and eco-driving through the efficient positioning of a vehicle for probable, upcoming changes in traffic. This competency has been shown to improve with driving experience. In an earlier simulator study, we showed that compared to novice drivers, experienced drivers exhibited a greater number of timely actions to avoid upcoming traffic conflicts. In this study, we seek to facilitate anticipation in general and for novice drivers in particular, who appear to lack the competency. We hypothesize that anticipation depends on two major steps and that it can be supported by aiding each: (1) conscious perception of relevant cues, and (2) effective processing of these cues to create a situational assessment as a basis for anticipation of future developments. We conducted a simulator experiment with 24 experienced and 24 novice drivers to evaluate two interfaces that were designed to aid the two hypothesized steps of anticipation. The attentional interface was designed to direct attention toward the most relevant cue. The interpretational interface represented several cues, and in addition to directing attention also aimed to aid sense-making of these cues. The results confirmed our hypothesis that novice drivers' anticipation performance, as measured through timely actions to avoid upcoming traffic conflicts, would be improved with either interface type. However, results contradicted our expectation that novice drivers would obtain larger improvements with the interpretational interface. Experienced drivers performed better than novice drivers to begin with and did not show any statistically significant improvements with either interface. Both interfaces improved anticipation performance for novice drivers. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of these interfaces in a wider variety of driving conditions, such as when the driver is multitasking. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Individual Differences in Biological Stress Responses Moderate the Contribution of Early Peer Victimization to Subsequent Depressive Symptoms

PubMed Central

Rudolph, Karen D.; Troop-Gordon, Wendy; Granger, Douglas A.

2011-01-01

Rationale Some children who are exposed to early peer victimization become depressed, whereas others are resilient. Understanding individual differences in responses to early adversity, such as victimization, is critical for developing both comprehensive theoretical models and effective interventions. Objectives This study examined whether individual differences in biological stress responses (i.e., activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and autonomic nervous system) moderated the contribution of peer victimization to depressive symptoms across a one-year period. Methods Children (N = 132; M age = 9.46 years, SD = .33) completed measures of peer victimization and depressive symptoms, and rated their ruminative responses (i.e., persistent thoughts about negative task-related emotion and experiences) to a laboratory-based social challenge task involving two conflict-of-interests situations with an unfamiliar peer. Children’s saliva was collected prior to, and following, participation in the task, and was later assayed for cortisol and alpha amylase [sAA]. Results Victimization interacted with levels of cortisol measured in anticipation of the task to predict task-related rumination and depressive symptoms one year later, adjusting for initial symptoms. Specifically, victimization served as a risk factor for rumination and depressive symptoms in children with heightened but not dampened anticipatory cortisol; yet, heightened anticipatory cortisol was protective against rumination and depressive symptoms in low-victimized children. Victimization also predicted subsequent depressive symptoms in girls with high sAA reactivity across the task. Conclusions This study advances contemporary theory and research by implicating individual variation in biological stress responses as one determinant of sensitivity to the mental health effects of early adversity. PMID:20505926

7 CFR 3400.21 - Scientific peer review for research activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Scientific peer review for research activities. 3400... § 3400.21 Scientific peer review for research activities. Scientific peer review is an evaluation of a... with the scientific knowledge and technical skills to conduct the proposed research work. Peer...

Elevated Outcome-Anticipation and Outcome-Evaluation ERPs Associated with a Greater Preference for Larger-But-Delayed Rewards

PubMed Central

Pornpattananangkul, Narun; Nadig, Ajay; Heidinger, Storm; Walden, Keegan; Nusslock, Robin

2017-01-01

Although waiting for a reward reduces or discounts its value, some people have a stronger tendency to wait for larger rewards and forgo smaller-but-immediate rewards. This ability to delay gratification is captured by individual differences in so-called inter-temporal choices in which individuals are asked to choose between larger-but-delayed versus smaller-but-immediate rewards. The current study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine whether enhancement in two neuro-cognitive processes, outcome-anticipation and outcome-evaluation, modulate individual variability in inter-temporal responses. After completing a behavioral inter-temporal choice task, 34 participants performed an ERP gambling task. From this ERP task, we separately examined individual differences in outcome-anticipation (Stimulus-Preceding Negativity, SPN), early outcome-evaluation (Feedback-Related Negativity; FRN) and late outcome-evaluation (P3). We observed that both elevated outcome-anticipation (SPN) and late outcome-evaluation (P3) neural processes predicted a stronger preference toward larger-but-delayed rewards. No relationship was observed between inter-temporal responses and early outcome-evaluation (FRN), indicating that the relationship between outcome-evaluation and inter-temporal responses was specific to the late outcome-evaluation processing stream. Moreover, multiple regression analyses indicated that the SPN and P3 independently modulate individual differences in inter-temporal responses, suggesting separate mechanisms underlie the relationship between these two neuro-cognitive processes and inter-temporal responses. Accordingly, we identify two potential neural-cognitive modulators of individual variability in inter-temporal responses. We discuss the mechanisms underlying these modulators in terms of anticipation-related processing (SPN) and a saliency-bias toward gain (compared to loss) outcomes (P3). PMID:28224457

Clinical peer review program self-evaluation for US hospitals.

PubMed

Edwards, Marc T

2010-01-01

Prior research has shown wide variation in clinical peer review program structure, process, governance, and perceived effectiveness. This study sought to validate the utility of a Peer Review Program Self-Evaluation Tool as a potential guide to physician and hospital leaders seeking greater program value. Data from 330 hospitals show that the total score from the self-evaluation tool is strongly associated with perceived quality impact. Organizational culture also plays a significant role. When controlling for these factors, there was no evidence of benefit from a multispecialty review process. Physicians do not generally use reliable methods to measure clinical performance. A high rate of change since 2007 has not produced much improvement. The Peer Review Program Self-Evaluation Tool reliably differentiates hospitals along a continuum of perceived program performance. The full potential of peer review as a process to improve the quality and safety of care has yet to be realized.

Young Children’s Affective Responses to Acceptance and Rejection From Peers: A Computer-based Task Sensitive to Variation in Temperamental Shyness and Gender

PubMed Central

Howarth, Grace Z.; Guyer, Amanda E.; Pérez-Edgar, Koraly

2013-01-01

This study presents a novel task examining young children’s affective responses to evaluative feedback—specifically, social acceptance and rejection—from peers. We aimed to determine (1) whether young children report their affective responses to hypothetical peer evaluation predictably and consistently, and (2) whether young children’s responses to peer evaluation vary as a function of temperamental shyness and gender. Four- to seven-year-old children (N = 48) sorted pictures of unknown, similar-aged children into those with whom they wished or did not wish to play. Computerized peer evaluation later noted whether the pictured children were interested in a future playdate with participants. Participants then rated their affective responses to each acceptance or rejection event. Children were happy when accepted by children with whom they wanted to play, and disappointed when these children rejected them. Highly shy boys showed a wider range of responses to acceptance and rejection based on initial social interest, and may be particularly sensitive to both positive and negative evaluation. Overall, the playdate task captures individual differences in affective responses to evaluative peer feedback and is potentially amenable to future applications in research with young children, including pairings with psychophysiological measures. PMID:23997429

Evaluation of a 2 to 1 peer placement supervision model by physiotherapy students and their educators.

PubMed

Alpine, Lucy M; Caldas, Francieli Tanji; Barrett, Emer M

2018-04-02

The objective of the study was to investigate student and practice educator evaluations of practice placements using a structured 2 to 1 supervision and implementation model. Cross-sectional pilot study set in clinical sites providing placements for physiotherapy students in Ireland. Students and practice educators completing a 2.1 peer placement between 2013 and 2015 participated. A self-reported questionnaire which measured indicators linked to quality assured placements was used. Three open-ended questions captured comments on the benefits and challenges associated with the 2 to 1 model. Ten students (10/20; 50% response rate) and 10 practice educators (10/10; 100% response rate) responded to the questionnaire. Student responses included four pairs of students and one student from a further two pairs. There was generally positive agreement with the questionnaire indicating that placements using the 2 to 1 model were positively evaluated by participants. There were no significant differences between students and practice educators. The main benefits of the 2 to 1 model were shared learning experiences, a peer supported environment, and the development of peer evaluation and feedback skills by students. A key component of the model was the peer scripting process which provided time for reflection, self-evaluation, and peer review. 2 to 1 placements were positively evaluated by students and educators when supported by a structured supervision model. Clear guidance to students on the provision of peer feedback and support for educators providing feedback to two different students is recommended.

Development and implementation of a peer mentoring program for early career gerontological faculty.

PubMed

Bryant, Ashley Leak; Aizer Brody, Abraham; Perez, Adriana; Shillam, Casey; Edelman, Linda S; Bond, Stewart M; Foster, Victoria; Siegel, Elena O

2015-05-01

The Hartford Gerontological Nursing Leaders (HGNL) formerly known as the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity Initiative (BAGNC), in conjunction with the National Hartford Centers of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (NHCGNE), developed and executed a peer mentoring program beginning in 2011 to enhance both (a) the experience of newly selected scholars and fellows to the NHCGNE and (b) the ongoing professional development of HGNL members. The purpose of this article is to describe key strategies used to develop and execute the peer mentoring program and to present formative program evaluation. The program was launched in January 2011 with seven peer mentor and mentee matches. In June 2012, the peer mentoring committee solicited feedback on the development of the peer mentoring program and changes were made for the subsequent cohorts. An additional 12 matches were made in the following 2 years (2012 and 2013), for a total of 31 matches to date. We have learned several key lessons from our three cohorts regarding how to structure, implement, and carefully evaluate a peer mentoring program. Informal evaluation of our peer mentoring program noted several challenges for both peer mentors and mentees. Having knowledge of and addressing those challenges may increase the overall quality and effectiveness of peer mentoring programs and, in turn, benefit academic nursing by strengthening the faculty workforce. Findings from development and implementation of a peer mentoring program for gerontological faculty could lead to new and adaptable programs in a variety of clinical and education settings. © 2015 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Peer-assisted learning--beyond teaching: How can medical students contribute to the undergraduate curriculum?

PubMed

Furmedge, Daniel S; Iwata, Kazuya; Gill, Deborah

2014-09-01

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) has become increasingly popular over recent years with many medical schools now formally incorporating peer-teaching programs into the curriculum. PAL has a sound evidence base with benefit to both peer-teacher and peer-learner. Aside from in teaching delivery, empowering students to develop education in its broadest sense has been much less extensively documented. Five case studies with supportive evaluation evidence illustrate the success of a broad range of peer-led projects in the undergraduate medical curriculum, particularly where these have been embedded into formal teaching practices. These case studies identify five domains of teaching and support of learning where PAL works well: teaching and learning, resource development, peer-assessment, education research and evaluation and mentoring and support. Each case offers ways of engaging students in each domain. Medical students can contribute significantly to the design and delivery of the undergraduate medical program above and beyond the simple delivery of peer-assisted "teaching". In particular, they are in a prime position to develop resources and conduct research and evaluation within the program. Their participation in all stages enables them to feel involved in course development and education of their peers and ultimately leads to an increase in student satisfaction.

Developing a change model for peer worker interventions in mental health services: a qualitative research study.

PubMed

Gillard, S; Gibson, S L; Holley, J; Lucock, M

2015-10-01

A range of peer worker roles are being introduced into mental health services internationally. There is some evidence that attests to the benefits of peer workers for the people they support but formal trial evidence in inconclusive, in part because the change model underpinning peer support-based interventions is underdeveloped. Complex intervention evaluation guidance suggests that understandings of how an intervention is associated with change in outcomes should be modelled, theoretically and empirically, before the intervention can be robustly evaluated. This paper aims to model the change mechanisms underlying peer worker interventions. In a qualitative, comparative case study of ten peer worker initiatives in statutory and voluntary sector mental health services in England in-depth interviews were carried out with 71 peer workers, service users, staff and managers, exploring their experiences of peer working. Using a Grounded Theory approach we identified core processes within the peer worker role that were productive of change for service users supported by peer workers. Key change mechanisms were: (i) building trusting relationships based on shared lived experience; (ii) role-modelling individual recovery and living well with mental health problems; (iii) engaging service users with mental health services and the community. Mechanisms could be further explained by theoretical literature on role-modelling and relationship in mental health services. We were able to model process and downstream outcomes potentially associated with peer worker interventions. An empirically and theoretically grounded change model can be articulated that usefully informs the development, evaluation and planning of peer worker interventions.

Managing RFID Sensors Networks with a General Purpose RFID Middleware

PubMed Central

Abad, Ismael; Cerrada, Carlos; Cerrada, Jose A.; Heradio, Rubén; Valero, Enrique

2012-01-01

RFID middleware is anticipated to one of the main research areas in the field of RFID applications in the near future. The Data EPC Acquisition System (DEPCAS) is an original proposal designed by our group to transfer and apply fundamental ideas from System and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems into the areas of RFID acquisition, processing and distribution systems. In this paper we focus on how to organize and manage generic RFID sensors (edge readers, readers, PLCs, etc…) inside the DEPCAS middleware. We denote by RFID Sensors Networks Management (RSNM) this part of DEPCAS, which is built on top of two new concepts introduced and developed in this work: MARC (Minimum Access Reader Command) and RRTL (RFID Reader Topology Language). MARC is an abstraction layer used to hide heterogeneous devices inside a homogeneous acquisition network. RRTL is a language to define RFID Reader networks and to describe the relationship between them (concentrator, peer to peer, master/submaster). PMID:22969370

Giving Feedback: Preparing Students for Peer Review and Self-Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philippakos, Zoi A.

2017-01-01

Revision is an important aspect of the writing process but is often challenging for students. Peer review can be helpful, but training is needed for it to work effectively. This article suggests an approach to preparing students for peer review by teaching specific evaluation criteria and leading collaborative practice in reviewing papers written…

Citation Ranking versus Peer Evaluation of Senior Faculty Research Performance: A Case Study of Kurdish Scholarship.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meho, Lokman I.; Sonnenwald, Diane H.

2000-01-01

Analyzes the relationship between citation ranking and peer evaluation in assessing senior faculty research performance. Describes a study of faculty specializing in Kurdish studies that investigated to what degree citation ranking correlates with data from citation content analysis, book reviews, and peer ranking. (Contains 72 references.)…

DOE Hydrogen Program: 2010 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

This document summarizes the comments provided by peer reviewers on hydrogen and fuel cell projects presented at the FY 2010 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program and Vehicle Technologies Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), held June 7-11, 2010 in Washington, D.C.

Evaluation of Peer Comforting Strategies by Children and Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Ruth Anne; MacGeorge, Erina L.; Robinson, Lakesha

2008-01-01

Despite the importance of social support across the lifespan and extensive research on supportive communication between adults, little is known about how children or adolescents respond to the comforting efforts of their peers. The current study was designed to examine how 5th, 7th, and 9th graders evaluate six peer comforting strategies…

Associations between Fifth Graders' Gender Atypical Problem Behavior and Peer Relationships: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kochel, Karen P.; Miller, Cindy Faith; Updegraff, Kimberly A.; Ladd, Gary W.; Kochenderfer-Ladd, Becky

2012-01-01

An accruing body of evidence supports associations between self-perceived gender typicality and peer relationship difficulties; however, researchers have yet to evaluate peers' perceptions of problem behaviors to gain insight into the social correlates of gender typicality. A short-term longitudinal study was conducted to evaluate associations…

Nurturing Professional Growth: A Peer Review Model for Independent Evaluators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bond, Sally L.; Ray, Marilyn L.

2006-01-01

There has been a recent groundswell of support in the American Evaluation Association's Independent Consulting Topical Interest Group (IC TIG) for evaluating evaluators' work just as evaluators evaluate the work of their clients. To facilitate this self-evaluation, the IC TIG elected to create a peer review process that focuses on written…

Beyond Pluto: The Search for the Edge of the Solar System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Funsten, Herb

In July, we finally visited the last major body of our solar system, Pluto. But what lies beyond? The stellar wind from our Sun forms an enormous bubble in interstellar space. This “sphere of our Sun,” or heliosphere, extends far beyond Pluto and forms a protective cocoon that shields us from cosmic radiation. In this talk, we will travel to the edge of the solar system, peer into the structure and dynamics of the outer heliosphere as it interacts with the interstellar medium and anticipate the future of the solar system as it moves through our galactic neighborhood.

[Feasibility of implementing a learning based problem solving and peer evaluation approach among medical students in Mexico].

PubMed

Amato, Dante; de Jesús Novales-Castro, Xavier

2009-01-01

Assess the degree to which medical students accept and consider useful the techniques of problem based learning (PBL) and evaluation among peers. Analyze the association between the number of PBL clinical cases reviewed and the students' perception about their own learning in a basic course. A questionnaire was administered to 334 students enrolled in the third semester of medical school (Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México). Questions included acceptability of PBL, peer evaluation, and their perception about the usefulness of these techniques after having used them during the school year. We used a Likert scale to measure opinions on the degree of usefulness of the PBL, perception of their own learning, and the acceptance of the notion that evaluation activities evaluation among peers promote justice and favor the student's character formation. We measured the association of these variables with the number of clinical cases studied using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Most of the students considered that PBL method is useful (82%) and that evaluation activities among peers promote justice and character formation (70%). Students who reviewed more PBL cases considered the PBL activities more useful (rho = 0.489, p < 0.0001), and perceived that they achieved a better learning experience (rho = 0.200, p < 0.0001). Results show a fair acceptance by the students of the PBL method and activities of peer evaluation. The number of clinical cases reviewed during the course correlated with considering the PBL to be a useful method and perceiving a better learning experience. Our results support the inclusion of PBL and peer evaluation in the medical school curricula.

Associations between the peer support relationship, service satisfaction and recovery-oriented outcomes: a correlational study.

PubMed

Thomas, Elizabeth C; Salzer, Mark S

2017-12-18

The working alliance between non-peer providers and mental health consumers is associated with positive outcomes. It is hypothesized that this factor, in addition to other active support elements, is also positively related to peer support service outcomes. This study evaluates correlates of the peer-to-peer relationship and its unique association with service satisfaction and recovery-oriented outcomes. Participants were 46 adults with serious mental illnesses taking part in a peer-brokered self-directed care intervention. Pearson correlation analyses examined associations among peer relationship factors, services-related variables and recovery-oriented outcomes (i.e. empowerment, recovery and quality of life). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses evaluated associations between relationship factors and outcomes over time, controlling for other possible intervention effects. The peer relationship was not related to number of contacts. There were robust associations between the peer relationship and service satisfaction and some recovery-oriented outcomes at 24-months, but not at 12-months. These associations were not explained by other possible intervention effects. This study contributes to a better understanding of the positive, unique association between the peer-to-peer relationship and outcomes, similar to what is found in non-peer-delivered interventions. Implications for program administrators and policymakers seeking to integrate peer specialists into mental health service systems are discussed.

45 CFR 1388.9 - Peer review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Peer review. 1388.9 Section 1388.9 Public Welfare... PROGRAM THE UNIVERSITY AFFILIATED PROGRAMS § 1388.9 Peer review. (a) The purpose of the peer review... D, Section 152 of the Act, must be evaluated through the peer review process. (c) Panels must be...

40 CFR 194.27 - Peer review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 24 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Peer review. 194.27 Section 194.27... § 194.27 Peer review. (a) Any compliance application shall include documentation of peer review that has... barrier evaluation as required in § 194.44. (b) Peer review processes required in paragraph (a) of this...

Explaining the paradoxical rejection-aggression link: the mediating effects of hostile intent attributions, anger, and decreases in state self-esteem on peer rejection-induced aggression in youth.

PubMed

Reijntjes, Albert; Thomaes, Sander; Kamphuis, Jan H; Bushman, Brad J; de Castro, Bram Orobio; Telch, Michael J

2011-07-01

People are strongly motivated to feel accepted by others. Yet when faced with acute peer rejection they often aggress against the very peers they desire acceptance from, which may lead to further rejection. The present experiment tests three potential mediators of aggressive responses to acute peer rejection in the critical developmental stage of early adolescence. Participants (N=185, M(age)=11.5 years) completed personal profiles that were allegedly evaluated online by peers. After receiving negative or neutral peer feedback, participants could aggress against the same peers who had evaluated them. Rejected participants attributed more hostile intent to the peers, were angrier, showed a greater reduction in state self-esteem, and were more aggressive. Mediational analyses showed that hostile intent attributions mediated the acute peer rejection-aggression relationship, whereas increases in anger and decreases in state self-esteem did not. Thus, acute peer rejection evokes hostile intent attributions that, in turn, lead to aggressive reactions. © 2011 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc

Peer-led, school-based nutrition education for young adolescents: feasibility and process evaluation of the TEENS study.

PubMed

Story, Mary; Lytle, Leslie A; Birnbaum, Amanda S; Perry, Cheryl L

2002-03-01

Peer education has become a popular strategy for health promotion interventions with adolescents, but it has not been used widely in school-based nutrition education. This paper describes and reports on the feasibility of the peer leader component of a school-based nutrition intervention for young adolescents designed to increase fruit and vegetable intakes and lower fat foods. About 1,000 seventh-grade students in eight schools received the nutrition intervention. Of these, 272 were trained as peer leaders to assist the teacher in implementing the activities. Results from a multicomponent process evaluation based on peer leader and classroom student feedback, direct classroom observation, and teacher ratings and interviews are presented. Results show that peer-led nutrition education approaches in schools are feasible and have high acceptability among peer leaders, classroom students, and teachers.

Individual and partnership factors associated with anticipated versus actual partner notification following STI diagnosis among men who have sex with men and/or with transgender women in Lima, Peru.

PubMed

Braun, Hannan M; Segura, Eddy R; Lake, Jordan E; Gandhi, Monica; Rios, Jessica; Villaran, Manuel V; Sanchez, Jorge; Lama, Javier R; Clark, Jesse L

2017-11-30

A detailed understanding of intentions and practices related to partner notification (PN) following STI diagnosis can improve control strategies. We assessed participant-level and partner-level factors guiding notification behaviour among men who have sex with men and/or with transgender women (MSM-TW) in Lima, Peru, including discordances between anticipated and actual notification. Men newly diagnosed with gonorrhoea, chlamydia and/or syphilis between 2012 and 2014 reported recent partners' characteristics, anticipated PN practices, and actual PN outcomes following diagnosis. Generalised estimating equation Poisson regression analyses assessed factors guiding PN outcomes. Participants (n=150) predominantly identified as homosexual (70%) and moderno (versatile sexual role, 55%); 55% of partners (n=402) were casual. Among all sexual partners, 35% were notified of the STI diagnosis, though only 51% of predicted PN occurred and 26% of actual notifications were unanticipated. 47% of participants notified no partners, while 24% notified all partners. PN was more common with stable versus casual (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR), 95% CI: 0.53, 0.39 to 0.73) or commercial (aPR, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.12 to 1.21) partners, and among participants who perceived PN as normative among their peers (aPR, 95% CI: 1.96, 1.37 to 2.82). A trend towards greater notification following condom-protected intercourse was observed (aPR, 95% CI: 1.33, 0.98 to 1.81). PN frequency did not differ by type of STI diagnosed.Anticipated notification predicted actual notification (aPR, 95% CI: 1.67, 1.19 to 2.33) only imperfectly: 81 (54%) participants' PN practices did not match their anticipated behaviour. Successful notification despite anticipated silence (40 participants, 63 partners) was associated with stable partnerships and a normative perception of PN. Non-notification despite intention (43 participants, 73 partners) frequently occurred among participants reporting exclusively oral sex with the partner or with partners identified as activo (insertive role). Anticipated notification imperfectly reflects actual PN behaviour. Future interventions to improve PN among MSM-TW in Peru need to acknowledge partnership contexts. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Alternatives to Peer Review: Novel Approaches for Research Evaluation

PubMed Central

Birukou, Aliaksandr; Wakeling, Joseph Rushton; Bartolini, Claudio; Casati, Fabio; Marchese, Maurizio; Mirylenka, Katsiaryna; Osman, Nardine; Ragone, Azzurra; Sierra, Carles; Wassef, Aalam

2011-01-01

In this paper we review several novel approaches for research evaluation. We start with a brief overview of the peer review, its controversies, and metrics for assessing efficiency and overall quality of the peer review. We then discuss five approaches, including reputation-based ones, that come out of the research carried out by the LiquidPub project and research groups collaborated with LiquidPub. Those approaches are alternative or complementary to traditional peer review. We discuss pros and cons of the proposed approaches and conclude with a vision for the future of the research evaluation, arguing that no single system can suit all stakeholders in various communities. PMID:22174702

Conflicts of interest in medical science: peer usage, peer review and 'CoI consultancy'.

PubMed

Charlton, Bruce G

2004-01-01

In recent years, the perception has grown that conflicts of interest are having a detrimental effect on medical science as it influences health policy and clinical practice, leading medical journals to enforce self-declaration of potential biases in the attempt to counteract or compensate for the problem. Conflict of interest (CoI) declarations have traditionally been considered inappropriate in pure science since its evaluation systems themselves constitute a mechanism for eliminating the effect of individual biases. Pure science is primarily evaluated by 'peer usage', in which scientific information is 'replicated' by being incorporated in the work of other scientists, and tested by further observation of the natural world. Over the long-term, the process works because significant biases impair the quality of science, and bad science tends to be neglected or refuted. However, scientific evaluation operates slowly over years and decades, and only a small proportion of published work is ever actually evaluated. But most of modern medical science no longer conforms to the model of pure science, and may instead be conceptualized as a system of 'applied' science having different aims and evaluation processes. The aim of applied medical science is to solve pre-specified problems, and to provide scientific information ready for implementation immediately following publication. The primary evaluation process of applied science is peer review, not peer usage. Peer review is much more rapid (with a timescale of weeks or months) and cheaper than peer usage and (consequently) has a much wider application: peer review is a prospective validation while peer usage is retrospective. Since applied science consists of incremental advances on existing knowledge achieved using established techniques, its results can usually be reliably evaluated by peer review. However, despite its considerable convenience, peer review has significant limitations related to its reliance on opinion. One major limitation of peer review has proved to be its inability to deal with conflicts of interest, especially in a 'big science' context when prestigious scientists may have similar biases, and conflicts of interest are widely shared among peer reviewers. When applied medical science has been later checked against the slower but more valid processes of peer usage, it seems that reliance on peer review may allow damaging distortions to become 'locked-in' to clinical practice and health policy for considerable periods. Scientific progress is generally underpinned by increasing specialization. Medical journals should specialize in the communication of scientific information, and they have neither the resources nor the motivation to investigate and measure conflicts of interest. Effectively dealing with the problem of conflicts of interest in applied medical science firstly requires a more explicit demarcation between the communications media of pure medical science and applied medical science. Greater specialization of these activities would then allow distinctive aims and evaluation systems to evolve with the expectation of improved performance in both pure and applied systems. In future, applied medical science should operate with an assumption of bias, with the onus of proof on applied medical scientists to facilitate the 'data transparency' necessary to validate their research. Journals of applied medical science will probably require more rigorous processes of peer review than at present, since their publications are intended to be ready for implementation. But since peer review does not adequately filter-out conflicts of interest in applied medical science, there is a need for the evolution of specialist post-publication institutional mechanisms. The suggested solution is to encourage the establishment of independent 'CoI consultancy' services, whose role would be to evaluate conflicts of interest and other biases in published applied medical science prior to their implementation. Such services would be paid-for by the groups who intend to implement applied medical research.

An Evaluation of a School-Based, Peer-Facilitated, Healthy Relationship Program for At-Risk Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLeod, David Axlyn; Jones, Robin; Cramer, Elizabeth P.

2015-01-01

There are few evaluations of peer-facilitated teenage dating violence prevention programs in the literature. To begin to address this gap, this project assessed the effectiveness of a school-based, peer-facilitated healthy relationships program among academically at-risk students. Two hundred and ninety-one ninth graders of mixed race and gender…

"Observation Has Set In": Comparing Students and Peers as Reviewers of Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huxham, Mark; Scoles, Jenny; Green, Ursula; Purves, Samantha; Welsh, Zoe; Gray, Andrew

2017-01-01

Peer review is a powerful method to enhance teaching in higher education. Peers, however, may not be the most relevant people in evaluating teaching success; as the most important stakeholders in learning, students' evaluations need to be heard. Whilst some efforts to capture "the student voice" are simplistic and may foster consumerist…

U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2011 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Satypal, S.

2011-09-01

This document summarizes the comments provided by peer reviewers on hydrogen and fuel cell projects presented at the FY 2011 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program and Vehicle Technologies Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), held May 9-13, 2011 in Arlington, Virginia

Evaluating the Outcomes of a Peer-Mentoring Program for Students Transitioning to Postsecondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goff, Lori

2011-01-01

A peer-mentoring program was developed for students in an introductory biology course at a university in Ontario, Canada. Students could attend up to five peer-mentoring sessions during their first semester. Quantitative-survey, participation, and academic data spanning from 2003 through 2007 were reviewed for the purpose of evaluating the…

A collaborative approach to improving and expanding an experiential education program.

PubMed

Cox, Cheryl E; Lindblad, Adrienne J

2012-04-10

The lessons learned from a collaboration between a faculty of pharmacy and a practice site that involved implementation of an innovative experiential placement model are described, as well as the broader impact of the project on other practice sites, the faculty of pharmacy's experiential education program, and experiential placement capacity. The partnerships and collaborative strategies formed were key to the implementation and evaluation of a pharmacy student clinical teaching unit pilot program and integration of concepts used in the unit into the advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) program to enhance capacity and quality. The university-practice partnerships have made it possible to promote the delegation of responsibility and accountability for patient care to students, challenge the anticipated workload burden for preceptors, question the optimal length of an APPE placement, and highlight the value of higher student-to-preceptor ratios that facilitate peer-assisted learning (PAL) and optimize the practice learning experiences for preceptors and students. Collaboration in experiential education between universities and practice sites can provide opportunities to address challenges faced by practitioners and academics alike.

Evaluating Management Information Systems, A Protocol for Automated Peer Review Systems

PubMed Central

Black, Gordon C.

1980-01-01

This paper discusses key issues in evaluating an automated Peer Review System. Included are the conceptual base, design, steps in planning structural components, operation parameters, criteria, costs and a detailed outline or protocol for use in the evaluation. At the heart of the Peer Review System is the criteria utilized for measuring quality. Criteria evaluation should embrace, as a minimum, appropriateness, validity and reliability, and completemess or comprehensiveness of content. Such an evaluation is not complete without determining the impact (clinical outcome) of the service system or the patient and the population served.

Giving and Receiving Advice in Computer-Mediated Peer Response Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Mei-Hsing; Kinginger, Celeste

2015-01-01

In synchronous computer-mediated contexts, peer-to-peer interaction at the microlevel has received little scrutiny. In applying a conversation analysis approach, this study scrutinizes the precise nature of peer-to-peer advice giving and receiving. In this process, an advice giver can be viewed at certain moments as more competent to evaluate a…

A Descriptive Study of Nursing Peer-Review Programs in US Magnet® Hospitals.

PubMed

Roberts, Holli; Cronin, Sherill Nones

2017-04-01

The goal of this study was to assess the types of nursing peer review (NPR) programs in US Magnet® organizations. The 2 most predominant models of NPR programs in the literature are performance evaluation and clinical peer review. The literature on clinical peer review is primarily descriptive, outlining structures and anecdotal outcomes. Participants from hospitals holding Magnet recognition were selected using a stratified random-sampling method. A survey developed by the researchers assessed the presence of NPR. If clinical NPR was in place, program design, evaluation measurements, and barriers were explored. Findings suggest wide variability in NPR models. More than one-third of the respondents conduct peer evaluation as the only mechanism of NPR. Most hospitals with a clinical peer-review program reported a case review structure and process measurements not supported by data. The variations noted in this study suggest more research is needed to measure the effectiveness of NPR models and associated outcomes.

Adolescent Loneliness and Social Skills: Agreement and Discrepancies Between Self-, Meta-, and Peer-Evaluations.

PubMed

Lodder, G M A; Goossens, L; Scholte, R H J; Engels, R C M E; Verhagen, M

2016-12-01

Lonely adolescents report that they have poor social skills, but it is unknown whether this is due to an accurate perception of a social skills deficit, or a biased negative perception. This is an important distinction, as actual social skills deficits require different treatments than biased negative perceptions. In this study, we compared self-reported social skills evaluations with peer-reported social skills and meta-evaluations of social skills (i.e., adolescents' perceptions of how they believe their classmates evaluate them). Based on the social skills view, we expected negative relations between loneliness and these three forms of social skills evaluations. Based on the bias view, we expected lonely adolescents to have more negative self- and meta-evaluations compared to peer-evaluations of social skills. Participants were 1342 adolescents (48.64 % male, M age  = 13.95, SD = .54). All classmates rated each other in a round-robin design to obtain peer-evaluations. Self- and meta-evaluations were obtained using self-reports. Data were analyzed using polynomial regression analyses and response surface modeling. The results indicated that, when self-, peer- and meta-evaluations were similar, a greater sense of loneliness was related to poorer social skills. Loneliness was also related to larger discrepancies between self- and peer-evaluations of loneliness, but not related to the direction of these discrepancies. Thus, for some lonely adolescents, loneliness may be related to an actual social skills deficit, whereas for others a biased negative perception of one's own social skills or a mismatch with the environment may be related to their loneliness. This implies that different mechanisms may underlie loneliness, which has implications for interventions.

The association between four citation metrics and peer rankings of research influence of Australian researchers in six fields of public health.

PubMed

Derrick, Gemma Elizabeth; Haynes, Abby; Chapman, Simon; Hall, Wayne D

2011-04-06

Doubt about the relevance, appropriateness and transparency of peer review has promoted the use of citation metrics as a viable adjunct or alternative in the assessment of research impact. It is also commonly acknowledged that research metrics will not replace peer review unless they are shown to correspond with the assessment of peers. This paper evaluates the relationship between researchers' influence as evaluated by their peers and various citation metrics representing different aspects of research output in 6 fields of public health in Australia. For four fields, the results showed a modest positive correlation between different research metrics and peer assessments of research influence. However, for two fields, tobacco and injury, negative or no correlations were found. This suggests a peer understanding of research influence within these fields differed from visibility in the mainstream, peer-reviewed scientific literature. This research therefore recommends the use of both peer review and metrics in a combined approach in assessing research influence. Future research evaluation frameworks intent on incorporating metrics should first analyse each field closely to determine what measures of research influence are valued highly by members of that research community. This will aid the development of comprehensive and relevant frameworks with which to fairly and transparently distribute research funds or approve promotion applications.

The Association between Four Citation Metrics and Peer Rankings of Research Influence of Australian Researchers in Six Fields of Public Health

PubMed Central

Derrick, Gemma Elizabeth; Haynes, Abby; Chapman, Simon; Hall, Wayne D.

2011-01-01

Doubt about the relevance, appropriateness and transparency of peer review has promoted the use of citation metrics as a viable adjunct or alternative in the assessment of research impact. It is also commonly acknowledged that research metrics will not replace peer review unless they are shown to correspond with the assessment of peers. This paper evaluates the relationship between researchers' influence as evaluated by their peers and various citation metrics representing different aspects of research output in 6 fields of public health in Australia. For four fields, the results showed a modest positive correlation between different research metrics and peer assessments of research influence. However, for two fields, tobacco and injury, negative or no correlations were found. This suggests a peer understanding of research influence within these fields differed from visibility in the mainstream, peer-reviewed scientific literature. This research therefore recommends the use of both peer review and metrics in a combined approach in assessing research influence. Future research evaluation frameworks intent on incorporating metrics should first analyse each field closely to determine what measures of research influence are valued highly by members of that research community. This will aid the development of comprehensive and relevant frameworks with which to fairly and transparently distribute research funds or approve promotion applications. PMID:21494691

[Quality Assurance in Sociomedical Evaluation by Peer Review: A Pilot Project of the German Statutory Pension Insurance].

PubMed

Strahl, A; Gerlich, C; Wolf, H-D; Gehrke, J; Müller-Garnn, A; Vogel, H

2016-03-01

The sociomedical evaluation by the German Pension Insurance serves the purpose of determining entitlement to disability pensions. A quality assurance concept for the sociomedical evaluation was developed, which is based on a peer Review process. Peer review is an established process of external quality assurance in health care. The review is based on a hierarchically constructed manual that was evaluated in this pilot project. The database consists of 260 medical reports for disability pension of 12 pension insurance agencies. 771 reviews from 19 peers were included in the evaluation of the inter-rater reliability. Kendall's coefficient of concordance W for more than 2 raters is used as primary measure of inter-rater reliability. Reliability appeared to be heterogeneous. Kendalls W varies for the particular criteria from 0.09 to 0.88 and reached for primary criterion reproducibility a value of 0.37. The reliability of the manual seemed acceptable in the context of existing research data and is in line with existing peer review research outcomes. Nevertheless, the concordance is limited and requires optimisation. Starting points for improvement can be seen in a systematic training and regular user meetings of the peers involved. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Self-assessment through videotaping compared with peer and trainer feedback.

PubMed

Avsar, Ummu Zeynep; Cansever, Zeliha; Acemoglu, Hamit; Avsar, Umit; Khan, Abdul Sattar; Cayir, Yasemin

2015-01-01

To assess and compare three different types of feedback for presentation skills, self, peer and trainer feedback. Cross-sectional study. Faculty of Medicine at Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey, from March 2012 to December 2012. Participants were faculty members and instructor nurses. Each participant gave a 10-minute presentation, which was rated by peers, course trainers and the presenter himself/herself using a thirteen-item questionnaire (designed as a 5-point Likert scale). Peers and trainers conducted the assessment during the presentation while the self-assessment was done later by watching a video recording of the presentation. Comparison of the points between the groups was made using the two-way ANOVA. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship between the mean scores of self-assessment, peer and trainer assessment. Ten faculty members, 27 instructor nurses and 4 trainers participated in the study. A total of 775 feedback reports were collected for 37 participants. There was no significant difference between the feedback scores of the evaluators as well as the occupation groups (p > 0.05). There was a strong positive and statistically significant correlation between trainer and peer (r = 0.73, p < 0.001). Consequently, there were no differences in the evaluations of presentation skills between different stakeholders. Trainers should use the video recording method to self-evaluate their presentation skills, and they should invite their peers from time to time to improve their own personal development by using peer review methods.

Information Quality in Regulatory Decision Making: Peer Review versus Good Laboratory Practice.

PubMed

McCarty, Lynn S; Borgert, Christopher J; Mihaich, Ellen M

2012-07-01

There is an ongoing discussion on the provenance of toxicity testing data regarding how best to ensure its validity and credibility. A central argument is whether journal peer-review procedures are superior to Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standards employed for compliance with regulatory mandates. We sought to evaluate the rationale for regulatory decision making based on peer-review procedures versus GLP standards. We examined pertinent published literature regarding how scientific data quality and validity are evaluated for peer review, GLP compliance, and development of regulations. Some contend that peer review is a coherent, consistent evaluative procedure providing quality control for experimental data generation, analysis, and reporting sufficient to reliably establish relative merit, whereas GLP is seen as merely a tracking process designed to thwart investigator corruption. This view is not supported by published analyses pointing to subjectivity and variability in peer-review processes. Although GLP is not designed to establish relative merit, it is an internationally accepted quality assurance, quality control method for documenting experimental conduct and data. Neither process is completely sufficient for establishing relative scientific soundness. However, changes occurring both in peer-review processes and in regulatory guidance resulting in clearer, more transparent communication of scientific information point to an emerging convergence in ensuring information quality. The solution to determining relative merit lies in developing a well-documented, generally accepted weight-of-evidence scheme to evaluate both peer-reviewed and GLP information used in regulatory decision making where both merit and specific relevance inform the process.

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Chronic Illness Anticipated Stigma Scale

PubMed Central

Quinn, Diane M.; Kalichman, Seth C.; Park, Crystal L.

2015-01-01

The Chronic Illness Anticipated Stigma Scale (CIASS) was developed to measure anticipated stigma (i.e., expectations of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination) among people living with chronic illnesses. The CIASS is a 12-item scale with three subscales differentiating among sources of anticipated stigma, including friends and family members, work colleagues, and healthcare workers. Results support the reliability, validity, and generalizability of the CIASS in two samples of people living with chronic illnesses. The CIASS was correlated with other stigma-related constructs as well as indicators of mental health, physical health, and health behaviors. The CIASS can help researchers gauge the degree to which people living with chronic illnesses anticipate stigma, better understand the processes by which anticipated stigma contributes to the health and behavior of people living with chronic illnesses, and compare the extent to which people living with different types of chronic illnesses anticipate stigma. PMID:22526525

Promoting community awareness of the need for colorectal cancer screening: a pilot study.

PubMed

Greenwald, Beverly

2006-01-01

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if a community education program based on the Health Belief Model effectively promotes awareness of the need for colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention and screening. An education program was given to 20 employees of an accounting firm in a midwestern city. A survey evaluated the participants' beliefs about CRC, before and after the presentation. The results support a significant increase in the belief that CRC is preventable, and in 5 of 6 screening factors from the Health Belief Model. Participants were encouraged to share what they learned and reported that they anticipate sharing with at least 31 others. A screening questionnaire was distributed as a "cue to action" to discuss CRC screening with their physicians. Participants' intention to discuss CRC with their physicians also increased. The actual effectiveness will be evaluated with 11 participants who volunteered for a 1-year follow-up study. This community education concept had several advantages, including simultaneous access to many participants who share personal testimonials and who invite peers to become screened. The program was effective in increasing awareness of the need for CRC prevention and screening, even beyond those in attendance. The results of the 1-year follow-up study may provide more insight to what education factors promote screening most effectively.

Peer-to-peer communication, cancer prevention, and the internet

PubMed Central

Ancker, Jessica S.; Carpenter, Kristen M.; Greene, Paul; Hoffmann, Randi; Kukafka, Rita; Marlow, Laura A.V.; Prigerson, Holly G.; Quillin, John M.

2013-01-01

Online communication among patients and consumers through support groups, discussion boards, and knowledge resources is becoming more common. In this paper, we discuss key methods through which such web-based peer-to-peer communication may affect health promotion and disease prevention behavior (exchanges of information, emotional and instrumental support, and establishment of group norms and models). We also discuss several theoretical models for studying online peer communication, including social theory, health communication models, and health behavior models. Although online peer communication about health and disease is very common, research evaluating effects on health behaviors, mediators, and outcomes is still relatively sparse. We suggest that future research in this field should include formative evaluation and studies of effects on mediators of behavior change, behaviors, and outcomes. It will also be important to examine spontaneously emerging peer communication efforts to see how they can be integrated with theory-based efforts initiated by researchers. PMID:19449267

Evaluation of youth peer-to-peer impaired driving programs

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-08-01

Author's abstract: More than 16,000 high schools in the United States have youth peer-to-peer groups that encourage students to refrain from drinking, drinking and driving, and riding in a vehicle with a drinking driver. While each of these groups is...

Evaluation of a peer-led drug abuse risk reduction project for runaway/homeless youths.

PubMed

Fors, S W; Jarvis, S

1995-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Drug Prevention in Youth risk reduction program that was implemented in shelters for runaway/homeless youths in the Southeastern United States. The program focuses on knowledge, attitudes and skills that can help this group of high risk young people minimize the serious negative consequences of drug abuse. An evaluation strategy was developed so comparisons could be made between peer-led, adult-led and non-intervention groups. Dependent samples t tests and least squares ANCOVAS were used to measure pretest-posttest differences both within and between groups. Results indicate that the peer-led groups were more successful than the other two groups, and that program effects were the most powerful with the youngest group of shelter clients. Process evaluation revealed important factors related to group leader training and group management. It is concluded that well-trained and motivated peer/near peer leaders have particularly valuable contributions to make with regard to drug abuse risk reduction for shelter clients.

Evaluation of FCS self and peer-assessment approach based on Cooperative and Engineering Design learning.

PubMed

Cvetkovic, Dean

2013-01-01

The Cooperative Learning in Engineering Design curriculum can be enhanced with structured and timely self and peer assessment teaching methodologies which can easily be applied to any Biomedical Engineering curriculum. A study was designed and implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of this structured and timely self and peer assessment on student team-based projects. In comparing the 'peer-blind' and 'face-to-face' Fair Contribution Scoring (FCS) methods, both had advantages and disadvantages. The 'peer-blind' self and peer assessment method would cause high discrepancy between self and team ratings. But the 'face-to-face' method on the other hand did not have the discrepancy issue and had actually proved to be a more accurate and effective, indicating team cohesiveness and good cooperative learning.

Making the Grade: Using Instructional Feedback and Evaluation to Inspire Evidence-Based Teaching

PubMed Central

Brickman, Peggy; Gormally, Cara; Martella, Amedee Marchand

2016-01-01

Typically, faculty receive feedback about teaching via two mechanisms: end-of-semester student evaluations and peer observation. However, instructors require more sustained encouragement and constructive feedback when implementing evidence-based teaching practices. Our study goal was to characterize the landscape of current instructional-feedback practices in biology and uncover faculty perceptions about these practices. Findings from a national survey of 400 college biology faculty reveal an overwhelming dissatisfaction with student evaluations, regardless of self-reported teaching practices, institution type, or position. Faculty view peer evaluations as most valuable, but less than half of faculty at doctoral-granting institutions report participating in peer evaluation. When peer evaluations are performed, they are more supportive of evidence-based teaching than student evaluations. Our findings reveal a large, unmet desire for greater guidance and assessment data to inform pedagogical decision making. Informed by these findings, we discuss alternate faculty-vetted feedback strategies for providing formative instructional feedback. PMID:27909025

Unravelling nocebo effect: the mediating effect of anxiety between anticipation and pain at wound dressing change.

PubMed

Woo, Kevin Y

2015-07-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of anxiety in the relationship between anticipation and pain in people with chronic wounds. Pain is common in people with chronic wounds. Anticipation or negative expectation of discomfort has been shown to have an augmenting effect on pain; also known as nocebo hyperalgesia. This was a cross-sectional study with repeated measures. Prior to dressing change, anticipatory pain level was evaluated by a 11-point numerical rating scale and anxiety by the Six-items State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6). During wound dressing changes, pain was measured before dressing removal, at dressing removal, at cleansing and dressing application using the numerical scale. Analysis was completed based on the data from a convenience sample of 96 patients. Participants reported more pain at cleansing and dressing removal than baseline. High levels of anticipation, anxiety and pain at dressing change for wounds were related to heavy exudate and wound that were covered with necrotic tissue. Finally, the relationship between anticipation and pain perception was mediated by anxiety. Anticipation of pain triggers anxiety that can lead to increased pain. There is a need to incorporate evaluation of anxiety and personal expectations as part of comprehensive pain assessment. Clinicians should be aware of the impact of emotions and anticipation on overall pain experience. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Attachment and self-evaluation in Chinese adolescents: age and gender differences.

PubMed

Song, Hairong; Thompson, Ross A; Ferrer, Emilio

2009-10-01

This study investigated age and gender differences in the quality of attachment to mothers, fathers, and peers, and the association of attachment with measures of self-evaluation in 584 Chinese adolescents in junior high, high school, and university. Their responses to the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment indexed attachment quality, and self-evaluation was measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Self-Liking and Self-Competence Scale. Consistent with findings with Western samples, our analyses revealed (a) lower parent-child relationship quality in middle (compared to early) adolescence, (b) a significant association of parental and peer attachment with self-evaluation, and (c) gender differences in attachment to peers, with females reporting stronger attachment than males. Chinese females reported stronger maternal attachment than did males, and for females the quality of maternal attachment was more strongly related to self-evaluation than any other attachment relationship. During high school, peer attachment quality - rather than parental - was preeminently associated with self-evaluation. The findings of this study indicate that in a context of considerable consistency of findings with Western studies, parent-child attachment in Chinese adolescents is also influenced by culture-specific practices that influence parent-youth relationships and their meaning to the child.

The Development and Implementation of a Peer-Led Intervention to Prevent Smoking among Secondary School Students Using Their Established Social Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Audrey, Suzanne; Cordall, Kathleen; Moore, Laurence; Cohen, David; Campbell, Rona

2004-01-01

Objective: To design, implement and evaluate a peer-led intervention to reduce smoking amongst secondary school students. Design: A health promotion intervention combining peer education with diffusion of innovation theory, to be rigorously evaluated by means of a cluster randomised controlled trial with concurrent process and economic…

My-Peer Toolkit [1.0]: Developing an Online Resource for Planning and Evaluating Peer-Based Youth Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hildebrand, Janina; Lobo, Roanna; Hallett, Jonathan; Brown, Graham; Maycock, Bruce

2012-01-01

Peer-based youth services provided by small non-profit community organisations have grown in number over the past two decades in response to an increasing need for informal, youth-friendly, accessible and confidential early intervention services. However, gaps in the evidence base and a general lack of evaluation capacity of service providers…

Increasing Anonymity in Peer Assessment by Using Classroom Response Technology within Face-to-Face Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raes, Annelies; Vanderhoven, Ellen; Schellens, Tammy

2015-01-01

Peer assessment is becoming more popular in higher education, however it often goes together with undesirable social effects like peer pressure and favoritism, especially when students need to evaluate peers in a face-to-face setting. The present study was set up to investigate increased anonymity in peer assessment to counter these undesirable…

Students' Perceptions of Peer Evaluation: An Expectancy Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yining; Lou, Hao

2004-01-01

Because of the difficulty of evaluating uneven performance among group members, many researchers suggest incorporating peer evaluations in a grading system that permits an instructor to evaluate and grade individual performance more equitably within a group. In this study, the authors employ expectancy theory to assess key factors that may…

DOE Hydrogen Program: 2006 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Milliken, J.

This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the FY 2006 DOE Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review, held on May 16-19, 2006, in Arlington, Virginia. The projects evaluated support the Department of Energy and President Bush's Hydrogen Initiative. The results of this merit review and peer evaluation are major inputs used by DOE to make funding decisions. Project areas include hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; technology validation; safety, codes and standards; education; and systems analysis.

DOE Hydrogen Program: 2005 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chalk, S. G.

This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the FY 2005 DOE Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review, held on May 23-26, 2005, in Arlington, Virginia. The projects evaluated support the Department of Energy and President Bush's Hydrogen Initiative. The results of this merit review and peer evaluation are major inputs used by DOE to make funding decisions. Project areas include hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; technology validation; safety, codes and standards; education; and systems analysis.

DOE Hydrogen Program: 2007 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Milliken, J.

This report summarizes comments from the Peer Review Panel at the FY 2007 DOE Hydrogen Program Annual Merit Review, held on May 14-18, 2007, in Washington, D.C. The projects evaluated support the Department of Energy and President Bush's Hydrogen Initiative. The results of this merit review and peer evaluation are major inputs used by DOE to make funding decisions. Project areas include hydrogen production and delivery; hydrogen storage; fuel cells; technology validation; safety, codes and standards; education; and systems analysis.

Metaperception in Adolescents With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Burrows, Catherine A.; Messinger, Daniel S.; Henderson, Heather A.

2018-01-01

This study compared how adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) evaluated unfamiliar peers (i.e., perceptions), as well as how adolescents believed they were evaluated by peers (i.e., metaperceptions). The Perceptions and Metaperceptions Questionnaire was designed to quantify perceptions and metaperceptions following a live interaction. For all adolescents, more positive perceptions of the peer were associated with more positive metaperceptions. Adolescents with ASD exhibited more accurate metaperceptions than did typically developing adolescents. More positive perceptions and metaperceptions were associated with higher levels of observed social competence across groups. Findings extend our understanding of typically and atypically developing adolescents' impressions of unfamiliar peers and their ability to discern what peers think of them. PMID:29080926

The Relationship of Facilitative Functioning to Effective Peer Supervision

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seligman, Linda

1978-01-01

This study investigates peer supervision. The criterion used was counselor trainees' growth in facilitative functioning. The study sought to ascertain whether the facilitative counselor trainee was also the effective peer supervisor, to provide information on evaluating peer-supervisory experience, and to shed light on the most effective…

Peer Tutoring Systems: Applications in Classroom and Specialized Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heron, Timothy E.; Villareal, Donna M.; Yao, Ma; Christianson, Rebecca J.; Heron, Kathleen M.

2006-01-01

Peer-mediated approaches have been used for years to improve the academic behaviors of students, especially those with disabilities. The most systematized and well researched of the peer-mediated approaches relates to peer tutoring systems, which include specific elements of training, implementation, and evaluation. The purpose of this article is…

Peer-assisted learning and orthopaedic evaluation psychomotor skills.

PubMed

Weidner, Thomas G; Popp, Jennifer K

2007-01-01

Athletic training educators often anecdotally suggest that athletic training students enhance their learning by teaching their peers. However, peer-assisted learning (PAL) has not been examined within athletic training education to provide evidence for PAL's current use or for its use as a pedagogic tool. To assess the effectiveness of intentional, formal PAL on the performance of psychomotor skills and to identify students' perceptions of PAL. Randomized, pretest-posttest experimental design. Athletic Training Research and Education Laboratory. Fifty-one undergraduate students (27 athletic training majors, 24 nonmajors). Review sessions led by either an Approved Clinical Instructor or peer tutor. We assessed pretest and posttest performance scores (number of correct skills) and the amount of time to complete the psychomotor skills in 3 categories of orthopaedic evaluation of the hand and wrist for subjects assigned to either a peer tutor or an Approved Clinical Instructor review group. Using the Athletic Training Peer-Assisted Learning Assessment Survey, we evaluated the perceptions of students assigned to the peer-tutor group regarding the benefits of, and preferences for, PAL. Differences in the pretest-posttest skill scores were noted in both groups (P < .05). No differences in the posttest skills scores or the times to perform the skills were seen between the groups. The Athletic Training Peer-Assisted Learning Assessment Survey revealed that most (n = 19, 70.4%) of the subjects felt less anxious when practicing psychomotor skills with peer tutors than with the laboratory instructor, and many students (n = 12, 44.4%) felt more self-confident when practicing psychomotor skills with a peer tutor. Peer-assisted learning appears to be a valid method for improving athletic training psychomotor skills. Peers can be resources for practicing clinical skills and report benefiting from the collaboration. Peer-assisted learning should be deliberately integrated into athletic training education programs to enhance student learning and collaboration.

Learning from Evaluation by Peer Team: A Case Study of a Family Counselling Organization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muniute-Cobb, Eivina I.; Alfred, Mary V.

2010-01-01

This qualitative study explores how employees learn from Team Primacy Concept-based employee evaluation and how they use the feedback in performing their jobs. Team Primacy Concept-based evaluation is a type of multirater evaluation. The distinctive characteristic of such evaluation is its peer feedback component during which the employee's…

Children's giving: moral reasoning and moral emotions in the development of donation behaviors.

PubMed

Ongley, Sophia F; Nola, Marta; Malti, Tina

2014-01-01

This study investigated the role of moral reasoning and moral emotions (i.e., sympathy and guilt) in the development of young children's donating behavior (N = 160 4- and 8-year-old children). Donating was measured through children's allocation of resources (i.e., stickers) to needy peers and was framed as a donation to "World Vision." Children's sympathy was measured with both self- and primary caregiver-reports and participants reported their anticipation of guilt feelings following actions that violated prosocial moral norms, specifically the failure to help or share. Participants also provided justifications for their anticipated emotions, which were coded as representing moral or non-moral reasoning processes. Children's moral reasoning emerged as a significant predictor of donating behavior. In addition, results demonstrated significant developmental and gender effects, with 8-year-olds donating significantly more than 4-year-olds and 4-year-old girls making higher value donations than boys of the same age. We discuss donation behaviors within the broader context of giving and highlight the moral developmental antecedents of giving behaviors in childhood.

Children’s giving: moral reasoning and moral emotions in the development of donation behaviors

PubMed Central

Ongley, Sophia F.; Nola, Marta; Malti, Tina

2014-01-01

This study investigated the role of moral reasoning and moral emotions (i.e., sympathy and guilt) in the development of young children’s donating behavior (N = 160 4- and 8-year-old children). Donating was measured through children’s allocation of resources (i.e., stickers) to needy peers and was framed as a donation to “World Vision.” Children’s sympathy was measured with both self- and primary caregiver-reports and participants reported their anticipation of guilt feelings following actions that violated prosocial moral norms, specifically the failure to help or share. Participants also provided justifications for their anticipated emotions, which were coded as representing moral or non-moral reasoning processes. Children’s moral reasoning emerged as a significant predictor of donating behavior. In addition, results demonstrated significant developmental and gender effects, with 8-year-olds donating significantly more than 4-year-olds and 4-year-old girls making higher value donations than boys of the same age. We discuss donation behaviors within the broader context of giving and highlight the moral developmental antecedents of giving behaviors in childhood. PMID:24904474

Multi-resource peer assisted learning in postgraduate setting: a pilot study.

PubMed

Ali, Asif; Evans, Phillip

2013-04-01

To evaluate the satisfaction of participants and the effectiveness of an enhanced and relatively formal type of peer assisted learning (PAL) in postgraduate (PG) setting. An observational study. Layton Rehmat Ullah Benevolent Trust, Eye Hospital, Sargodha between 2008 and 2009. Participants were 6 medical officers and 2 consultants. Resources and sessions were defined and the curriculum agreed through consensus between all peers. Thirty clinically relevant topics on diseases, techniques and practicals were selected for PAL sessions. A 26-item questionnaire was used to evaluate PAL on Likert-scale. It also included a free text question about one strength and one weakness of PAL. The participants consented to all aspects of multi-resource PAL and they completed a questionnaire, from which data was gathered and analysed to reveal the impact of course. As a peer group they were satisfied with the teamwork experience. Seven out of eight peers reported to have increased their motivation level. In addition, as a peer tutor all peers accepted that the course equipped them with teaching skills and that teaching skills should be learnt. Similarly, as a peer tutee, they believe that peer assistance in a multiresource format had a positive impact on their learning and their difficult issues were unravelled. Finally, facilitated small group teaching, discussion and summing-up helped the peers to comprehend a given clinical topic. A pilot multi-resource PAL was evaluated and the participants appraised the course favourably and recommended it to their colleagues. The interest and zeal shown by the participants suggests that further investigation through a larger, prospective study is warranted.

A Scoping Review of Peer-led Education in Patient Safety Training

PubMed Central

McLachlan, Andrew J.; Chen, Timothy F.

2018-01-01

Objective. To examine the literature pertaining to the use of peer-led education in patient safety. Findings. Four studies met the inclusion criteria: two were conducted in health care students and two in medical practitioners. Three studies used pre-post evaluation, with one containing a comparator group. One study a post-intervention evaluation only. All studies undertook Kirkpatrick Level 2 evaluations, showing significant improvements in attitudes and knowledge. One study undertook Level 3 and 4 evaluations, showing improvement in self-reported behaviors and engagement in quality improvement initiatives. Summary. There are few studies evaluating peer-led education in patient safety and formal and high-quality evaluations are lacking. PMID:29606704

Peer Review of Submissions to the Annual American Evaluation Association Conference by the Graduate Student & New Evaluators Topical Interest Group

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schroter, Daniela C.; Coryn, Chris L. S.; Montrosse, Bianca E.

2008-01-01

Peer review is an umbrella term that refers to a class of selection and oversight practices, including the familiar mechanisms of the review of proposals submitted for funding, of manuscripts for scholarly publications, and of personnel qualifications and portfolios for selection and promotion. Peer review has long been a cornerstone of modern…

The ABC of Peer Mentoring--What Secondary Students Have to Say about Cross-Age Peer Mentoring in a Regional Australian School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willis, Paul; Bland, Robert; Manka, Louise; Craft, Cec

2012-01-01

Cross-age peer mentoring is an educational model that builds on peer support and mentoring to assist young people to enhance social relationships, develop cognitive skills, and promote positive identity development. In this article, we outline the evaluation process of a cross-age peer-mentoring program implemented in an Australian secondary…

Peer mentoring: evaluation of a novel programme in paediatrics.

PubMed

Eisen, Sarah; Sukhani, Seema; Brightwell, Alex; Stoneham, Sara; Long, Andrew

2014-02-01

Mentoring is important for personal and professional development of doctors. Peer mentoring is a core skill in the UK paediatric postgraduate curriculum. However, there is a paucity of peer mentoring programmes aimed at postgraduate doctors in training (postgraduate trainees), and there are no such schemes within paediatrics described in the literature. We developed a regional peer mentoring programme for postgraduate trainees in paediatrics to assess demand and need for peer mentoring and to explore the benefits for both peer mentees and mentors. Junior postgraduate trainees, randomly selected from volunteers, received peer mentoring from more senior trainees for 1 year. Peer mentors were selected by competitive application and undertook tailored training followed by an experiential learning programme. The programme was evaluated using structured questionnaires. 90% (76/84) of first-year postgraduate trainees in paediatrics applied to participate, demonstrating high demand. 18 peer mentor-mentee pairs were matched. Peer mentors and mentees reported high satisfaction rates, acquisition of new and transferable skills and changed behaviours. All peer mentors intended to use the skills in their workplace and, later, as an educational supervisor. Our programme represents a novel approach to meeting the demonstrated demand and the curriculum requirement for peer mentoring, and enabled peer mentors and mentees to develop a valuable and versatile skill set. To our knowledge, it is the first such programme in paediatrics and provides a feasibility model that may be adapted locally to allow education providers to offer this important experience to postgraduate trainees.

Peer mentoring: evaluation of a novel programme in paediatrics

PubMed Central

Eisen, Sarah; Sukhani, Seema; Brightwell, Alex; Stoneham, Sara; Long, Andrew

2014-01-01

Background Mentoring is important for personal and professional development of doctors. Peer mentoring is a core skill in the UK paediatric postgraduate curriculum. However, there is a paucity of peer mentoring programmes aimed at postgraduate doctors in training (postgraduate trainees), and there are no such schemes within paediatrics described in the literature. We developed a regional peer mentoring programme for postgraduate trainees in paediatrics to assess demand and need for peer mentoring and to explore the benefits for both peer mentees and mentors. Programme design Junior postgraduate trainees, randomly selected from volunteers, received peer mentoring from more senior trainees for 1 year. Peer mentors were selected by competitive application and undertook tailored training followed by an experiential learning programme. The programme was evaluated using structured questionnaires. Results 90% (76/84) of first-year postgraduate trainees in paediatrics applied to participate, demonstrating high demand. 18 peer mentor–mentee pairs were matched. Peer mentors and mentees reported high satisfaction rates, acquisition of new and transferable skills and changed behaviours. All peer mentors intended to use the skills in their workplace and, later, as an educational supervisor. Conclusions Our programme represents a novel approach to meeting the demonstrated demand and the curriculum requirement for peer mentoring, and enabled peer mentors and mentees to develop a valuable and versatile skill set. To our knowledge, it is the first such programme in paediatrics and provides a feasibility model that may be adapted locally to allow education providers to offer this important experience to postgraduate trainees. PMID:24152570

Contextual information and perceptual-cognitive expertise in a dynamic, temporally-constrained task.

PubMed

Murphy, Colm P; Jackson, Robin C; Cooke, Karl; Roca, André; Benguigui, Nicolas; Williams, A Mark

2016-12-01

Skilled performers extract and process postural information from an opponent during anticipation more effectively than their less-skilled counterparts. In contrast, the role and importance of contextual information in anticipation has received only minimal attention. We evaluate the importance of contextual information in anticipation and examine the underlying perceptual-cognitive processes. We present skilled and less-skilled tennis players with normal video or animated footage of the same rallies. In the animated condition, sequences were created using player movement and ball trajectory data, and postural information from the players was removed, constraining participants to anticipate based on contextual information alone. Participants judged ball bounce location of the opponent's final occluded shot. The 2 groups were more accurate than chance in both display conditions with skilled being more accurate than less-skilled (Exp. 1) participants. When anticipating based on contextual information alone, skilled participants employed different gaze behaviors to less-skilled counterparts and provided verbal reports of thoughts which were indicative of more thorough evaluation of contextual information (Exp. 2). Findings highlight the importance of both postural and contextual information in anticipation and indicate that perceptual-cognitive expertise is underpinned by processes that facilitate more effective processing of contextual information, in the absence of postural information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Peer Assessment of Student-Produced Mechanics Lab Report Videos

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglas, Scott S.; Aiken, John M.; Lin, Shih-Yin; Greco, Edwin F.; Alicea-Muñoz, Emily; Schatz, Michael F.

2017-01-01

We examine changes in students' rating behavior during a semester-long sequence of peer evaluation laboratory exercises in an introductory mechanics course. We perform a quantitative analysis of the ratings given by students to peers' physics lab reports, and conduct interviews with students. We find that peers persistently assign higher ratings…

Diffusion of Innovations Theory: A Unifying Framework for HIV Peer Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramseyer Winter, Virginia

2013-01-01

Peer education programs are a popular approach to preventing HIV infection among adolescents. While the programs show promise for effectively preventing HIV among the peers who are provided education, little evaluation research has been conducted to determine if the peer educators themselves experience knowledge, attitude, and behavior changes. A…

Evaluation of a Peer-Led Hypertension Intervention for Veterans: Impact on Peer Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mosack, Katie E.; Patterson, Leslie; Brouwer, Amanda M.; Wendorf, Angela R.; Ertl, Kristyn; Eastwood, Dan; Morzinski, Jeffrey; Fletcher, Kathlyn; Whittle, Jeff

2013-01-01

Volunteer peer leaders (PLs) benefit from their involvement in health interventions but we know little about how they compare with other non-PL volunteers or with the intervention recipients themselves. We randomized 58 veterans' service organizations' posts (e.g. VFW) to peer- versus professionally led self-management support interventions. Our…

Beyond Pluto: The Search for the Edge of the Solar System

ScienceCinema

Funsten, Herb

2018-01-16

In July, we finally visited the last major body of our solar system, Pluto. But what lies beyond? The stellar wind from our Sun forms an enormous bubble in interstellar space. This “sphere of our Sun,” or heliosphere, extends far beyond Pluto and forms a protective cocoon that shields us from cosmic radiation. In this talk, we will travel to the edge of the solar system, peer into the structure and dynamics of the outer heliosphere as it interacts with the interstellar medium and anticipate the future of the solar system as it moves through our galactic neighborhood.

Social Competence in Childhood Brain Tumor Survivors: Feasibility and Preliminary Outcomes of a Peer-Mediated Intervention

PubMed Central

Devine, Katie A.; Bukowski, William M.; Sahler, Olle Jane Z.; Ohman-Strickland, Pamela; Smith, Tristram H.; Lown, E. Anne; Patenaude, Andrea Farkas; Korones, David N.; Noll, Robert B.

2016-01-01

Objective Evaluate the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary outcomes of a peer-mediated intervention to improve social competence of brain tumor survivors and classmates. Methods Twelve childhood brain tumor survivors and 217 classroom peers in intervention (n = 8) or comparison (n = 4) classrooms completed measures of social acceptance and reputation at two time points in the year. The intervention (5–8 sessions over 4–6 weeks) taught peer leaders skills for engaging classmates. Individual and classroom outcomes were analyzed with ANCOVA. Results Recruitment rates of families of brain tumor survivors (81%) and schools (100%) were adequate. Peer leaders reported satisfaction with the intervention. Preliminary outcome data trended toward some benefit in increasing the number of friend nominations for survivors of brain tumors but no changes in other peer-reported metrics. Preliminary results also suggested some positive effects on classroom levels of victimization and rejection. Conclusions A peer-mediated intervention was acceptable to families of brain tumor survivors and feasible to implement in schools. Findings warrant a larger trial to evaluate improvements for children with brain tumors and their peers. PMID:27355881

Peer Review for EPA's Biologically Based Dose-Response ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA is developing a regulation for perchlorate in drinking water. As part the regulatory process EPA must develop a Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG). FDA and EPA scientists developed a biologically based dose-response (BBDR) model to assist in deriving the MCLG. This model is designed to determine under what conditions of iodine nutrition and exposure to perchlorate across sensitive lifestages would result in low serum free and total thyroxine (hypothyroxinemia). EPA is undertaking a peer review to provide a focused, objective independent peer evaluation of the draft model and its model results report. EPA is undertaking a peer review to provide a focused, objective independent peer evaluation of the draft model and its model results report. Peer review is an important component of the scientific process. The criticism, suggestions, and new ideas provided by the peer reviewers stimulate creative thought, strengthen the interpretation of the reviewed material, and confer credibility on the product. The peer review objective is to provide advice to EPA on steps that will yield a highly credible scientific product that is supported by the scientific community and a defensible perchlorate MCLG.

Peer group reflection helps clinical teachers to critically reflect on their teaching.

PubMed

Boerboom, Tobias B B; Jaarsma, Debbie; Dolmans, Diana H J M; Scherpbier, Albert J J A; Mastenbroek, Nicole J J M; Van Beukelen, Peter

2011-01-01

Student evaluations can help clinical teachers to reflect on their teaching skills and find ways to improve their teaching. Studies have shown that the mere presentation of student evaluations is not a sufficient incentive for teachers to critically reflect on their teaching. We evaluated and compared the effectiveness of two feedback facilitation strategies that were identical except for a peer reflection meeting. In this study, 54 clinical teachers were randomly assigned to two feedback strategies. In one strategy, a peer reflection was added as an additional step. All teachers completed a questionnaire evaluating the strategy that they had experienced. We analysed the reflection reports and the evaluation questionnaire. Both strategies stimulated teachers to reflect on feedback and formulate alternative actions for their teaching practice. The teachers who had participated in the peer reflection meeting showed deeper critical reflection and more concrete plans to change their teaching. All feedback strategies were considered effective by the majority of the teachers. Strategies with student feedback and self-assessment stimulated reflection on teaching and helped clinical teachers to formulate plans for improvement. A peer reflection meeting seemed to enhance reflection quality. Further research should establish whether it can have lasting effects on teaching quality.

Using Peer Assessment to Evaluate Teamwork from a Multidisciplinary Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Planas-Lladó, Anna; Feliu, Lidia; Castro, Francesc; Fraguell, Rosa Maria; Arbat, Gerard; Pujol, Joan; Suñol, Joan Josep; Daunis-i-Estadella, Pepus

2018-01-01

This article analyses the use of peer evaluation as a tool for evaluating teamwork and students' perceptions of this type of evaluation. A study was conducted of six subjects included on five degree courses at the University of Girona. In all of these subjects, students carried out a team activity, evaluated the performance of the team and the…

Defining Peer-to-Peer Learning--From an Old "Art of Practice" to a New Mode of Forest Owner Extension?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamunen, Katri; Appelstrand, Marie; Hujala, Teppo; Kurttila, Mikko; Sriskandarajah, Nadarajah; Vilkriste, Lelde; Westberg, Lotten; Tikkanen, Jukka

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper explores the concept of peer-to-peer learning (P2PL) in the context of North-European small-scale forest owners. The aim is to develop a framework for initiating new and evaluating already existing forest owners' P2PL communities. Design: Previous studies of peer-learning are used to determine and justify eight dimensions for…

U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2012 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report: May 14-18, 2012, Arlington, VA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2012-09-01

This document summarizes the comments provided by peer reviewers on hydrogen and fuel cell projects presented at the fiscal year (FY) 2012 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program and Vehicle Technologies Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), held May 14-18, 2012, in Arlington, VA.

Neurophysiology of action anticipation in athletes: A systematic review.

PubMed

Smith, Daniel M

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to provide a systematic review of action anticipation studies using functional neuroimaging or brain stimulation during a sport-specific anticipation task. A total of 15 studies from 2008 to 2014 were evaluated and are reported in four sections: expert-novice samples, action anticipation tasks, neuroimaging and stimulation techniques, and key findings. Investigators examined a wide range of action anticipation scenarios specific to eight different sports and utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalogram (EEG), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Expert-novice comparisons were commonly used to investigate differences in action anticipation performance and neurophysiology. Experts tended to outperform novices, and an extensive array of brain structures were reported to be involved differently for experts and novices during action anticipation. However, these neurophysiological findings were generally inconsistent across the studies reviewed. The discussion focuses on strengths and four key limitations. The conclusion posits remaining questions and recommendations for future research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Postpartum depression peer support: maternal perceptions from a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Dennis, Cindy-Lee

2010-05-01

Peer support in the early postpartum period is effective in the prevention of postpartum depression among women identified as high-risk. To describe maternal perceptions of peer support received while participating in a trial. Cross-sectional survey of women participating in a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of peer support in the prevention of postpartum depression. Seven health regions across Ontario Canada. 701 women were recruited between November 2004 and September 2006. Women eligible for the study were all mothers with an Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale score >9 who were within 2 weeks postpartum, at least 18 years of age, able to speak English, had a live birth, and had been discharged home from the hospital. Exclusion criteria included an infant not discharged home with the mother and current use of antidepressant or antipsychotic medication. Two hundred and twenty-one mothers completed the mailed questionnaire. Women were randomly allocated to receive usual postpartum care (control group) or usual postpartum care plus telephone-based peer support (intervention group). Maternal perceptions of peer support were evaluated at 12 weeks postpartum using the validated Peer Support Evaluation Inventory. Interactions provided by the peer volunteer included the provision of emotional (92.7%), informational (72.4%), and appraisal (72.0%) support. Mothers reported high levels of positive relationship qualities such as trust (83.6%) and perceived acceptance (79.1%). Most (80.5%) mothers indicated they were very satisfied with their peer support experience. Maternal satisfaction was associated with the number and duration of peer volunteer contacts. The majority of mothers perceived their peer volunteer experience positively lending further support to telephone-based peer support as a preventative strategy for postpartum depression. The following program modifications were suggested: (a) adapt training to enhance the provision of appraisal support; (b) improve matching of volunteers to participants based on age, number of children, and breastfeeding status; and (c) ensure participating mothers want to receive peer support in order to facilitate the development of relationships with their assigned peers. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peer observation and feedback of resident teaching.

PubMed

Snydman, Laura; Chandler, Daniel; Rencic, Joseph; Sung, Yung-Chi

2013-02-01

Resident doctors (residents) play a significant role in the education of medical students. Morning work rounds provide an optimal venue to assess resident teaching. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of peer observation of resident work rounds, to evaluate resident perceptions of peer observation and to evaluate resident perceptions of peer feedback.   Twenty-four internal medicine residents were simultaneously observed by an attending physician and a peer while teaching during work rounds (between August2008 and May 2009). At year-end, residents received a survey to characterise their attitudes towards peer observation and feedback. Twenty-one residents (87.5%) completed the survey. Half (52.4%) felt that participating in the peer observation study stimulated their interest in teaching during work rounds. Prior to participation in the study, fewer than half (42.9%) felt comfortable being observed by their peers, compared with 71.4 percent after participation (p=0.02). The proportion of residents who felt comfortable giving feedback to peers increased from 26.3 to 65.0percent (p=0.004), and the proportion of residents who felt comfortable receiving feedback from peers increased from 76.2 to 95.2 percent (p=0.02). Peer observation and feedback of resident teaching during work rounds is feasible and rewarding for the residents involved. Comfort with regards to being observed by peers, with receiving feedback from peers and with giving feedback to peers significantly increased after the study. Most residents reported changes in their teaching behaviour resulting from feedback. Residents felt that observing a peer teach on work rounds was one of the most useful activities to improve their own teaching on work rounds. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2013.

Adolescent behavioral and neural reward sensitivity: a test of the differential susceptibility theory

PubMed Central

Richards, J S; Arias Vásquez, A; von Rhein, D; van der Meer, D; Franke, B; Hoekstra, P J; Heslenfeld, D J; Oosterlaan, J; Faraone, S V; Buitelaar, J K; Hartman, C A

2016-01-01

Little is known about the causes of individual differences in reward sensitivity. We investigated gene–environment interactions (GxE) on behavioral and neural measures of reward sensitivity, in light of the differential susceptibility theory. This theory states that individuals carrying plasticity gene variants will be more disadvantaged in negative, but more advantaged in positive environments. Reward responses were assessed during a monetary incentive delay task in 178 participants with and 265 without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), from N=261 families. We examined interactions between variants in candidate plasticity genes (DAT1, 5-HTT and DRD4) and social environments (maternal expressed emotion and peer affiliation). HTTLPR short allele carriers showed the least reward speeding when exposed to high positive peer affiliation, but the most when faced with low positive peer affiliation or low maternal warmth. DAT1 10-repeat homozygotes displayed similar GxE patterns toward maternal warmth on general task performance. At the neural level, DRD4 7-repeat carriers showed the least striatal activation during reward anticipation when exposed to high maternal warmth, but the most when exposed to low warmth. Findings were independent of ADHD severity. Our results partially confirm the differential susceptibility theory and indicate the importance of positive social environments in reward sensitivity and general task performance for persons with specific genotypes. PMID:27045841

Report: Examination of Pilot Peer Review Process for Inspectors General That Follow “Blue Book” Quality Standards for Inspection and Evaluation

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report #16-N-0317, Sept 21, 2016. A peer review process that measures adherence to all the quality standards for federal Inspector General Inspection and Evaluation offices provides assurance that participating offices are being adequately evaluated.

Peer Reviewers' Dilemmas: Values Antinomies when Evaluating Higher Education Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patry, Jean-Luc; Gastager, Angela

2012-01-01

Whenever evaluations are done, there are antinomies of interests both within and between stakeholders. To account for such antinomies, taxonomy has been developed which will be presented and discussed using the peer review processes in university evaluations as example. The taxonomy contains four dimensions: a) seven values domains are…

Team Projects and Peer Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doyle, John Kevin; Meeker, Ralph D.

2008-01-01

The authors assign semester- or quarter-long team-based projects in several Computer Science and Finance courses. This paper reports on our experience in designing, managing, and evaluating such projects. In particular, we discuss the effects of team size and of various peer evaluation schemes on team performance and student learning. We report…

Interprofessional Peer Teaching of Pharmacy and Physical Therapy Students.

PubMed

Sadowski, Cheryl A; Li, Johnson Ching-hong; Pasay, Darren; Jones, C Allyson

2015-12-25

To evaluate an interprofessional peer-teaching activity during which physical therapy students instructed undergraduate pharmacy students on 3 ambulatory devices (canes, crutches, walkers). The pre/post evaluation of 2 pharmacy undergraduate classes included 220 students, 110 per year. After pharmacy students completed a 10-point, knowledge-based pretest, they participated in a hands-on activity with physical therapy students teaching them about sizing, use, and safety of canes, crutches, and walkers. A 10-point posttest was completed immediately afterward. The mean difference of pre/post scores was 3.5 (SD 1.9) for the peer-led teaching, and 3.8 (SD 2.2) for the peer learning group. Students had positive responses regarding the learning exercise and recommended further peer teaching. The peer-learning activity involving physical therapy students teaching pharmacy students was an effective method of improving knowledge and skills regarding basic ambulatory devices.

Interprofessional Peer Teaching of Pharmacy and Physical Therapy Students

PubMed Central

Sadowski, Cheryl A.; Li, Johnson Ching-hong; Pasay, Darren

2015-01-01

Objective. To evaluate an interprofessional peer-teaching activity during which physical therapy students instructed undergraduate pharmacy students on 3 ambulatory devices (canes, crutches, walkers). Design. The pre/post evaluation of 2 pharmacy undergraduate classes included 220 students, 110 per year. After pharmacy students completed a 10-point, knowledge-based pretest, they participated in a hands-on activity with physical therapy students teaching them about sizing, use, and safety of canes, crutches, and walkers. A 10-point posttest was completed immediately afterward. Assessment. The mean difference of pre/post scores was 3.5 (SD 1.9) for the peer-led teaching, and 3.8 (SD 2.2) for the peer learning group. Students had positive responses regarding the learning exercise and recommended further peer teaching. Conclusion. The peer-learning activity involving physical therapy students teaching pharmacy students was an effective method of improving knowledge and skills regarding basic ambulatory devices. PMID:26889067

Mechanisms of Family Impact on African American Adolescents’ HIV-Related Behavior

PubMed Central

Kogan, Steven M.; Brody, Gene H.; Gibbons, Frederick X.; Chen, Yi-fu; Grange, Christina M.; Simons, Ronald L.; Gerrard, Meg; Cutrona, Carolyn E.

2010-01-01

A longitudinal model that tested mediating pathways between protective family processes and HIV-related behavior was evaluated with 195 African American youth. Three waves of data were collected when the youth were 13, 15, and 19 years old. Evidence of mediation and temporal priority were assessed for three constructs: academic engagement, evaluations of prototypical risk-taking peers, and affiliations with risk-promoting peers. Structural equation modeling indicated that protective family processes assessed during early adolescence were associated with HIV-related behavior during emerging adulthood and that academic engagement, evaluations of prototypical risk-taking peers, and affiliations with risk-promoting peers accounted for this association. Evidence of a specific pathway emerged: protective family processes → academic engagement negative → evaluations of prototypical risk-taking peers→ affiliations with risk-promoting peers→ HIV-related behavior. Academic engagement also was a direct predictor of HIV-related risk behavior. PMID:21643492

There is No "I" in Pregnancy: Peers Educating Peers about Preconception Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mead, Antonia S.; Chapman, Jessica

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health Preconception Peer Educators program at a small private historically black college and university (HBCU). Peer educators were college students who completed a two-day training that…

The Effectiveness of Peer Review of Teaching When Performed between Early-Career Academics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodman, Richard J.; Parappilly, Maria B.

2015-01-01

The success of peer review of teaching (PRT) in shaping teaching practice during an academic's formative years may depend on the peers' teaching experience and the frequency of evaluation. Two Australian early-career University lecturers with no previous experience of peer review performed a single PRT on one another following a one week academic…

Follow-Up of Online Instruction: Effectiveness of Peer Coaching Seminar Course. PRISM Technical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hornberger, Breann

This paper presents an evaluation of the Peer Coaching Seminar Course offered through the Peer Coaching Rural Inservice Model (PRISM) project at the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities. This online course was designed to help rural teachers learn both peer coaching and classroom management skills. Twenty first- or second-year…

Utilizing Peer Interactions to Promote Learning through a Web-Based Peer Assessment System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Lan; Steckelberg, Allen L.; Srinivasan, Sribhagyam

2008-01-01

Peer assessment is an instructional strategy in which students evaluate each other's performance for the purpose of improving learning. Despite its accepted use in higher education, researchers and educators have reported concerns such as students' time on task, the impact of peer pressure on the accuracy of marking, and students' lack of ability…

An Online Peer Assisted Learning Community Model and its Application in ZJNU

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaofeng, Ruan; Yeyu, Lin

2007-01-01

Peer coaching, or peer assisting, was established in 1970s by Joyce and Showers. Initially used in teachers' professional development, it refers to a process that two or more teacher peers evaluate current practice mutually; expand skills, extract and build new skills; share ideas, and review & solve problems of classroom teaching in a way of…

Student Voices: Perspectives on Peer-to-Peer Sexual Health Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Layzer, Carolyn; Rosapep, Lauren; Barr, Sherry

2017-01-01

Background: This process study is a companion to a randomized evaluation of a school-based, peer-led comprehensive sexual health education program, Teen Prevention Education Program (Teen PEP), in which 11th- and 12th-grade students are trained by school health educators to conduct informative workshops with ninth-grade peers in schools in North…

Evaluation of a Decision-Making Curriculum for Teaching Adolescents with Disabilities to Resist Negative Peer Pressure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khemka, Ishita; Hickson, Linda; Mallory, Sarah B.

2016-01-01

This study was designed to assess the impact of a decision-making curriculum (PEER-DM) on the social peer relationship knowledge and self-protective decision-making skills of adolescents with disabilities in hypothetical situations involving negative peer pressure. A randomized design was used to assign students with disabilities from…

Preventing Adolescent Social Anxiety and Depression and Reducing Peer Victimization: Intervention Development and Open Trial

PubMed Central

La Greca, Annette M.; Ehrenreich-May, Jill; Mufson, Laura; Chan, Sherilynn

2016-01-01

Background Social anxiety disorder (SAD) and depression are common among adolescents, frequently comorbid, and resistant to change. Prevention programs for adolescent SAD are scant, and depression prevention programs do not fully address peer-risk factors. One critical peer-risk factor for SAD and depression is peer victimization. We describe the development and initial evaluation of a transdiagnostic school-based preventive intervention for adolescents with elevated symptoms of social anxiety and/or depression and elevated peer victimization. We modified Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training for depression, incorporating strategies for dealing with social anxiety and peer victimization. Objective Our open trial assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary benefit of the modified program (called UTalk) for adolescents at risk for SAD or depression and who also reported peer victimization. Method Adolescents (N=14; 13–18 years; 79% girls; 86% Hispanic) were recruited and completed measures of peer victimization, social anxiety, and depression both pre- and post-intervention and provided ratings of treatment satisfaction. Independent evaluators (IEs) rated youths’ clinical severity. The intervention (3 individual and 10 group sessions) was conducted weekly during school. Results Regarding feasibility, 86% of the adolescents completed the intervention (M attendance=11.58 sessions). Satisfaction ratings were uniformly positive. Intention-to-treat analyses revealed significant declines in adolescent- and IE-rated social anxiety and depression and in reports of peer victimization. Additional secondary benefits were observed. Conclusions Although further evaluation is needed, the UTalk intervention appears feasible to administer in schools, with high satisfaction and preliminary benefit. Implications for research on the prevention of adolescent SAD and depression are discussed. PMID:27857509

Evaluating the Pros and Cons of Different Peer Review Policies via Simulation.

PubMed

Zhu, Jia; Fung, Gabriel; Wong, Wai Hung; Li, Zhixu; Xu, Chuanhua

2016-08-01

In the academic world, peer review is one of the major processes in evaluating a scholars contribution. In this study, we are interested in quantifying the merits of different policies in a peer review process, such as single-blind review, double-blind review, and obtaining authors feedback. Currently, insufficient work has been undertaken to evaluate the benefits of different peer review policies. One of the major reasons for this situation is the inability to conduct any empirical study because data are presently unavailable. In this case, a computer simulation is one of the best ways to conduct a study. We perform a series of simulations to study the effects of different policies on a peer review process. In this study, we focus on the peer review process of a typical computer science conference. Our results point to the crucial role of program chairs in determining the quality and diversity of the articles to be accepted for publication. We demonstrate the importance of discussion among reviewers, suggest circumstances in which the double-blind review policy should be adopted, and question the credibility of the authors feedback mechanism. Finally, we stress that randomness plays an important role in the peer review process, and this role cannot be eliminated. Although our model may not capture every component of a peer review process, it covers some of the most essential elements. Thus, even the simulation results clearly cannot be taken as literal descriptions of an actual peer review process. However, we can at least still use them to identify alternative directions for future study.

Facilitated peer support in breast cancer: a pre- and post-program evaluation of women's expectations and experiences of a facilitated peer support program.

PubMed

Power, Sinead; Hegarty, Josephine

2010-01-01

Peer support programs are associated with the provision of emotional, informational, and appraisal support. The benefits of peer support for women with breast cancer include reduced social isolation, enhanced coping, and access to information. The aim of this study was to conduct a pre- and post-program evaluation of a 7-week facilitated breast cancer peer support program in a cancer support house. Women with primary breast cancer (n = 8) participated in pre- and post-program focus groups. The interviews were recorded and were transcribed verbatim by the researcher. The data were analyzed using content analysis. Eight themes were identified. The key themes emerging from the pre and post programme focus groups included: The need for mutual identification; Post-treatment isolation; Help with moving on; The impact of hair loss; Consolidation of information; Enablement/empowerment; The importance of the cancer survivor; Mutual sharing. It is essential that facilitated peer support programs are tailored to meet the support needs of women with breast cancer. There is a particular need to facilitate mutual sharing and support for hair loss within these programs. Implications for practice emerging from this study include the importance of pre- and post-program evaluations in identifying whether peer support programs meet the expectations of women with breast cancer, the need for peer/professional programs to support women with treatment-induced hair loss, the importance of including cancer survivors in support programs, and the need to allow more informal sharing to occur in facilitated peer support programs.

Development and Implementation of a Peer Mentoring Program for Early Career Gerontological Faculty

PubMed Central

Bryant, Ashley Leak; Brody, Ab; Perez, Adriana; Shillam, Casey; Edelman, Linda S.; Bond, Stewart M.; Foster, Victoria; Siegel, Elena

2016-01-01

Purpose In conjunction with the National Hartford Centers of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (NHCGNE), formerly known as the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity Initiative (BAGNC), the Hartford Gerontological Nursing Leaders (HGNL) developed and executed a program beginning in 2011 to enhance both (a) the experience of newly selected scholars and fellows to the NHCGNE and (b) the ongoing professional development of the HGNL. The purpose of this article is to describe key strategies used to develop and execute the mentoring program and to present the formative and summative program evaluation. Design The program was launched in January 2011 with seven peer mentor and mentee matches. In June 2012, the peer mentoring committee solicited feedback on the development of the peer mentoring program and changes were made for the subsequent cohorts. Findings An additional 12 matches were made in the following 2 years (2012 and 2013), for a total of 31 matches to date. We have learned several key lessons from our three cohorts regarding how to structure, implement, and carefully evaluate a peer mentoring program. Conclusions Informal evaluation of our peer mentoring program noted several challenges for both peer mentors and mentees. Having knowledge of and addressing those challenges may increase the overall quality and effectiveness of peer mentoring programs and, in turn, benefit academic nursing by strengthening the faculty workforce. Clinical Relevance Findings from development and implementation of a peer mentoring program for gerontological faculty could lead to new and adaptable programs in a variety of clinical and education settings. PMID:25808927

Peer review of health research funding proposals: A systematic map and systematic review of innovations for effectiveness and efficiency.

PubMed

Shepherd, Jonathan; Frampton, Geoff K; Pickett, Karen; Wyatt, Jeremy C

2018-01-01

To investigate methods and processes for timely, efficient and good quality peer review of research funding proposals in health. A two-stage evidence synthesis: (1) a systematic map to describe the key characteristics of the evidence base, followed by (2) a systematic review of the studies stakeholders prioritised as relevant from the map on the effectiveness and efficiency of peer review 'innovations'. Standard processes included literature searching, duplicate inclusion criteria screening, study keyword coding, data extraction, critical appraisal and study synthesis. A total of 83 studies from 15 countries were included in the systematic map. The evidence base is diverse, investigating many aspects of the systems for, and processes of, peer review. The systematic review included eight studies from Australia, Canada, and the USA, evaluating a broad range of peer review innovations. These studies showed that simplifying the process by shortening proposal forms, using smaller reviewer panels, or expediting processes can speed up the review process and reduce costs, but this might come at the expense of peer review quality, a key aspect that has not been assessed. Virtual peer review using videoconferencing or teleconferencing appears promising for reducing costs by avoiding the need for reviewers to travel, but again any consequences for quality have not been adequately assessed. There is increasing international research activity into the peer review of health research funding. The studies reviewed had methodological limitations and variable generalisability to research funders. Given these limitations it is not currently possible to recommend immediate implementation of these innovations. However, many appear promising based on existing evidence, and could be adapted as necessary by funders and evaluated. Where feasible, experimental evaluation, including randomised controlled trials, should be conducted, evaluating impact on effectiveness, efficiency and quality.

A randomized trial of peer review: the UK National Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Resources and Outcomes Project: three-year evaluation.

PubMed

Roberts, Christopher M; Stone, Robert A; Buckingham, Rhona J; Pursey, Nancy A; Lowe, Derek; Potter, Jonathan M

2012-06-01

Peer review has been widely used within the National Health Service to facilitate health quality improvement but evaluation has been limited particularly over the longer-term. Change within the National Health Service (NHS) can take a prolonged period--1-2 years--to occur. We report here a 3-year evaluation of the largest randomized trial of peer review ever conducted in the UK. To evaluate whether targeted mutual peer review of respiratory units brings about improvements in services for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) over 3 years. The peer review intervention was a reciprocal supportive exercise that included clinicians, hospital management, commissioners and patients, which focused on the quality of the provision of four specific evidence-based aspects of COPD care. Follow-up at 36 months demonstrated limited significant quantitative differences in the quality of services offered in the two groups but a strong trend in favour of intervention sites. Qualitative data suggested many benefits of peer review in most but not all intervention units and some control teams. The data identify factors that promote and obstruct change. The findings demonstrate significant change in service provision over 3 years in both control and intervention sites with great variability in both groups. The combined quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that targeted mutual peer review is associated with improved quality of care, improvements in service delivery and with changes within departments that promote and are precursors to quality improvement. The generic findings of this study have potential implications for the application of peer review throughout the NHS. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Criminal decision making: the development of adolescent judgment, criminal responsibility, and culpability.

PubMed

Fried, C S; Reppucci, N D

2001-02-01

Theories of judgment in decision making hypothesize that throughout adolescence, judgment is impaired because the development of several psychosocial factors that are presumed to influence decision making lags behind the development of the cognitive capacities that are required to make mature decisions. This study uses an innovative video technique to examine the role of several psychosocial factors--temporal perspective, peer influence, and risk perception--in adolescent criminal decision making. Results based on data collected from 56 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 years revealed that detained youth were more likely to think of future-oriented consequences of engaging in the depicted delinquent act and less likely to anticipate pressure from their friends than nondetained youth. Examination of the developmental functions of the psychosocial factors indicates age-based differences on standardized measures of temporal perspective and resistance to peer influence and on measures of the role of risk perception in criminal decision making. Assessments of criminal responsibility and culpability were predicted by age and ethnicity. Implications for punishment in the juvenile justice system are discussed.

Attachment theory and theory of planned behavior: an integrative model predicting underage drinking.

PubMed

Lac, Andrew; Crano, William D; Berger, Dale E; Alvaro, Eusebio M

2013-08-01

Research indicates that peer and maternal bonds play important but sometimes contrasting roles in the outcomes of children. Less is known about attachment bonds to these 2 reference groups in young adults. Using a sample of 351 participants (18 to 20 years of age), the research integrated two theoretical traditions: attachment theory and theory of planned behavior (TPB). The predictive contribution of both theories was examined in the context of underage adult alcohol use. Using full structural equation modeling, results substantiated the hypotheses that secure peer attachment positively predicted norms and behavioral control toward alcohol, but secure maternal attachment inversely predicted attitudes and behavioral control toward alcohol. Alcohol attitudes, norms, and behavioral control each uniquely explained alcohol intentions, which anticipated an increase in alcohol behavior 1 month later. The hypothesized processes were statistically corroborated by tests of indirect and total effects. These findings support recommendations for programs designed to curtail risky levels of underage drinking using the tenets of attachment theory and TPB. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

Improving college science teaching through peer coaching and classroom assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sode, J.R.

Peer coaching involves the observation of one teacher by another. This observation is accompanied by open and honest reflective discussion. The three main components of peer coaching are pre conference (for setting observation guidelines and building trust), observation (the sytematic collection of classroom data), and post conference (a non evaluative examination and discussion of the classroom). The non-evaluative post conference involves an examination of the teaching/learning process that occurred during the observation phase. In effective assessment, information on what and how well students are learning is used to make decisions about overall program improvement and to implement continuous classroom improvement.more » During peer coaching and assessment neither the instructor nor the students are formally evaluated. This session presents a sequential process in which the peer coaching steps of pre conference, observation, and post conference are combined with assessment to provide instructional guidance. An actual cast study, using the student complaint, {open_quotes}Lectures are boring and useless,{close_quotes} is used to demonstrate the process.« less

Mouse-tracking evidence for parallel anticipatory option evaluation.

PubMed

Cranford, Edward A; Moss, Jarrod

2017-12-23

In fast-paced, dynamic tasks, the ability to anticipate the future outcome of a sequence of events is crucial to quickly selecting an appropriate course of action among multiple alternative options. There are two classes of theories that describe how anticipation occurs. Serial theories assume options are generated and evaluated one at a time, in order of quality, whereas parallel theories assume simultaneous generation and evaluation. The present research examined the option evaluation process during a task designed to be analogous to prior anticipation tasks, but within the domain of narrative text comprehension. Prior research has relied on indirect, off-line measurement of the option evaluation process during anticipation tasks. Because the movement of the hand can provide a window into underlying cognitive processes, online metrics such as continuous mouse tracking provide more fine-grained measurements of cognitive processing as it occurs in real time. In this study, participants listened to three-sentence stories and predicted the protagonists' final action by moving a mouse toward one of three possible options. Each story was presented with either one (control condition) or two (distractor condition) plausible ending options. Results seem most consistent with a parallel option evaluation process because initial mouse trajectories deviated further from the best option in the distractor condition compared to the control condition. It is difficult to completely rule out all possible serial processing accounts, although the results do place constraints on the time frame in which a serial processing explanation must operate.

Measuring the success of community science: the northern California Household Exposure Study.

PubMed

Brown, Phil; Brody, Julia Green; Morello-Frosch, Rachel; Tovar, Jessica; Zota, Ami R; Rudel, Ruthann A

2012-03-01

Environmental health research involving community participation has increased substantially since the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) environmental justice and community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships began in the mid-1990s. The goals of these partnerships are to inform and empower better decisions about exposures, foster trust, and generate scientific knowledge to reduce environmental health disparities in low-income, minority communities. Peer-reviewed publication and clinical health outcomes alone are inadequate criteria to judge the success of projects in meeting these goals; therefore, new strategies for evaluating success are needed. We reviewed the methods used to evaluate our project, "Linking Breast Cancer Advocacy and Environmental Justice," to help identify successful CBPR methods and to assist other teams in documenting effectiveness. Although our project precedes the development of the NIEHS Evaluation Metrics Manual, a schema to evaluate the success of projects funded through the Partnerships in Environmental Public Health (PEPH), our work reported here illustrates the record keeping and self-reflection anticipated in NIEHS's PEPH. Evaluation strategies should assess how CBPR partnerships meet the goals of all partners. Our partnership, which included two strong community-based organizations, produced a team that helped all partners gain organizational capacity. Environmental sampling in homes and reporting the results of that effort had community education and constituency-building benefits. Scientific results contributed to a court decision that required cumulative impact assessment for an oil refinery and to new policies for chemicals used in consumer products. All partners leveraged additional funding to extend their work. An appropriate evaluation strategy can demonstrate how CBPR projects can advance science, support community empowerment, increase environmental health literacy, and generate individual and policy action to protect health.

STI prevention and the male sex industry in London: evaluating a pilot peer education programme

PubMed Central

Ziersch, A; Gaffney, J; Tomlinson, D

2000-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot peer education STI prevention programme with male sex workers. Design: A process and outcome evaluation of the pilot programme undertaken in three London male escort agencies, using a quasi-experimental design. Subjects: Workers in three London escort agencies, including 88 who completed a questionnaire, five peer educators, and a further 16 men (including management) working in two of these agencies. Methods: A peer education STI prevention programme run by the Working Men Project (WMP), a specialist sexual health service for male sex workers, was piloted in two London escort agencies. Five male sex workers participated in a 2 day peer education training programme. They then returned to their respective agencies to disseminate information and condoms, in an attempt to influence norms of behaviour. An outcome evaluation aimed to assess changes in STI related knowledge, high risk sexual behaviour, and attendance at a sexual health service. A pre-intervention questionnaire assessing variables such as STI related knowledge, sexual behaviour, and demographic information was administered in both agency A and agency B and a third agency, C, which acted as a control. Ten weeks after the peer educators returned to their agencies, the same questionnaire was administered in the same agencies. Peer educator referrals to the WMP were also recorded over this time period. The process evaluation involved interviews and focus groups with peer educators, and the completion of diaries about their experiences in the role. A further 16 men working in the agencies (including managers and an owner) were interviewed about their experience of the programme. Participant observation was also undertaken through regular outreach work to the agencies. Results: 57 men completed the questionnaire at time 1 and 44 at time 2. Unfortunately, only 13 of these were matched, precluding any meaningful analysis of change in STI related knowledge and sexual behaviour. The questionnaire provided a profile of the men working in the agencies. Of the 88 men who completed the questionnaire at least once, the majority were homosexual, and in their late teens/early 20s. Most were of a "white" ethnic group, though there was some range within these categories. Most preferred to speak English and education levels were high. Relative STI knowledge revealed a high understanding of HIV and hepatitis B, moderate understanding of gonorrhoea, syphilis, genital warts and herpes, and little knowledge of non-specific urethritis (NSU) or chlamydia. Sexual behaviour suggested a highly sexually active population with both male and female paying and non-paying partners. Condom use was highest for paying partners, particularly for anal sex. Condom use for oral sex with all partners was less consistent, and condom use for all types of sex with regular partners was lower than with other partners. The small number of men engaging in vaginal sex with paying and regular partners were less likely to use condoms. 26 new patients registered at the WMP as a result of peer educator referrals, representing 65% of all new contacts over the study period. The process evaluation revealed that while the training programme was considered adequate and while peer educators felt the programme and their roles to be a success, their experience of the role was difficult. The role of management support was crucial in supporting the programme. The assumption that "peers" are particularly effective educators was not borne out by the results. While peers were considered suitable to discuss some aspects of the industry, many preferred to consult "professionals" about health related matters. The concept of "peers" was problematic with most of the men drawing "peers" from subgroups within the agencies. Other constraints on behaviour such as a lack of power, particularly with regard to a lack of management support, or poverty, had a substantial impact on behaviour which were not influenced by the peer educators. Conclusions: The study illustrated the difficulties of utilising quasi-experimental evaluation methodology with this client group. It also demonstrated the limitations of peer education based on information provision health education models which focus on individual behaviour change. Suggestions are given for future interventions. Key Words: male sex workers; peer education; evaluation PMID:11221127

Which Do Students Prefer to Evaluate Their Essays: Peers or Computer Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Yi-hsiu

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate problems and potentials of new technologies in English writing education. The effectiveness of automated writing evaluation (AWE) ("MY Access") and of peer evaluation (PE) was compared. Twenty-two English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in Taiwan participated in this study. They submitted…

Self and Peer Evaluation of Writing in the Interactive ESL Classroom: An Exploratory Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothschild, Dennie; Klingenberg, Felicia

1990-01-01

Investigates self- and peer evaluation of writing in the English-as-a-Second-Language classroom. The investigation is examined in two parts: (1) adapting and implementing an appropriate evaluation scale, and (2) studying the various end-of-term effects use of the scale had on students. (17 references) (GLR)

Associations between maternal negative affect and adolescent's neural response to peer evaluation

PubMed Central

Tan, Patricia Z.; Lee, Kyung Hwa; Dahl, Ronald E.; Nelson, Eric E.; Stroud, Laura J.; Siegle, Greg J.; Morgan, Judith K.; Silk, Jennifer S.

2016-01-01

Parenting is often implicated as a potential source of individual differences in youths’ emotional information processing. The present study examined whether parental affect is related to an important aspect of adolescent emotional development, response to peer evaluation. Specifically, we examined relations between maternal negative affect, observed during parent–adolescent discussion of an adolescent-nominated concern with which s/he wants parental support, and adolescent neural responses to peer evaluation in 40 emotionally healthy and depressed adolescents. We focused on a network of ventral brain regions involved in affective processing of social information: the amygdala, anterior insula, nucleus accumbens, and subgenual anterior cingulate, as well as the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. Maternal negative affect was not associated with adolescent neural response to peer rejection. However, longer durations of maternal negative affect were associated with decreased responsivity to peer acceptance in the amygdala, left anterior insula, subgenual anterior cingulate, and left nucleus accumbens. These findings provide some of the first evidence that maternal negative affect is associated with adolescents’ neural processing of social rewards. Findings also suggest that maternal negative affect could contribute to alterations in affective processing, specifically, dampening the saliency and/or reward of peer interactions during adolescence. PMID:24613174

The process of developing and implementing a telephone-based peer support program for postpartum depression: evidence from two randomized controlled trials

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background A randomized controlled trial evaluated the effect of telephone-based peer support on preventing postpartum depression (PPD) among high-risk mothers. The results indicated that support provided by peer volunteers may be an effective preventative strategy. The purpose of this paper is to outline the process of developing, implementing, maintaining, and evaluating the peer support program that we used in this PPD prevention trial. Methods The peer support program had been used successfully in a pilot trial and a previous breastfeeding peer support trial. Based on our experience and lessons learned, we developed a 4-phase, 12-step approach so that the peer support model could be copied and used by different health providers in various settings. We will use the PPD prevention trial to demonstrate the suggested steps. Results The trial aim to prevent the onset of PPD was established. Peer volunteers who previously experienced and recovered from self-reported PPD were recruited and attended a four-hour training session. Volunteers were screened and those identified as appropriate to provide support to postpartum mothers were selected. Women who scored more than 9 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale within the first two weeks after childbirth were recruited to participate in the trial and proactive, individualized, telephone-based peer support (mother-to-mother) was provided to those randomized to the intervention group. Peer volunteers maintained the intervention, supported other volunteers, and evaluated the telephone-based support program. Possible negative effects of the intervention were assessed. An in-depth assessment of maternal perspectives of the program at 12 weeks postpartum was performed. Conclusions The 4-phase, 12-step approach delineated in this paper provides clear and concise guidelines for health professionals to follow in creating and implementing community-based, peer-support interventions with the potential to prevent PPD. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN68337727. PMID:24742217

Near-peer education: a novel teaching program

PubMed Central

Premnath, Daphne

2016-01-01

Objectives This study aims to: 1) Evaluate whether a near-peer program improves perceived OSCE performance; 2) Identify factors motivating students to teach; 3) Evaluate role of near-peer teaching in medical education. Methods A near-peer OSCE teaching program was implemented at Monash University’s Peninsula Clinical School over the 2013 academic year. Forty 3rd-year and thirty final-year medical students were recruited as near-peer learners and educators, respectively. A post-program questionnaire was completed by learners prior to summative OSCEs (n=31), followed by post-OSCE focus groups (n=10). Near-peer teachers were interviewed at the program’s conclusion (n=10). Qualitative data was analysed for emerging themes to assess the perceived value of the program. Results Learners felt peer-led teaching was more relevant to assessment, at an appropriate level of difficulty and delivered in a less threatening environment than other methods of teaching. They valued consistent practice and felt confident approaching their summative OSCEs. Educators enjoyed the opportunity to develop their teaching skills, citing mutual benefit and gratitude to past peer-educators as strong motivators to teach others. Conclusions Near-peer education, valued by near-peer learners and teachers alike, was a useful method to improve preparation and perceived performance in summative examinations. In particular, a novel year-long, student-run initiative was regarded as a valuable and feasible adjunct to faculty teaching. PMID:27239951

Peer-assisted teaching student tutors as examiners in an orthopedic surgery OSCE station – pros and cons

PubMed Central

Melcher, Peter; Zajonz, Dirk; Roth, Andreas; Heyde, Christoph-E.; Ghanem, Mohamed

2016-01-01

Background: The OSCE (objective structured clinical examination) is composed of oral and practical examination in order to examine students’ abilities to imply clinical examination techniques and to interact with patients. The examiners for this procedure can be either lecturers or peers. The aim of this work is to evaluate the peer-assisted teaching student tutors as examiners in an orthopedic surgery OSCE station. Methods: We analyzed the OSCE data from 2013 to 2015. During this period over 300 medical students were examined each year. An evaluation was conducted at an orthopedic station and examined by peer students to assess the advantages and disadvantages of peer-assisted teaching student tutors as examiners. Results: We have noticed that student peers are more flexible regarding their schedule and they have been well trained for OSCE. Concerning the economic aspects, student peers are clearly of major economic advantage. Disadvantages were not reported in our study probably because peers were well trained and the checklists are monitored regularly. Conclusion: Student peers in OSCE are of major advantage due to their flexible time schedule and relatively low costs. They must be well trained and the checklists are to be monitored regularly. Our study shows that peer tutor examiners conducted the examination as competent as lecture examiners. However, legal restrictions on the employment of students should be considered. PMID:27500078

Near-peer education: a novel teaching program.

PubMed

de Menezes, Sara; Premnath, Daphne

2016-05-30

This study aims to: 1) Evaluate whether a near-peer program improves perceived OSCE performance; 2) Identify factors motivating students to teach; 3) Evaluate role of near-peer teaching in medical education. A near-peer OSCE teaching program was implemented at Monash University's Peninsula Clinical School over the 2013 academic year. Forty 3rd-year and thirty final-year medical students were recruited as near-peer learners and educators, respectively. A post-program questionnaire was completed by learners prior to summative OSCEs (n=31), followed by post-OSCE focus groups (n=10). Near-peer teachers were interviewed at the program's conclusion (n=10). Qualitative data was analysed for emerging themes to assess the perceived value of the program. Learners felt peer-led teaching was more relevant to assessment, at an appropriate level of difficulty and delivered in a less threatening environment than other methods of teaching. They valued consistent practice and felt confident approaching their summative OSCEs. Educators enjoyed the opportunity to develop their teaching skills, citing mutual benefit and gratitude to past peer-educators as strong motivators to teach others. Near-peer education, valued by near-peer learners and teachers alike, was a useful method to improve preparation and perceived performance in summative examinations. In particular, a novel year-long, student-run initiative was regarded as a valuable and feasible adjunct to faculty teaching.

Reward-related frontostriatal activity and smoking behavior among adolescents in treatment for smoking cessation.

PubMed

Garrison, Kathleen A; Yip, Sarah W; Balodis, Iris M; Carroll, Kathleen M; Potenza, Marc N; Krishnan-Sarin, Suchitra

2017-08-01

Tobacco use is often initiated during adolescence and continued into adulthood despite desires to quit. A better understanding of the neural correlates of abstinence from smoking in adolescents may inform more effective smoking cessation interventions. Neural reward systems are implicated in tobacco use disorder, and adolescent smokers have shown reduced reward-related ventral striatal activation related to increased smoking. The current study evaluated nondrug reward anticipation in adolescent smokers using a monetary incentive delay task in fMRI pre- and post- smoking cessation treatment (n=14). This study tested how changes in neural responses to reward anticipation pre- to post-treatment were related to reduced smoking. An exploratory analysis in a larger sample of adolescents with only pre-treatment fMRI (n=28) evaluated how neural responses to reward anticipation were related to behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation scales. Adolescent smokers showed pre- to post-treatment increases in reward anticipation-related activity in the bilateral nucleus accumbens and insula, and medial prefrontal cortex, and greater increases in reward anticipation-related activity were correlated with larger percent days of smoking abstinence during treatment. These findings suggest that reduced smoking during smoking cessation treatment is associated with a "recovery of function" in frontostriatal responses to nondrug reward anticipation in adolescent smokers, although comparison with a developmental control group of adolescent nonsmokers is warranted. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Peer-Led Approach to Promoting Health Education in Schools: The Views of Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frantz, J. M.

2015-01-01

Peer-led health promotion strategies in schools have been found to be effective in promoting healthy behaviours amongst youth. This study aimed to evaluate the views of the peer educators in implementing a health education programme using a qualitative approach. Informal discussions and eight in-depth interviews were used to explore the views of…

Peer Review in Class: Metrics and Variations in a Senior Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yankulov, Krassimir; Couto, Richard

2012-01-01

Peer reviews are the generally accepted mode of quality assessment in scholarly communities; however, they are rarely used for evaluation at college levels. Over a period of 5 years, we have performed a peer review simulation at a senior level course in molecular genetics at the University of Guelph and have accumulated 393 student peer reviews.…

Peer support for postpartum depression: volunteers' perceptions, recruitment strategies and training from a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Dennis, Cindy-Lee

2013-01-01

A randomized controlled trial evaluated the effect of telephone-based peer support (mother-to-mother) on preventing postpartum depression among high-risk mothers. This paper reports volunteers' perceptions, which showed that peer support is an effective preventative intervention. Two-hundred and five (205) volunteers were recruited and trained to provide peer support to 349 mothers randomized to the intervention group. Volunteers' perceptions were measured at 12 weeks using the Peer Volunteer Experience Questionnaire, completed by 69% (121) of the 175 volunteers who provided support to at least one mother. Large majorities felt that the training session had prepared them for their role (94.2%), that volunteering did not interfere with their lives (81.8%) and that providing support helped them grow as individuals (87.8%). Over 90% stated that they would become a peer volunteer again, given the opportunity. Recruitment and retention of effective volunteers is essential to the success of any peer-support intervention. Results from this study can assist clinicians and program planners to provide effective training, sufficient on-going support and evaluation and appropriate matching of volunteers to mothers who desire peer support and are at high risk of postpartum depression. PMID:22388589

Perceived medical benefit, peer/partner influence and safety and cost to access the service: client motivators for voluntary seeking of medical male circumcision in Iganga district eastern Uganda, a qualitative study.

PubMed

Muhamadi, Lubega; Ibrahim, Musenze; Wabwire-Mangen, Fred; Peterson, Stefan; Reynolds, Steven J

2013-01-01

Although voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) in Iganga district was launched in 2010 as part of the Uganda national strategy to prevent new HIV infections with a target of having 129,896 eligible males circumcised by 2012, only 35,000 (27%) of the anticipated target had been circumcised by mid 2012. There was paucity of information on why uptake of VMMC was low in this setting where HIV awareness is presumably high. This study sought to understand motivators for uptake of VMMC from the perspective of the clients themselves in order to advocate for feasible approaches to expanding uptake of VMMC in Iganga district and similar settings. In Iganga district, we conducted seven key informant interviews with staff who work in the VMMC clinics and twenty in-depth interviews with clients who had accepted and undergone VMMC. Ten focus-group discussions including a total of 112 participants were also conducted with clients who had undergone VMMC. Motivators for uptake of VMMC in the perspective of the circumcised clients and the health care staff included: perceived medical benefit to those circumcised such as protection against acquiring HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, peer/partner influence, sexual satisfaction and safety and cost to access the service. Since perceived medical benefit was a motivator for seeking VMMC, it can be used to strengthen campaigns for increasing uptake of VMMC. Peer influence could also be used in advocacy campaigns for VMMC expansion, especially using peers who have already undergone VMMC. There is need to ensure that safety and cost to access the service is affordable especially to rural poor as it was mentioned as a motivator for seeking VMMC.

Peer play, emotion understanding, and socio-moral explanation: the role of gender.

PubMed

Mathieson, Kay; Banerjee, Robin

2011-06-01

Engagement in peer play is an important factor in young children’s adjustment as they make the transition to school. We evaluated individual differences in peer play within a sample of 58 children aged 4–5 years. Among boys, but not among girls, emotion understanding and verbal ability independently served as positive predictors of interactive peer play and negative predictors of disconnected play. Among girls, but not among boys, interactive peer play and socio-moral reasoning about peer conflict situations independently predicted sociometric most-like nominations. The results provide a foundation for further research on divergence in the early peer play of girls and boys.

Simple Peer-to-Peer SIP Privacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koskela, Joakim; Tarkoma, Sasu

In this paper, we introduce a model for enhancing privacy in peer-to-peer communication systems. The model is based on data obfuscation, preventing intermediate nodes from tracking calls, while still utilizing the shared resources of the peer network. This increases security when moving between untrusted, limited and ad-hoc networks, when the user is forced to rely on peer-to-peer schemes. The model is evaluated using a Host Identity Protocol-based prototype on mobile devices, and is found to provide good privacy, especially when combined with a source address hiding scheme. The contribution of this paper is to present the model and results obtained from its use, including usability considerations.

DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2017 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

The fiscal year 2017 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from June June 5-9, 2017, in Washington, D.C. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2016 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

The fiscal year 2016 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from June 6-10, 2016, in Washington, D.C. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

A Developmental Perspective on Peer Rejection, Deviant Peer Affiliation, and Conduct Problems Among Youth.

PubMed

Chen, Diane; Drabick, Deborah A G; Burgers, Darcy E

2015-12-01

Peer rejection and deviant peer affiliation are linked consistently to the development and maintenance of conduct problems. Two proposed models may account for longitudinal relations among these peer processes and conduct problems: the (a) sequential mediation model, in which peer rejection in childhood and deviant peer affiliation in adolescence mediate the link between early externalizing behaviors and more serious adolescent conduct problems; and (b) parallel process model, in which peer rejection and deviant peer affiliation are considered independent processes that operate simultaneously to increment risk for conduct problems. In this review, we evaluate theoretical models and evidence for associations among conduct problems and (a) peer rejection and (b) deviant peer affiliation. We then consider support for the sequential mediation and parallel process models. Next, we propose an integrated model incorporating both the sequential mediation and parallel process models. Future research directions and implications for prevention and intervention efforts are discussed.

A Developmental Perspective on Peer Rejection, Deviant Peer Affiliation, and Conduct Problems among Youth

PubMed Central

Chen, Diane; Drabick, Deborah A. G.; Burgers, Darcy E.

2015-01-01

Peer rejection and deviant peer affiliation are linked consistently to the development and maintenance of conduct problems. Two proposed models may account for longitudinal relations among these peer processes and conduct problems: the (a) sequential mediation model, in which peer rejection in childhood and deviant peer affiliation in adolescence mediate the link between early externalizing behaviors and more serious adolescent conduct problems; and (b) parallel process model, in which peer rejection and deviant peer affiliation are considered independent processes that operate simultaneously to increment risk for conduct problems. In this review, we evaluate theoretical models and evidence for associations among conduct problems and (a) peer rejection and (b) deviant peer affiliation. We then consider support for the sequential mediation and parallel process models. Next, we propose an integrated model incorporating both the sequential mediation and parallel process models. Future research directions and implications for prevention and intervention efforts are discussed. PMID:25410430

A Test of Concept Study of At-Home, Self-Administered HIV Testing With Web-Based Peer Counseling Via Video Chat for Men Who Have Sex With Men

PubMed Central

Eaton, Lisa A; Siembida, Elizabeth J; Driffin, Daniel D; Baldwin, Robert

2016-01-01

Background Men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly MSM who identify as African-American or Black (BMSM), are the sociodemographic group that is most heavily burdened by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in the United States. To meet national HIV testing goals, there must be a greater emphasis on novel ways to promote and deliver HIV testing to MSM. Obstacles to standard, clinic-based HIV testing include concerns about stigmatization or recognition at in-person testing sites, as well as the inability to access a testing site due to logistical barriers. Objective This study examined the feasibility of self-administered, at-home HIV testing with Web-based peer counseling to MSM by using an interactive video chatting method. The aims of this study were to (1) determine whether individuals would participate in at-home HIV testing with video chat–based test counseling with a peer counselor, (2) address logistical barriers to HIV testing that individuals who report risk for HIV transmission may experience, and (3) reduce anticipated HIV stigma, a primary psychosocial barrier to HIV testing.   Methods In response to the gap in HIV testing, a pilot study was developed and implemented via mailed, at-home HIV test kits, accompanied by HIV counseling with a peer counselor via video chat. A total of 20 MSM were enrolled in this test of concept study, 80% of whom identified as BMSM. Results All participants reported that at-home HIV testing with a peer counseling via video chat was a satisfying experience. The majority of participants (13/18, 72%) said they would prefer for their next HIV testing and counseling experience to be at home with Web-based video chat peer counseling, as opposed to testing in an office or clinic setting. Participants were less likely to report logistical and emotional barriers to HIV testing at the 6-week and 3-month follow-ups. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that self-administered HIV testing with Web-based peer counseling is feasible and that MSM find it to be a satisfactory means by which they can access their test results. This study can serve as a general guideline for future, larger-scale studies of Web-based HIV test counseling for MSM. PMID:27974287

Cognitive and emotional factors associated with elective breast augmentation among young women.

PubMed

Moser, Stephanie E; Aiken, Leona S

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research was to propose and evaluate a psychosocial model of young women's intentions to obtain breast implants and the preparatory steps taken towards having breast implant surgery. The model integrated anticipated regret, descriptive norms and image norms from the media into the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Focus groups (n = 58) informed development of measures of outcome expectancies, preparatory steps and normative influence. The model was tested and replicated among two samples of young women who had ever considered getting breast implants (n = 200, n = 152). Intentions and preparatory steps served as outcomes. Model constructs and outcomes were initially assessed; outcomes were re-assessed 11 weeks later. Evaluative attitudes and anticipated regret predicted intentions; in turn, intentions, along with descriptive norms, predicted subsequent preparatory steps. Perceived risk (susceptibility, severity) of negative medical consequences of breast implants predicted anticipated regret, which predicted evaluative attitudes. Intentions and preparatory steps exhibited interplay over time. This research provides the first comprehensive model predicting intentions and preparatory steps towards breast augmentation surgery. It supports the addition of anticipated regret to the TPB and suggests mutual influence between intentions and preparatory steps towards a final behavioural outcome.

Peer Evaluation Can Reliably Measure Local Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyes-García, Victoria; Díaz-Reviriego, Isabel; Duda, Romain; Fernández-Llamazares, Álvaro; Gallois, Sandrine; Guèze, Maximilien; Napitupulu, Lucentezza; Pyhälä, Aili

2016-01-01

We assess the consistency of measures of individual local ecological knowledge obtained through peer evaluation against three standard measures: identification tasks, structured questionnaires, and self-reported skills questionnaires. We collected ethnographic information among the Baka (Congo), the Punan (Borneo), and the Tsimane' (Amazon) to…

Guidelines "PEP," Peer Evaluation Program. A Systematic Approach for Evaluating Educational Programs, 1973-1974.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grotsky, Jeffery N.; And Others

The Peer Evaluation Program (PEP) has been instituted by the Division of Special Education, Pennsylvania State Department of Education, to allow intermediate units an opportunity to continuously improve their programs. The advantages of the PEP system are: (1) it is a self-improvememt system of program development; (2) PEP allows local autonomy as…

Research Capacity Building: A Historically Black College/University-Based Case Study of a Peer-to-Peer Mentor Research Team Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Corey L.; Manyibe, Edward O.; Aref, Fariborz; Washington, Andre L.

2017-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate a peer-to-peer mentor research team model (PPMRTM) in building investigators' research skills (i.e., research methods and grant writing) at a historically Black college/university (HBCU) in the United States. Method: Three different theories (i.e., planned change, critical mass, and self-efficacy), contemporary study findings,…

42 CFR 67.103 - Peer review of contract proposals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 67.103 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE POLICY AND RESEARCH GRANTS AND CONTRACTS Peer Review of Contracts for Health Services Research, Evaluation, Demonstration, and Dissemination Projects § 67.103 Peer...

Ohio’s Research Initiative for Locals Peer Exchange Report, March 8-9, 2017

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-10-23

On March 8-9, 2017, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) hosted a peer exchange on behalf of the Ohios Research Initiative for Locals (ORIL) program. Peer exchanges provide an opportunity to foster best practices and evaluate processes wit...

Peer HIV/AIDS education with volunteer trishaw drivers in Yaan, People's Republic of China: process evaluation.

PubMed

Shuguang, Wang; Van de Ven, Paul

2003-08-01

Peer-based HIV prevention education has become increasingly popular in China. Few studies have explored culturally appropriate strategies or the effectiveness of this approach among the growing population of Chinese self-employed young people--a group quite vulnerable to HIV and other sexually transmissible infections. The findings presented here are from a process evaluation of a peer-led demonstration project with self-employed trishaw drivers in Yaan, China. This study examines sexual health message diffusion from 150 volunteers in a direct training group to 705 peers in an indirect training group. A key finding was that success in diffusing sexual health messages was significantly related to drivers' attachment to their subculture. The successful elements of the project augur well for the development of HIV peer education in the broader arena of self-employed young people in China and pose a challenge to the traditional approach of "official-led" peer education with its uniform prescription of officially sanctioned printed materials.

Challenging gender stereotypes: Theory of mind and peer group dynamics.

PubMed

Mulvey, Kelly Lynn; Rizzo, Michael T; Killen, Melanie

2016-11-01

To investigate the social cognitive skills related to challenging gender stereotypes, children (N = 61, 3-6 years) evaluated a peer who challenged gender stereotypic norms held by the peer's group. Participants with false belief theory of mind (FB ToM) competence were more likely than participants who did not have FB ToM to expect a peer to challenge the group's stereotypes and propose that the group engage in a non-stereotypic activity. Further, participants with FB ToM rated challenging the peer group more positively. Participants without FB ToM did not differentiate between their own and the group's evaluation of challenges to the group's stereotypic norms, but those with ToM competence asserted that they would be more supportive of challenging the group norm than would the peer group. Results reveal the importance of social-cognitive competencies for recognizing the legitimacy of challenging stereotypes, and for understanding one's own and other group perspectives. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program: 2017 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Popovich, Neil A

The fiscal year 2017 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from June June 5-9, 2017, in Washington, D.C. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2016 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report: June 6-10, 2016, Washington, DC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Popovich, Neil

The fiscal year 2016 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from June 6-10, 2015, in Washington, D.C.. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2015 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report: June 8-12, 2015, Arlington, Virginia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Popovich, Neil

The fiscal year 2015 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from June 8-12, 2015, in Arlington, Virginia. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

[Practical chemistry education provided by team-based learning (TBL) and peer evaluation].

PubMed

Yasuhara, Tomohisa; Konishi, Motomi; Nishida, Takahiro; Kushihata, Taro; Sone, Tomomichi; Kurio, Wasako; Yamamoto, Yumi; Nishikawa, Tomoe; Yanada, Kazuo; Nakamura, Mitsutaka

2014-01-01

Learning chemistry is cumulative: basic knowledge and chemical calculation skills are required to gain understanding of higher content. However, we often suffer from students' lack of learning skills to acquire these concepts. One of the reasons is the lack of adequate training in the knowledge and skills of chemistry, and one of the reasons for this lack is the lack of adequate evaluation of training procedures and content. Team-based learning (TBL) is a strong method for providing training in the knowledge and skills of chemistry and reaffirms the knowledge and skills of students of various levels. In our faculty, TBL exercises are provided for first-year students concurrently with lectures in physical chemistry and analytical chemistry. In this study, we researched the adoption of a peer evaluation process for this participatory learning model. Questionnaires taken after TBL exercises in the previous year showed a positive response to TBL. Further, a questionnaire taken after TBL exercises in the spring semester of the current year also yielded a positive response not only to TBL but also to peer evaluation. In addition, a significant correlation was observed between the improvement of students' grades in chemistry classes and the feeling the percentage (20%) of peer evaluation in overall evaluation low (logistic regression analysis, p=0.022). On the basis of the findings, we argue that TBL provides a generic, practical learning environment including an effective focus on learning strategy and evaluation of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and studies on the educational effects of TBL and peer evaluation.

Lubiprostone for the treatment of opioid-induced bowel dysfunction.

PubMed

Wong, Banny S; Camilleri, Michael

2011-04-01

Opioid-induced bowel dysfunction (OBD) is a prevalent condition that leads to reduced opioid use, human suffering and a high burden and cost on the healthcare system. Opioid-induced constipation (OIC) is the most troublesome aspect of OBD, for which standard laxatives are often ineffective. A major unmet need is effective and safe OIC treatment without inhibiting opioid analgesia or inducing opioid withdrawal symptoms. Recent data indicate that lubiprostone, a locally acting type 2 chloride channel activator, approved for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, may be effective in treating OBD. The areas covered are: i) an overview of clinical trials of lubiprostone in the treatment of OBD based on peer-reviewed literature and congress materials from 2005 to 2010; and ii) an evaluation of the efficacy and potential mechanisms of action of lubiprostone in the treatment of OBD. Lubiprostone has potential in treating OBD and deserves additional study. Lubiprostone's ability to promote fluid secretion locally at the apical membrane of intestinal epithelial cells ensures it does not provoke opioid withdrawal or compromise analgesia. Lubiprostone seems safe for long-term use in CIC patients, and a similar safety profile is anticipated in OBD.

Fearfulness moderates the link between childhood social withdrawal and adolescent reward response

PubMed Central

Shaw, Daniel S.; Forbes, Erika E.

2015-01-01

Withdrawal from peers during childhood may reflect disruptions in reward functioning that heighten vulnerability to affective disorders during adolescence. The association between socially withdrawn behavior and reward functioning may depend on traits that influence this withdrawal, such as fearfulness or unsociability. In a study of 129 boys, we evaluated how boys’ fearfulness and sociability at age 5 and social withdrawal at school at ages 6 to 10 and during a summer camp at age 9/10 were associated with their neural response to reward at age 20. Greater social withdrawal during childhood was associated with heightened striatal and mPFC activation when anticipating rewards at age 20. Fearfulness moderated this effect to indicate that social withdrawal was associated with heightened reward-related response in the striatum for boys high on fearfulness. Altered striatal response associated with social withdrawal and fearfulness predicted greater likelihood to have a lifetime history of depression and social phobia at age 20. These findings add greater specificity to previous findings that children high in traits related to fear of novelty show altered reward responses, by identifying fearfulness (but not low levels of sociability) as a potential underlying mechanism that contributes to reward alterations in withdrawn children. PMID:25193948

Investigating Mandatory Peer Review of Teaching In Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brix, Jacinta; Grainger, Peter; Hill, Angela

2014-01-01

Accountability agendas are influencing the secondary education sector in Australian schools. Analysis of student achievement, student feedback mechanisms and personal reflection are forming part of these agendas as methods of teacher evaluation. Additionally, and more recently, teacher evaluation through "peer review" is emerging as a…

Peer-based health interventions for people with serious mental illness: A systematic literature review.

PubMed

Cabassa, Leopoldo J; Camacho, David; Vélez-Grau, Carolina M; Stefancic, Ana

2017-01-01

Health interventions delivered by peer specialists or co-facilitated by peer specialists and health professionals can help improve the physical health of people with serious mental illness (SMI). Yet, the quality of the studies examining these health interventions and their impact on health outcomes remains unclear. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review of peer-based health interventions for people with SMI. We rated the methodological quality of studies, summarized intervention strategies and health outcomes, and evaluated the inclusion of racial and ethnic minorities in these studies. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines to conduct our systematic literature review. Electronic bibliographic databases and manual searches were used to locate articles that were published in English in peer-reviewed journals between 1990 and 2015, described peer-based health interventions for people with SMI, and evaluated the impact of the interventions on physical health outcomes. Two independent reviewers used a standardized instrument to rate studies' methodological quality, abstracted study characteristics, and evaluated the effects of the interventions on different health outcomes. Eighteen articles were reviewed. Findings indicated that the strength of the evidence generated from these studies is limited due to several methodological limitations. Mixed and limited intervention effects were reported for most health outcomes. The most promising interventions were self-management and peer-navigator interventions. Efforts to strengthen the evidence of peer-based interventions require a research agenda that focuses on establishing the efficacy and effectiveness of these interventions across different populations and settings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Training community health promoters to implement diabetes self-management support programs for urban minority adults.

PubMed

Comellas, Mariceli; Walker, Elizabeth A; Movsas, Sharon; Merkin, Sheryl; Zonszein, Joel; Strelnick, Hal

2010-01-01

To develop, implement, and evaluate a peer-led diabetes self-management support program in English and Spanish for a diverse, urban, low-income population. The program goals and objectives were to improve diabetes self-management behaviors, especially becoming more physically active, healthier eating, medication adherence, problem solving, and goal setting. After a new training program for peers led by a certified diabetes educator (CDE) was implemented with 5 individuals, this pilot evaluation study was conducted in 2 community settings in the East and South Bronx. Seventeen adults with diabetes participated in the new peer-led 5-session program. Survey data were collected pre- and postintervention on diabetes self-care activities, quality of well-being, and number of steps using a pedometer. This pilot study established the acceptance and feasibility of both the peer training program and the community-based, peer-led program for underserved, minority adults with diabetes. Significant improvements were found in several physical activity and nutrition activities, with a modest improvement in well-being. Feedback from both peer facilitators and participants indicated that a longer program, but with the same educational materials, was desirable. To reduce health disparities in urban communities, it is essential to continue program evaluation of the critical elements of peer-led programs for multiethnic adults with diabetes to promote self-management support in a cost-effective and culturally appropriate manner. Practice Implications A diabetes self-management support program can be successfully implemented in the community by peers, within a model including remote supervision by a CDE.

Training Drug Treatment Patients to Conduct Peer-Based HIV Outreach: An Ethnographic Perspective on Peers' Experiences

PubMed Central

Guarino, Honoria; Deren, Sherry; Mino, Milton; Kang, Sung-Yeon; Shedlin, Michele

2010-01-01

From 2005 to 2008, the Bienvenidos Project trained Puerto Rican patients of New York City and New Jersey methadone maintenance treatment programs to conduct peer-based community outreach to migrant Puerto Rican drug users to reduce migrants' HIV risk behaviors. Ethnographic research, including focus groups, individual interviews and observations, was conducted with a subset of the patients trained as peers (n=49; 67% male; mean age 40.3 years) to evaluate the self-perceived effects of the intervention. Results of the ethnographic component of this study are summarized. The role of ethnographic methods in implementing and evaluating this kind of intervention is also discussed. PMID:20141456

Evaluation of a peer consultation program for burn inpatients. 2000 ABA paper.

PubMed

Williams, Rhonda M; Patterson, David R; Schwenn, Clay; Day, Jeanette; Bartman, Mark; Engrav, Loren H

2002-01-01

A burn survivor may provide unique psychological support to patients who have been burned more recently and enhance their adjustment to burn injury. The purpose of this study was to describe the peer consultation/burn survivor support program at a large regional burn center in the Northwest United States. Over the course of 17 months, three specially trained peer consultants who had survived their own burn injuries in the past made 167 visits to 108 patients, who, in turn, completed evaluation forms for each visit. Findings indicated that patients reported that the peer consultants approached them in an appropriate manner, answered their questions, and provided useful support and information.

A review of the current state of digital plate reading of cultures in clinical microbiology.

PubMed

Rhoads, Daniel D; Novak, Susan M; Pantanowitz, Liron

2015-01-01

Digital plate reading (DPR) is increasingly being adopted as a means to facilitate the analysis and improve the quality and efficiency within the clinical microbiology laboratory. This review discusses the role of DPR in the context of total laboratory automation and explores some of the platforms currently available or in development for digital image capturing of microbial growth on media. The review focuses on the advantages and challenges of DPR. Peer-reviewed studies describing the utility and quality of these novel DPR systems are largely lacking, and professional guidelines for DPR implementation and quality management are needed. Further development and more widespread adoption of DPR is anticipated.

Never-pregnant African American adolescent girls' perceptions of adolescent pregnancy.

PubMed

Childs, Gwendolyn D; Knight, Candace; White, Reashanda

2015-01-01

Despite the decrease in adolescent pregnancy rates, rates among African American girls remain higher than other racial/ethnic adolescent groups. This descriptive qualitative study explored never-pregnant African American adolescent girls' perceptions about adolescent pregnancy. Sixty-four participants participated in individual interviews and focus groups. Individual interviews examined beliefs about adolescent pregnancy and perceptions of life changes resulting from becoming pregnant during adolescence. Focus groups were held to validate findings from the interviews. Participants agreed that becoming pregnant during adolescence would negatively impact their education, family, and peers. Participants anticipated feelings of shame and embarrassment in the event that they became pregnant. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Opinion survey: materials management and purchasing habits.

PubMed

1988-01-01

This opinion survey was undertaken to gauge the current status of materials management and purchasing departments at hospitals throughout the southern and southeastern United States. The survey was based on lengthy telephone interviews (from 30 to 60 minutes) and followup discussions with materials managers, purchasing agents and administrators. Interviews covered a variety of topics, including: cost-containment strategies; group purchasing and consignment purchasing; and current and anticipated trends in materials management. Many questions were left open-ended, so the survey could gauge attitudes, as well as determine contemporary practices and procedures. (In some cases, respondents were also given the opportunity to comment on the statements of their peers, in order to corroborate and substantiate data.)

A review of the current state of digital plate reading of cultures in clinical microbiology

PubMed Central

Rhoads, Daniel D.; Novak, Susan M.; Pantanowitz, Liron

2015-01-01

Digital plate reading (DPR) is increasingly being adopted as a means to facilitate the analysis and improve the quality and efficiency within the clinical microbiology laboratory. This review discusses the role of DPR in the context of total laboratory automation and explores some of the platforms currently available or in development for digital image capturing of microbial growth on media. The review focuses on the advantages and challenges of DPR. Peer-reviewed studies describing the utility and quality of these novel DPR systems are largely lacking, and professional guidelines for DPR implementation and quality management are needed. Further development and more widespread adoption of DPR is anticipated. PMID:26110091

Interteach and Student Engagement in Political Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slagter, Tracy H.; Scribner, Druscilla L.

2014-01-01

"Interteach" is a method of guided discussion and feedback developed by Thomas Boyce and Philip Hineline in 2002. This method, primarily used in the psychology classroom, encourages greater student engagement and responsibility for learning by requiring extensive student preparation, peer-to-peer instruction, and peer evaluation. How can…

Developing Enterprise Skills through Peer-Assessed Pitch Presentations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faherty, Anna

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of using summative peer assessment to develop enterprise skills within higher education. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical investigation analysing students own perceptions of the peer assessment process to evaluate its impact. Findings: Participating students indicate that…

Deficits in Emotional Clarity and Vulnerability to Peer Victimization and Internalizing Symptoms among Early Adolescents

PubMed Central

Hamilton, Jessica L.; Kleiman, Evan M.; Rubenstein, Liza M.; Stange, Jonathan P.; Flynn, Megan; Abramson, Lyn Y.; Alloy, Lauren B.

2015-01-01

Peer victimization is a significant risk factor for a range of negative outcomes during adolescence, including depression and anxiety. Recent research has evaluated individual characteristics that heighten the risk of experiencing peer victimization. However, the role of emotional clarity, or the ability to understand one’s emotions, in being the target of peer victimization remains unclear. Thus, the present study evaluated whether deficits in emotional clarity increased the risk of experiencing peer victimization, particularly among adolescent girls, which, in turn, contributed to prospective levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. In the present study, 355 early adolescents (ages 12–13; 53% female; 51% African American) who were part of the Adolescent Cognition and Emotion project completed measures of emotional clarity, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms at baseline, and measures of peer victimization, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms at follow-up. Moderation analyses indicated that deficits in emotional clarity predicted greater peer victimization among adolescent girls, but not adolescent boys. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that deficits in emotional clarity contributed to relational peer victimization, which, in turn, predicted prospective levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms among adolescent girls, but not boys. These findings indicate that deficits in emotional clarity represent a significant risk factor for adolescent girls to experience relational peer victimization, which, in turn, contributed to prospective levels of internalizing symptoms. Thus, prevention programs should target deficits in emotional clarity to prevent peer victimization and subsequent internalizing symptoms among adolescent girls. PMID:25680559

Sexual and reproductive health in Greenland: evaluation of implementing sexual peer-to-peer education in Greenland (the SexInuk project).

PubMed

Homøe, Anne-Sophie; Knudsen, Ane-Kersti Skaarup; Nielsen, Sigrid Brisson; Grynnerup, Anna Garcia-Alix

2015-01-01

Background For decades, the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis, have increased in Greenland, especially within the young age groups (15-29 years). From 2006 to 2013, the number of abortions has been consistent with approximately 800-900 abortions per year in Greenland, which is nearly as high as the total number of births during the same period. Previous studies in Greenland have reported that knowledge about sexual health is important, both as prevention and as facilitator to stop the increasing rates of STIs. A peer-to-peer education programme about sexual health requires adaption to cultural values and acceptance among the population and government in order to be sustainable. Objective Formative evaluation of a voluntary project (SexInuk), in relation to peer-to-peer education with focus on sexual health. Two workshops were conducted in Nuuk, Greenland, to recruit Greenlandic students. Design Qualitative design with focus group interviews (FGIs) to collect qualitative feedback on feasibility and implementation of the project. Supplemented with a brief questionnaire regarding personal information (gender, age, education) and questions about the educational elements in the SexInuk project. Eight Greenlandic students, who had completed one or two workshops, were enrolled. Results The FGIs showed an overall consensus regarding the need for improving sexual health education in Greenland. The participants requested more voluntary educators, to secure sustainability. The articulation of taboo topics in the Greenlandic society appeared very important. The participants suggested more awareness by promoting the project. Conclusion Cultural values and language directions were important elements in the FGIs. To our knowledge, voluntary work regarding peer-to-peer education and sexual health has not been structurally evaluated in Greenland before. To achieve sustainability, the project needs educators and financial support. Further research is needed to investigate how peer-to-peer education can improve sexual and reproductive health in Greenland.

Sexual and reproductive health in Greenland: evaluation of implementing sexual peer-to-peer education in Greenland (the SexInuk project).

PubMed

Homøe, Anne-Sophie; Knudsen, Ane-Kersti Skaarup; Nielsen, Sigrid Brisson; Grynnerup, Anna Garcia-Alix

2015-01-01

For decades, the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis, have increased in Greenland, especially within the young age groups (15-29 years). From 2006 to 2013, the number of abortions has been consistent with approximately 800-900 abortions per year in Greenland, which is nearly as high as the total number of births during the same period. Previous studies in Greenland have reported that knowledge about sexual health is important, both as prevention and as facilitator to stop the increasing rates of STIs. A peer-to-peer education programme about sexual health requires adaption to cultural values and acceptance among the population and government in order to be sustainable. Formative evaluation of a voluntary project (SexInuk), in relation to peer-to-peer education with focus on sexual health. Two workshops were conducted in Nuuk, Greenland, to recruit Greenlandic students. Qualitative design with focus group interviews (FGIs) to collect qualitative feedback on feasibility and implementation of the project. Supplemented with a brief questionnaire regarding personal information (gender, age, education) and questions about the educational elements in the SexInuk project. Eight Greenlandic students, who had completed one or two workshops, were enrolled. The FGIs showed an overall consensus regarding the need for improving sexual health education in Greenland. The participants requested more voluntary educators, to secure sustainability. The articulation of taboo topics in the Greenlandic society appeared very important. The participants suggested more awareness by promoting the project. Cultural values and language directions were important elements in the FGIs. To our knowledge, voluntary work regarding peer-to-peer education and sexual health has not been structurally evaluated in Greenland before. To achieve sustainability, the project needs educators and financial support. Further research is needed to investigate how peer-to-peer education can improve sexual and reproductive health in Greenland.

Peer education for advance care planning: volunteers’ perspectives on training and community engagement activities

PubMed Central

Seymour, Jane E.; Almack, Kathryn; Kennedy, Sheila; Froggatt, Katherine

2011-01-01

Abstract Background  Peer education by volunteers may aid attitudinal change, but there is little understanding of factors assisting the preparation of peer educators. This study contributes to conceptual understandings of how volunteers may be prepared to work as peer educators by drawing on an evaluation of a training programme for peer education for advance care planning (ACP). Objectives  To report on volunteers’ perspectives on the peer education training programme, their feelings about assuming the role of volunteer peer educators and the community engagement activities with which they engaged during the year after training. To examine broader implications for peer education. Design  Participatory action research employing mixed methods of data collection. Participants  Twenty‐four older volunteers and eight health and social care staff. Data collection methods  Evaluative data were gathered from information provided during and at the end of training, a follow‐up survey 4 months post‐training; interviews and focus groups 6 and 12 months post‐training. Findings  Volunteers’ personal aims ranged from working within their communities to using what they had learnt within their own families. The personal impact of peer education was considerable. Two‐thirds of volunteers reported community peer education activities 1 year after the training. Those who identified strongly with a community group had the most success. Conclusion  We reflect on the extent to which the programme aided the development of ‘critical consciousness’ among the volunteers: a key factor in successful peer education programmes. More research is needed about the impact on uptake of ACP in communities. PMID:21615641

An Innovative Model of Depression Care Delivery: Peer Mentors in Collaboration with a Mental Health Professional to Relieve Depression in Older Adults

PubMed Central

Joo, Jin Hui; Hwang, Seungyoung; Abu, Hawa; Gallo, Joseph J.

2016-01-01

Objectives Traditional mental health services are not used by a majority of older adults with depression, suggesting a need for new methods of health service delivery. We conducted a pilot study using peer mentors to deliver depression care to older adults in collaboration with a mental health professional. We evaluated the acceptability of peer mentors to older adults and examined patient experiences of the intervention. Methods Six peer mentors met 30 patients for 1 hour weekly for 8 weeks. A mental health professional provided an initial clinical evaluation as well as supervision and guidance to peer mentors concurrent with patient meetings. We measured depressive symptoms at baseline and after study completion, and depressive symptoms and working alliance at weekly peer-patient meetings. We also interviewed participants and peer mentors to assess their experiences of the intervention. Results Ninety-six percent of patients attended all eight meetings with the peer mentor and PHQ-9 scores decreased for 85% of patients. Patients formed strong, trusting relationships with peer mentors. Patients emphasized the importance of trust, of developing a strong relationship, and of the credibility and communication skills of the peer mentor. Participants described benefits such as feeling hopeful, and reported changes in attitude, behavior, and insight. Conclusions Use of peer mentors working in collaboration with a mental health professional is promising as a model of depression care delivery for older adults. Testing of effectiveness is needed and processes of recruitment, role definition, and supervision should be further developed. PMID:27066731

Associations between maternal negative affect and adolescent's neural response to peer evaluation.

PubMed

Tan, Patricia Z; Lee, Kyung Hwa; Dahl, Ronald E; Nelson, Eric E; Stroud, Laura J; Siegle, Greg J; Morgan, Judith K; Silk, Jennifer S

2014-04-01

Parenting is often implicated as a potential source of individual differences in youths' emotional information processing. The present study examined whether parental affect is related to an important aspect of adolescent emotional development, response to peer evaluation. Specifically, we examined relations between maternal negative affect, observed during parent-adolescent discussion of an adolescent-nominated concern with which s/he wants parental support, and adolescent neural responses to peer evaluation in 40 emotionally healthy and depressed adolescents. We focused on a network of ventral brain regions involved in affective processing of social information: the amygdala, anterior insula, nucleus accumbens, and subgenual anterior cingulate, as well as the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. Maternal negative affect was not associated with adolescent neural response to peer rejection. However, longer durations of maternal negative affect were associated with decreased responsivity to peer acceptance in the amygdala, left anterior insula, subgenual anterior cingulate, and left nucleus accumbens. These findings provide some of the first evidence that maternal negative affect is associated with adolescents' neural processing of social rewards. Findings also suggest that maternal negative affect could contribute to alterations in affective processing, specifically, dampening the saliency and/or reward of peer interactions during adolescence. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Science and Technology Peer Review: GPRA

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-11-30

attention they deserve. 12) Cost of S&T Evaluations The next critical factor for quality S&T evaluations is cost ( ASTEC , 1991; Buechner, 1974; Hensley...117-118. Armstrong, J.S. 1997. Why Conduct Journal Peer Review: Quality Control, Fairness, Or Innovation. Sci Engineer Ethics, 3:1. ASTEC . 1991

Developing Oral Case Presentation Skills: Peer and Self-Evaluations as Instructional Tools.

PubMed

Williams, Dustyn E; Surakanti, Shravani

2016-01-01

Oral case presentation is an essential skill in clinical practice that is decidedly varied and understudied in teaching curricula. We developed a curriculum to improve oral case presentation skills in medical students. As part of an internal medicine clerkship, students receive instruction in the elements of a good oral case presentation and then present a real-world case in front of a video camera. Each student self-evaluates his/her presentation and receives evaluations from his/her peers. We expect peer and self-evaluation to be meaningful tools for developing skills in oral presentation. We hope to not only improve the quality of oral case presentations by students but also to reduce the time burden on faculty.

Children's Evaluations of Resource Allocation in the Context of Group Norms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooley, Shelby; Killen, Melanie

2015-01-01

This study investigated children's evaluations of peer group members who deviated from group norms about equal and unequal allocation of resources. Children, ages 3.5 to 4 years and 5 to 6 years (N = 73), were asked to evaluate a peer group member who deviated from 1 of 2 group allocation norms: (a) equal allocation of resources, or (b) unequal…

Children's Moral Evaluations of Reporting the Transgressions of Peers: Age Differences in Evaluations of Tattling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loke, Ivy Chiu; Heyman, Gail D.; Forgie, Julia; McCarthy, Anjanie; Lee, Kang

2011-01-01

The way children evaluate the reporting of peers' transgressions to authority figures was investigated. Participants, ages 6-11 years (N = 60), were presented with a series of vignettes, each of which depicted a child who committed either a minor transgression (such as not finishing the vegetables at lunch) or a more serious transgression (such as…

Evaluation for the Allocation of University Research Project Funding: Can Rules Improve the Peer Review?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reale, Emanuela; Zinilli, Antonio

2017-01-01

Evaluation for the allocation of project-funding schemes devoted to sustain academic research often undergoes changes of the rules for the ex-ante selection, which are supposed to improve the capability of peer review to select the best proposals. How modifications of the rules realize a more accountable evaluation result? Do the changes suggest…

Learning to Lead: Self- and Peer Evaluation of Team Leaders in the Human Structure Didactic Block

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Laura P.; Gregory, Jeremy K.; Camp, Christopher L.; Juskewitch, Justin E.; Pawlina, Wojciech; Lachman, Nirusha

2009-01-01

Increasing emphasis on leadership in medical education has created a need for developing accurate evaluations of team leaders. Our study aimed to compare the accuracy of self- and peer evaluation of student leaders in the first-year Human Structure block (integrated gross anatomy, embryology, and radiology). Forty-nine first-year medical students…

Evaluation of a peer assessment approach for enhancing the organizational capacity of state injury prevention programs.

PubMed

Hunter, Wanda M; Schmidt, Ellen R; Zakocs, Ronda

2005-01-01

To conduct a formative and pilot impact evaluation of the State Technical Assessment Team (STAT) program, a visitation-based (visitatie) peer assessment program designed to enhance the organizational capacity of state health department injury prevention programs. The formative evaluation was based on observational, record review, and key informant interview data collected during the implementation of the first 7 STAT visits. Pilot impact data were derived from semi-structured interviews with state injury prevention personnel one year after the visit. Formative evaluation identified 6 significant implementation problems in the first visits that were addressed by the program planners, resulting in improvements to the STAT assessment protocol. Impact evaluation revealed that after one year, the 7 state injury prevention programs had acted on 81% of the recommendations received during their STAT visits. All programs reported gains in visibility and credibility within the state health department and increased collaboration and cooperation with other units and agencies. Other significant program advancements were also reported. Specific program standards and review procedures are important to the success of peer assessment programs such as STAT. Early impact evaluation suggests that peer assessment protocols using the visitatie model can lead to gains in organizational capacity.

Small group gender ratios impact biology class performance and peer evaluations.

PubMed

Sullivan, Lauren L; Ballen, Cissy J; Cotner, Sehoya

2018-01-01

Women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Evidence suggests the microclimate of the classroom is an important factor influencing female course grades and interest, which encourages retention of women in STEM fields. Here, we test whether the gender composition of small (8-9 person) learning groups impacts course performance, sense of social belonging, and intragroup peer evaluations of intellectual contributions. Across two undergraduate active learning courses in introductory biology, we manipulated the classroom microclimate by varying the gender ratios of learning groups, ranging from 0% female to 100% female. We found that as the percent of women in groups increased, so did overall course performance for all students, regardless of gender. Additionally, women assigned higher peer- evaluations in groups with more women than groups with less women. Our work demonstrates an added benefit of the retention of women in STEM: increased performance for all, and positive peer perceptions for women.

Peer review of health research funding proposals: A systematic map and systematic review of innovations for effectiveness and efficiency

PubMed Central

Frampton, Geoff K.; Pickett, Karen; Wyatt, Jeremy C.

2018-01-01

Objective To investigate methods and processes for timely, efficient and good quality peer review of research funding proposals in health. Methods A two-stage evidence synthesis: (1) a systematic map to describe the key characteristics of the evidence base, followed by (2) a systematic review of the studies stakeholders prioritised as relevant from the map on the effectiveness and efficiency of peer review ‘innovations’. Standard processes included literature searching, duplicate inclusion criteria screening, study keyword coding, data extraction, critical appraisal and study synthesis. Results A total of 83 studies from 15 countries were included in the systematic map. The evidence base is diverse, investigating many aspects of the systems for, and processes of, peer review. The systematic review included eight studies from Australia, Canada, and the USA, evaluating a broad range of peer review innovations. These studies showed that simplifying the process by shortening proposal forms, using smaller reviewer panels, or expediting processes can speed up the review process and reduce costs, but this might come at the expense of peer review quality, a key aspect that has not been assessed. Virtual peer review using videoconferencing or teleconferencing appears promising for reducing costs by avoiding the need for reviewers to travel, but again any consequences for quality have not been adequately assessed. Conclusions There is increasing international research activity into the peer review of health research funding. The studies reviewed had methodological limitations and variable generalisability to research funders. Given these limitations it is not currently possible to recommend immediate implementation of these innovations. However, many appear promising based on existing evidence, and could be adapted as necessary by funders and evaluated. Where feasible, experimental evaluation, including randomised controlled trials, should be conducted, evaluating impact on effectiveness, efficiency and quality. PMID:29750807

An Evaluation of a Suicide Bereavement Peer Support Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barlow, Constance A.; Waegemakers Schiff, Jeannette; Chugh, Urmil; Rawlinson, Dixie; Hides, Elizabeth; Leith, Judy

2010-01-01

Peer support, a cornerstone in recovery programs for mental illness and addiction, has not been widely applied to service programs for survivors of suicide. In 2004-2006 Canadian Mental Health Association Suicide Services in Calgary, Alberta, introduced the Peer Support Program for adults, an adjunct to conventional individual and group…

Peer Instruction: An Evaluation of Its Theory, Application, and Contribution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gok, Tolga; Gok, Ozge

2017-01-01

Many qualitative and quantitative studies performed on peer instruction based on interactive engagement method used in many different disciplines and courses were reviewed in the present study. The researchers examined the effects of peer instruction on students' cognitive skills (conceptual learning, problem solving, reasoning ability, etc.) and…

Understanding Peer Review of Scientific Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association of American Universities, 2011

2011-01-01

An important factor in the success of America's national research system is that federal funds for university-based research are awarded primarily through peer review, which uses panels of scientific experts, or "peers," to evaluate the quality of grant proposals. In this competitive process, proposals compete for resources based on their…

School-Based Peer Mentoring in High School: A Program Evaluation Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Felicia Cecile

2017-01-01

The dissertation is an initial investigation of a peer mentoring program in a suburban high school in the southeastern United States. Additionally, the Peer Mentoring Program (PMP) study examined whether the Program improves academic performance and attendance, and decreases referrals. Utilizing an experimental design, a Participant and a…

When Is Peer Rejection Justifiable? Children's Understanding across Two Cultures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Yoonjung; Killen, Melanie

2010-01-01

This study investigated how Korean (N = 397) and U.S. (N = 333) children and adolescents (10 and 13 years of age) evaluated personality (aggression, shyness) and group (gender, nationality) characteristics as a basis for peer rejection in three contexts (friendship rejection, group exclusion, victimization). Overall, peer rejection based on…

Peer Response as an Effective Writing Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austria, Mark Anthony B.

2017-01-01

This paper presents the peer response as an effective strategy in the teaching of college writing. In the textual analyses, feedback conference and through the evaluation questionnaire, peer response strategy was assessed as dynamic and successful and that editors and writers worked constantly with each other as a matter of scaffolding wherein…

Professional Collaboration: Empowering School Personnel through Peer Coaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Dana M.; And Others

Peer coaching, in which two teachers observe each other's classes with the objective of helping each other improve their instructional abilities, empowers teaching professionals by enabling them to develop their own criteria for evaluation of and responsibility for quality classroom performance. Peer coaching can involve collaborative, expert, or…

Assessing Peer Entry and Play in Preschoolers at Risk for Maladjustment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brotman, Laurie Miller; Gouley, Kathleen Kiely; Chesir-Teran, Daniel

2005-01-01

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of an observational rating system for assessing preschoolers' peer entry and play skills: Observed Peer Play in Unfamiliar Settings (OPPUS). Participants were 84 preschoolers at risk for psychopathology. Reliability and concurrent validity are reported. The 30-min paradigm yielded reliable indexes…

Peer Assisted Study Sessions for Postgraduate International Students in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zaccagnini, Melissa; Verenikina, Irina

2013-01-01

Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), a peer led academic support program that has multiple documented academic, social, and transition benefits, is increasingly being utilised in Australian institutions. Whilst PASS has been evaluated from multiple angles in regard to the undergraduate cohort, there is limited research regarding the benefits of…

A workshop series using peer-grading to build drug information, writing, critical-thinking, and constructive feedback skills.

PubMed

Davis, Lindsay E

2014-12-15

To utilize a skills-based workshop series to develop pharmacy students' drug information, writing, critical-thinking, and evaluation skills during the final didactic year of training. A workshop series was implemented to focus on written (researched) responses to drug information questions. These workshops used blinded peer-grading to facilitate timely feedback and strengthen assessment skills. Each workshop was aligned to the didactic coursework content to complement and extend learning, while bridging and advancing research, writing, and critical thinking skills. Attainment of knowledge and skills was assessed by rubric-facilitated peer grades, faculty member grading, peer critique, and faculty member-guided discussion of drug information responses. Annual instructor and course evaluations consistently revealed favorable student feedback regarding workshop value. A drug information workshop series using peer-grading as the primary assessment tool was successfully implemented and was well received by pharmacy students.

P300 amplitude variation is related to ventral striatum BOLD response during gain and loss anticipation: an EEG and fMRI experiment.

PubMed

Pfabigan, Daniela M; Seidel, Eva-Maria; Sladky, Ronald; Hahn, Andreas; Paul, Katharina; Grahl, Arvina; Küblböck, Martin; Kraus, Christoph; Hummer, Allan; Kranz, Georg S; Windischberger, Christian; Lanzenberger, Rupert; Lamm, Claus

2014-08-01

The anticipation of favourable or unfavourable events is a key component in our daily life. However, the temporal dynamics of anticipation processes in relation to brain activation are still not fully understood. A modified version of the monetary incentive delay task was administered during separate functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG) sessions in the same 25 participants to assess anticipatory processes with a multi-modal neuroimaging set-up. During fMRI, gain and loss anticipation were both associated with heightened activation in ventral striatum and reward-related areas. EEG revealed most pronounced P300 amplitudes for gain anticipation, whereas CNV amplitudes distinguished neutral from gain and loss anticipation. Importantly, P300, but not CNV amplitudes, were correlated to neural activation in the ventral striatum for both gain and loss anticipation. Larger P300 amplitudes indicated higher ventral striatum blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response. Early stimulus evaluation processes indexed by EEG seem to be positively related to higher activation levels in the ventral striatum, indexed by fMRI, which are usually associated with reward processing. The current results, however, point towards a more general motivational mechanism processing salient stimuli during anticipation. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

A Longitudinal Study of Rejecting and Autonomy-Restrictive Parenting, Rejection Sensitivity, and Socioemotional Symptoms in Early Adolescents.

PubMed

Rowe, Susan L; Gembeck, Melanie J Zimmer; Rudolph, Julia; Nesdale, Drew

2015-08-01

Rejection sensitivity (RS) has been defined as the tendency to readily perceive and overreact to interpersonal rejection. The primary aim of this study was to test key propositions of RS theory, namely that rejecting experiences in relationships with parents are antecedents of early adolescents' future RS and symptomatology. We also expanded this to consider autonomy-restrictive parenting, given the importance of autonomy in early adolescence. Participants were 601 early adolescents (age 9 to 13 years old, 51% boys) from three schools in Australia. Students completed questionnaires at school about parent and peer relationships, RS, loneliness, social anxiety, and depression at two times with a 14-month lag between assessments. Parents also reported on adolescents' difficulties at Time 1 (T1). It was anticipated that more experience of parental rejection, coercion, and psychological control would be associated with adolescents' escalating RS and symptoms over time, even after accounting for peer victimisation, and that RS would mediate associations between parenting and symptoms. Structural equation modelling supported these hypotheses. Parent coercion was associated with adolescents' increasing symptoms of social anxiety and RS over time, and parent psychological control was associated with increasing depressive symptoms over time. Indirect effects via RS were also found, with parent rejection and psychological control linked to higher T1 RS, which was then associated with increasing loneliness and RS. Lastly, in a separate model, peer victimisation and RS, but not parenting practices, were positively associated with concurrent parent reports of adolescents' difficulties.

Can peer education make a difference? Evaluation of a South African adolescent peer education program to promote sexual and reproductive health.

PubMed

Mason-Jones, Amanda J; Mathews, Catherine; Flisher, Alan J

2011-11-01

Peer education is popular both with governments and with young people. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a government-led peer education program on the self-reported sexual health behavior and related psychosocial outcomes of adolescent students in public high schools in the Western Cape of South Africa. Grade 10 students (n = 3934), at 30 public high schools (15 intervention, 15 comparison) were recruited to the study. In the intervention schools, peer educators were recruited and trained to provide information and support to their fellow students. Sexual health behaviors and related psychosocial outcomes of students were measured at baseline and at follow up 18 months later. Comparisons were made between those in the intervention and comparison group schools. We were unable to detect a significant difference in the age of sexual debut, use of condoms at last sex, goal orientation, decision-making or future orientation for students in the intervention group as compared to students in the comparison group. The findings suggest that the peer education program was not effective in reducing the age of sexual debut or condom use. Issues around the implementation of the program suggested that this was sub-optimal. Governments who advocate widespread use of peer education as an approach need to recognise barriers to implementation and ensure ongoing monitoring and evaluation of effectiveness and cost effectiveness.

Antisocial Peer Affiliation and Externalizing Disorders in the Transition from Adolescence to Young Adulthood: Selection versus Socialization Effects

PubMed Central

Samek, Diana R.; Goodman, Rebecca J.; Erath, Stephen A.; McGue, Matt; Iacono, William G.

2016-01-01

Prior research has demonstrated both socialization and selection effects for the relationship between antisocial peer affiliation and externalizing problems in adolescence. Less research has evaluated such effects post-adolescence. In this study, a cross-lagged panel analysis was used to evaluate the extent of socialization (i.e., the effect of antisocial peer affiliation on subsequent externalizing disorders) and selection (i.e., the effect of externalizing disorders on subsequent antisocial peer affiliation) in the prospective relationships between antisocial peer affiliation and externalizing disorders from adolescence through young adulthood. Data from a community sample of 2,769 individuals (52% female) with assessments at ages 17, 20, 24, and 29 were used. Analyses with a latent externalizing measure (estimated using clinical symptom counts of nicotine dependence, alcohol use disorder, illicit drug use disorder, and adult antisocial behavior) and self-reported antisocial peer affiliation revealed significantly stronger socialization effects from age 17 to 20, followed by significantly stronger selection effects from age 20 to 24 and 24 to 29. To better understand the impact of college experience, moderation by college status was evaluated at each developmental transition. Results were generally consistent for those who were in or were not in college. Results suggest selection effects are more important in later developmental periods than earlier periods, particularly in relation to an overall liability towards externalizing disorders, likely due to more freedom in peer selection post-adolescence. PMID:26914216

Evaluation of the Inhalation Carcinogenicity of Ethylene Oxide ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA is seeking peer review of the scientific basis supporting the human health hazard and dose-response assessment of ethylene oxide (cancer) that will appear in the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database. EPA seeks external peer review on how the Agency responded to the SAB panel recommendations, the exposure-response modeling of epidemiologic data, including new analyses since the 2007 external peer review, and on the adequacy, transparency, and clarity of the revised draft. The peer review will include an opportunity for the public to address the peer reviewers.

A digital peer-to-peer learning platform for clinical skills development.

PubMed

Basnak, Jesse; Ortynski, Jennifer; Chow, Meghan; Nzekwu, Emeka

2017-02-01

Due to constraints in time and resources, medical curricula may not provide adequate opportunities for pre-clerkship students to practice clinical skills. To address this, medical students at the University of Alberta developed a digital peer-to-peer learning initiative. The initiative assessed if students can learn clinical skills from their peers in co-curricular practice objective structured clinical exams (OSCEs). A total of 144 first-year medical students participated. Students wrote case scenarios that were reviewed by physicians. Students enacted the cases in practice OSCEs, acting as the patient, physician, and evaluator. Verbal and electronic evaluations were completed. A digital platform was used to automate the process. Surveys were disseminated to assess student perceptions of their experience. Seventy-five percent of participants said they needed opportunities to practice patient histories and physical exams in addition to those provided in the medical school curriculum. All participants agreed that the co-curricular practice OSCEs met this need. The majority of participants also agreed that the digital platform was efficient and easy to use. Students found the practice OSCEs and digital platform effective for learning clinical skills. Thus, peer-to-peer learning and computer automation can be useful adjuncts to traditional medical curricula.

Medical Evaluation Before Operation

PubMed Central

Elliot, Diane L.; Linz, Douglas H.; Kane, Joseph A.

1982-01-01

Surgical outcome can be optimized by anticipation and prevention of medical complications. General considerations that apply to all patients include evaluation for coagulation disorders, prior anesthetic complications and drug history. Evaluation for organ-specific risk factors allows identification of patients at high surgical risk, minimization of risk and anticipation of postoperative complications. Review of the recent literature and a practical guide to therapy is presented for the major medical considerations before surgical procedures: cardiac disease, hypertension, pulmonary disease, endocrine considerations and hepatic disease. Attention to these areas and communication among internists, anesthesiologists and surgeons should provide optimal treatment of surgical patients with medical disease. PMID:7179956

Promoting Learning Skills through Teamwork Assessment and Self/Peer Evaluation in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Issa, Tomayess

2012-01-01

In the education sector, teamwork assessment and self/peer evaluation are widely applied in higher education nationally and internationally. This assessment is designed to encourage students to promote and improve their skills in teamwork, communication (writing, interpersonal interaction and cultural awareness, and presenting), critical and…

The Effect on One's Own Performance of Evaluating Peers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Stuart J.

Fifty-three high school males took a minicourse on library usage. All were randomly assigned a topic and given response sheets requiring the use of dictionaries, encyclopedias, periodicals, and books. In a discussion session, all received instructional handouts. Students were assigned either to evaluating two peers' pretests (experimental) or…

Holding Students Accountable in Team Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mentzer, Nathan

2014-01-01

This article describes an efficient peer evaluation process that can be implemented at the middle and high school levels, and that holds students accountable for their individual contributions in a team-based project. Teachers faced with this challenge will welcome the web-based peer-evaluation interface that was capable of soliciting student…

Metaperception in Adolescents with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Usher, Lauren V.; Burrows, Catherine A.; Messinger, Daniel S.; Henderson, Heather A.

2018-01-01

This study compared how adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) evaluated unfamiliar peers (i.e., perceptions), as well as how adolescents believed they were evaluated by peers (i.e., metaperceptions). The Perceptions and Metaperceptions Questionnaire was designed to quantify perceptions and metaperceptions following a live…

Evaluating a Psychology Graduate Student Peer Mentoring Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleck, Christina; Mullins, Morell E.

2012-01-01

Research on mentoring outcomes and characteristics of various types of mentoring programs in different settings is limited. The present study sampled 39 graduate students at a small Midwestern university to evaluate peer mentoring in a graduate school setting. Mentoring function and outcome relationships as well as program characteristics were…

Evaluating a culturally tailored peer-mentoring and education pilot intervention among Chinese breast cancer survivors using a mixed-methods approach.

PubMed

Lu, Qian; You, Jin; Man, Jenny; Loh, Alice; Young, Lucy

2014-11-01

To evaluate a social support intervention that was culturally tailored for Chinese Americans who face many challenges because of cultural and linguistic barriers. Intervention with a one-group pre- or post-test design, mixed methods, and a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach. Southern California. 14 Chinese American breast cancer survivors post-treatment and eight breast cancer peer mentors. The intervention was a 10-week program to provide emotional and informational support through peer mentoring and education. Health outcomes were assessed before and after the intervention. Eight weekly process evaluations and two focus group interviews also were conducted. Depressive and anxiety symptoms. The program was associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms. Participants valued the program highly. Inductive analysis suggested possible mechanisms for effectiveness, such as reducing stigma, empowerment, and increased sense of belonging. The peer-mentoring and education program has the potential to serve as a model intervention for ethnic minorities. Mixed methods and CBPR are valuable in evaluating pilot interventions with minorities. Focusing on relationships may be fruitful for designing novel interventions for cancer survivors from collectivistic cultures. Peer-mentoring and education programs can be integrated into communities and clinics to improve care for underserved minority cancer survivors and to reduce health disparities.

Perturbation and Stability Analysis of the Multi-Anticipative Intelligent Driver Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xi-Qun; Xie, Wei-Jun; Shi, Jing; Shi, Qi-Xin

This paper discusses three kinds of IDM car-following models that consider both the multi-anticipative behaviors and the reaction delays of drivers. Here, the multi-anticipation comes from two ways: (1) the driver is capable of evaluating the dynamics of several preceding vehicles, and (2) the autonomous vehicles can obtain the velocity and distance information of several preceding vehicles via inter-vehicle communications. In this paper, we study the stability of homogeneous traffic flow. The linear stability analysis indicates that the stable region will generally be enlarged by the multi-anticipative behaviors and reduced by the reaction delays. The temporal amplification and the spatial divergence of velocities for local perturbation are also studied, where the results further prove this conclusion. Simulation results also show that the multi-anticipative behaviors near the bottleneck will lead to a quicker backwards propagation of oscillations.

Dissecting "Peer Presence" and "Decisions" to Deepen Understanding of Peer Influence on Adolescent Risky Choice.

PubMed

Somerville, Leah H; Haddara, Nadia; Sasse, Stephanie F; Skwara, Alea C; Moran, Joseph M; Figner, Bernd

2018-04-27

This study evaluated the aspects of complex decisions influenced by peers, and components of peer involvement influential to adolescents' risky decisions. Participants (N = 140) aged 13-25 completed the Columbia Card Task (CCT), a risky choice task, isolating deliberation-reliant and affect-reliant decisions while alone, while a friend monitors choices, and while a friend is merely present. There is no condition in which a nonfriend peer is present. Results demonstrated the risk-increasing peer effect occurred in the youngest participants in the cold CCT and middle-late adolescents in the hot CCT, whereas other ages and contexts showed a risk-decreasing peer effect. Mere presence was not sufficient to influence risky behavior. These boundaries in age, decision, and peer involvement constrain prevailing models of adolescent peer influence. © 2018 Society for Research in Child Development.

Concurrent and longitudinal associations of peers' acceptance with emotion and effortful control in kindergarten

PubMed Central

Hernández, Maciel M.; Eisenberg, Nancy; Valiente, Carlos; Diaz, Anjolii; VanSchyndel, Sarah K.; Berger, Rebecca H.; Terrell, Nathan; Silva, Kassondra M.; Spinrad, Tracy L.; Southworth, Jody

2015-01-01

The purpose of the study was to evaluate bidirectional associations between peer acceptance and both emotion and effortful control during kindergarten (N = 301). In both the fall and spring semesters, we obtained peer nominations of acceptance, measures of positive and negative emotion based on naturalistic observations in school (i.e., classroom, lunch/recess), and observers’ reports of effortful control (i.e., inhibitory control, attention focusing) and emotions (i.e., positive, negative). In structural equation panel models, peer acceptance in fall predicted higher effortful control in spring. Effortful control in fall did not predict peer acceptance in spring. Negative emotion predicted lower peer acceptance across time for girls but not for boys. Peer acceptance did not predict negative or positive emotion over time. In addition, we tested interactions between positive or negative emotion and effortful control predicting peer acceptance. Positive emotion predicted higher peer acceptance for children low in effortful control. PMID:28348445

Making the Grade: Using Instructional Feedback and Evaluation to Inspire Evidence-Based Teaching.

PubMed

Brickman, Peggy; Gormally, Cara; Martella, Amedee Marchand

2016-01-01

Typically, faculty receive feedback about teaching via two mechanisms: end-of-semester student evaluations and peer observation. However, instructors require more sustained encouragement and constructive feedback when implementing evidence-based teaching practices. Our study goal was to characterize the landscape of current instructional-feedback practices in biology and uncover faculty perceptions about these practices. Findings from a national survey of 400 college biology faculty reveal an overwhelming dissatisfaction with student evaluations, regardless of self-reported teaching practices, institution type, or position. Faculty view peer evaluations as most valuable, but less than half of faculty at doctoral-granting institutions report participating in peer evaluation. When peer evaluations are performed, they are more supportive of evidence-based teaching than student evaluations. Our findings reveal a large, unmet desire for greater guidance and assessment data to inform pedagogical decision making. Informed by these findings, we discuss alternate faculty-vetted feedback strategies for providing formative instructional feedback. © 2016 P. Brickman et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Peer Review Practices for Evaluating Biomedical Research Grants: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

PubMed

Liaw, Lucy; Freedman, Jane E; Becker, Lance B; Mehta, Nehal N; Liscum, Laura

2017-08-04

The biomedical research enterprise depends on the fair and objective peer review of research grants, leading to the distribution of resources through efficient and robust competitive methods. In the United States, federal funding agencies and foundations collectively distribute billions of dollars annually to support biomedical research. For the American Heart Association, a Peer Review Subcommittee is charged with establishing the highest standards for peer review. This scientific statement reviews the current literature on peer review practices, describes the current American Heart Association peer review process and those of other agencies, analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of American Heart Association peer review practices, and recommends best practices for the future. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

STI prevention and the male sex industry in London: evaluating a pilot peer education programme.

PubMed

Ziersch, A; Gaffney, J; Tomlinson, D R

2000-12-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of a pilot peer education STI prevention programme with male sex workers. A process and outcome evaluation of the pilot programme undertaken in three London male escort agencies, using a quasi-experimental design. Workers in three London escort agencies, including 88 who completed a questionnaire, five peer educators, and a further 16 men (including management) working in two of these agencies. A peer education STI prevention programme run by the Working Men Project (WMP), a specialist sexual health service for male sex workers, was piloted in two London escort agencies. Five male sex workers participated in a 2 day peer education training programme. They then returned to their respective agencies to disseminate information and condoms, in an attempt to influence norms of behaviour. An outcome evaluation aimed to assess changes in STI related knowledge, high risk sexual behaviour, and attendance at a sexual health service. A pre-intervention questionnaire assessing variables such as STI related knowledge, sexual behaviour, and demographic information was administered in both agency A and agency B and a third agency, C, which acted as a control. Ten weeks after the peer educators returned to their agencies, the same questionnaire was administered in the same agencies. Peer educator referrals to the WMP were also recorded over this time period. The process evaluation involved interviews and focus groups with peer educators, and the completion of diaries about their experiences in the role. A further 16 men working in the agencies (including managers and an owner) were interviewed about their experience of the programme. Participant observation was also undertaken through regular outreach work to the agencies. 57 men completed the questionnaire at time 1 and 44 at time 2. Unfortunately, only 13 of these were matched, precluding any meaningful analysis of change in STI related knowledge and sexual behaviour. The questionnaire provided a profile of the men working in the agencies. Of the 88 men who completed the questionnaire at least once, the majority were homosexual, and in their late teens/early 20s. Most were of a "white" ethnic group, though there was some range within these categories. Most preferred to speak English and education levels were high. Relative STI knowledge revealed a high understanding of HIV and hepatitis B, moderate understanding of gonorrhoea, syphilis, genital warts and herpes, and little knowledge of non-specific urethritis (NSU) or chlamydia. Sexual behaviour suggested a highly sexually active population with both male and female paying and non-paying partners. Condom use was highest for paying partners, particularly for anal sex. Condom use for oral sex with all partners was less consistent, and condom use for all types of sex with regular partners was lower than with other partners. The small number of men engaging in vaginal sex with paying and regular partners were less likely to use condoms. 26 new patients registered at the WMP as a result of peer educator referrals, representing 65% of all new contacts over the study period. The process evaluation revealed that while the training programme was considered adequate and while peer educators felt the programme and their roles to be a success, their experience of the role was difficult. The role of management support was crucial in supporting the programme. The assumption that "peers" are particularly effective educators was not borne out by the results. While peers were considered suitable to discuss some aspects of the industry, many preferred to consult "professionals" about health related matters. The concept of "peers" was problematic with most of the men drawing "peers" from subgroups within the agencies. Other constraints on behaviour such as a lack of power, particularly with regard to a lack of management support, or poverty, had a substantial impact on behaviour which were not influenced by the peer educators. The study illustrated the difficulties of utilising quasi-experimental evaluation methodology with this client group. It also demonstrated the limitations of peer education based on information provision health education models which focus on individual behaviour change. Suggestions are given for future interventions.

Use of peer teaching to enhance student and patient education.

PubMed

Priharjo, Robert; Hoy, Georgina

This article describes an evaluation of a peer-teaching project undertaken by second-year nursing students at a higher education institution in England. The initiative has enhanced the students' understanding of peer education. The importance of the nurse's role in patient education is emphasised. It is hoped that the experience of peer teaching will prepare nursing students for their future roles as nurse educators for patients, students and other staff.

Supervising undergraduate research: a collective approach utilising groupwork and peer support.

PubMed

Baker, Mary-Jane; Cluett, Elizabeth; Ireland, Lorraine; Reading, Sheila; Rourke, Susan

2014-04-01

Nursing education now requires graduate entry for professional registration. The challenge is to ensure that students develop independence and team working in a resource effective manner. The dissertation is one opportunity for this. To evaluate changing from individual dissertation supervision to group peer supervision. Group supervision was implemented for one cohort. Dissertation outcomes were compared with two previous cohorts. Student evaluative data was assessed. Group supervision did not adversely affect dissertation outcomes (p=0.85). 88% of students reported peer supervision to be helpful, with themes being 'support and sharing', and 'progress and moving forward'. Peer group support provided consistent supervision harnessing the energy and resources of the students and Faculty, without adversely affecting outcomes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Key Exchange Trust Evaluation in Peer-to-Peer Sensor Networks With Unconditionally Secure Key Exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez, Elias; Kish, Laszlo B.

2016-03-01

As the utilization of sensor networks continue to increase, the importance of security becomes more profound. Many industries depend on sensor networks for critical tasks, and a malicious entity can potentially cause catastrophic damage. We propose a new key exchange trust evaluation for peer-to-peer sensor networks, where part of the network has unconditionally secure key exchange. For a given sensor, the higher the portion of channels with unconditionally secure key exchange the higher the trust value. We give a brief introduction to unconditionally secured key exchange concepts and mention current trust measures in sensor networks. We demonstrate the new key exchange trust measure on a hypothetical sensor network using both wired and wireless communication channels.

U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program 2014 Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Report: June 16-20, 2014, Washington, D.C.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

2014-10-01

The fiscal year (FY) 2014 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR), in conjunction with DOE's Vehicle Technologies Office AMR, was held from June 16-20, 2014, at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. This report is a summary of comments by AMR peer reviewers about the hydrogen and fuel cell projects funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

Peer-assisted learning for foundation doctors.

PubMed

Thampy, Harish; Kersey, Nicola

2017-06-01

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is a widely accepted learner-led educational model encouraging cooperative active learning. Whereas attention has historically focussed on the use of PAL in undergraduate contexts, less is known about the benefits and challenges of using PAL for postgraduate clinical trainees. This study describes the implementation and evaluation of a PAL scheme for UK foundation-year trainees (newly qualified doctors). Following a needs assessment, a peer-led component was introduced into the weekly foundation teaching programme at the hospital. Each week a peer tutor presented a topic relevant to the foundation curriculum, and peer participants provided written feedback. Questionnaire-based evaluation of the scheme was conducted 7 months after implementation. Ninety-eight per cent of trainees completed the evaluation. Eighty-eight per cent were satisfied with the PAL scheme. Crucially, PAL was seen to address historic barriers to effective learning. Educational content seemed to be better matched to the learning needs and experience of learners, with particular value placed on case-based peer discussions. Furthermore, PAL seemed to promote a learning environment in which questions and conjectures could be safely shared. Although some peer tutors found presenting to peers anxiety-provoking, the majority agreed that PAL not only helped develop their teaching ability but also positively impacted on their everyday clinical work. Less is known about the benefits and challenges of using PAL for postgraduate clinical trainees DISCUSSION: The PAL scheme was well received by participants and supports its use outside of its traditional undergraduate focus. Trainees identified a number of pedagogical benefits through serving as both tutor and tutee. Delivering teaching skills and feedback skills training were identified as future developments to further maximise the educational benefits of PAL. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

An experimental study on the effects of peer drinking norms on adolescents’ drinker prototypes

PubMed Central

Teunissen, Hanneke A.; Spijkerman, Renske; Cohen, Geoffrey L.; Prinstein, Mitchell J.; Engels, Rutger C.M.E.; Scholte, Ron H.J.

2015-01-01

Background Adolescents form impressions about the type of peers who drink (i.e., drinker prototypes). The evaluation of, and perceived similarity to these prototypes are related to adolescents’ drinking. Peer drinking norms play an important role in the formation of prototypes. We experimentally examined whether manipulation of peer norms changed the evaluation of and perceived similarity to drinker prototypes and whether these changes were moderated by peers’ popularity. Methods In a pre-test, we assessed heavy drinker, moderate drinker and abstainer prototypes, drinking behaviors and peer-perceived popularity among 599 adolescents. Additionally, 88 boys from this sample participated in a simulated chat room, in which they interacted with peers from school. These peers were in fact pre-programmed e-confederates, who were either popular or unpopular and who communicated either pro-alcohol or anti-alcohol norms. After the chat room interaction we assessed participants’ drinker prototypes. Results Participants exposed to anti-alcohol norms were more negative about, and perceived themselves as less similar to heavy drinker prototypes, than participants exposed to pro-alcohol norms. We found no effects of peer norms on moderate drinker and abstainer prototypes. Effects were not moderated by peers’ popularity. We did find a main effect of popularity on perceived similarity to all prototypes. This indicated that participants rated themselves as more similar to heavy and moderate drinker prototypes and less similar to abstainer prototypes when they interacted with unpopular peers than with popular peers. Conclusions Exposure to anti-alcohol norms of peers leads adolescents to form more negative prototypes of the heavy drinker. This could be an important finding for prevention and intervention programs aimed to reduce alcohol consumption among adolescents. PMID:24104050

Comparison of self-citation by peer reviewers in a journal with single-blind peer review versus a journal with open peer review.

PubMed

Levis, Alexander W; Leentjens, Albert F G; Levenson, James L; Lumley, Mark A; Thombs, Brett D

2015-12-01

Some peer reviewers may inappropriately, or coercively request that authors include references to the reviewers' own work. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether, compared to reviews for a journal with single-blind peer review, reviews for a journal with open peer review included (1) fewer self-citations; (2) a lower proportion of self-citations without a rationale; and (3) a lower ratio of proportions of citations without a rationale in self-citations versus citations to others' work. Peer reviews for published manuscripts submitted in 2012 to a single-blind peer review journal, the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, were previously evaluated (Thombs et al., 2015). These were compared to publically available peer reviews of manuscripts published in 2012 in an open review journal, BMC Psychiatry. Two investigators independently extracted data for both journals. There were no significant differences between journals in the proportion of all reviewer citations that were self-citations (Journal of Psychosomatic Research: 71/225, 32%; BMC Psychiatry: 90/315, 29%; p=.50), or in the proportion of self-citations without a rationale (Journal of Psychosomatic Research: 15/71, 21%; BMC Psychiatry: 12/90, 13%; p=.21). There was no significant difference between journals in the proportion of self-citations versus citations to others' work without a rationale (p=.31). Blind and open peer review methodologies have distinct advantages and disadvantages. The present study found that, in reasonably similar journals that use single-blind and open review, there were no substantive differences in the pattern of peer reviewer self-citations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The impact of using peer interviewers in a study of patient empowerment amongst people in cancer follow-up.

PubMed

Jørgensen, Clara R; Eskildsen, Nanna B; Thomsen, Thora G; Nielsen, Inger D; Johnsen, Anna T

2017-12-05

A range of benefits have been reported from engaging peer interviewers in qualitative interviews, but little systematic evaluation exists to assess their impact on both process and outcomes of qualitative interviews in health research. To investigate the impact of involving patient representatives as peer interviewers in a research project on patient empowerment. 18 interviews were carried out as part of the wider study, seven by the academic researcher alone and eleven jointly with a peer interviewer. The interviews were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively to explore potential differences between interviews conducted by the researcher alone and interviews conducted jointly by the researcher and the peer interviewers. A phone evaluation of the peer interviews was carried out with the research participants, and notes were thematically analysed to understand their experiences. Differences were identified between the academic researcher and the peer interviewers in the types of questions they asked and the degree to which personal narrative was used in the interview. Peer interviewers varied significantly in their approach. Research participants were positive about the experience of being interviewed by a peer interviewer. No firm conclusions could be made about impact on outcomes. The uniqueness and complexity of qualitative interviews made it difficult to provide any firm conclusions about the impact of having peer interviewers on the research outcomes, and the benefits identified from the analysis mostly related to the process of the interviews. Benefits from using peer interviewers need to be considered alongside relevant ethical considerations, and available resources for training and support. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A mixed-method evaluation of peer-education workshops for school-aged children to teach about antibiotics, microbes and hygiene

PubMed Central

Young, Vicki L.; Cole, Amy; Lecky, Donna M.; Fettis, Dennis; Pritchard, Beth; Verlander, Neville Q.; Eley, Charlotte V.; McNulty, Cliodna A. M.

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: Delivering health topics in schools through peer education is known to be beneficial for all students involved. In this study, we have evaluated a peer-education workshop that aims to educate primary and secondary school students on hygiene, the spread of infection and antibiotics. Methods: Four schools in south-west England, in a range of localities, took part in peer-education workshops, with students completing before, after and knowledge-retention questionnaires. Mixed-effect logistic regression and mixed-effect linear regression were used to analyse the data. Data were analysed by topic, region and peer/non-peer-educator status. Qualitative interviews and focus groups with students and educators were conducted to assess changes in participants’ skills, confidence and behaviour. Results: Qualitative data indicated improvements in peer-educator skills and behaviour, including confidence, team-working and communication. There was a significant improvement in knowledge for all topics covered in the intervention, although this varied by region. In the antibiotics topic, peer-educators’ knowledge increased in the retention questionnaire, whereas non-peer-educators’ knowledge decreased. Knowledge declined in the retention questionnaires for the other topics, although this was mostly not significant. Conclusions: This study indicates that peer education is an effective way to educate young people on important topics around health and hygiene, and to concurrently improve communication skills. Its use should be encouraged across schools to help in the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance that recommends children are taught in an age-appropriate manner about hygiene and antibiotics. PMID:28333334

The ethics of peer review in bioethics

PubMed Central

Wendler, David; Miller, Franklin

2014-01-01

A good deal has been written on the ethics of peer review, especially in the scientific and medical literatures. In contrast, we are unaware of any articles on the ethics of peer review in bioethics. Recognising this gap, we evaluate the extant proposals regarding ethical standards for peer review in general and consider how they apply to bioethics. We argue that scholars have an obligation to perform peer review based on the extent to which they personally benefit from the peer review process. We also argue, contrary to existing proposals and guidelines, that it can be appropriate for peer reviewers to benefit in their own scholarship from the manuscripts they review. With respect to bioethics in particular, we endorse double-blind review and suggest several ways in which the peer review process might be improved. PMID:24131903

Peer Observation of Teaching: The Interaction between Peer Review and Developmental Models of Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yiend, Jenny; Weller, Saranne; Kinchin, Ian

2014-01-01

Teaching observation is widely promoted as a mechanism for developing teaching practice in higher education. Specifically, formative peer observation is considered by many to be a powerful tool for providing feedback to individual teachers, disseminating disciplinary good practice and fostering a local evaluative enhancement culture. Despite its…

Peer Assessment of Clinical Skills and Professional Behaviors among Undergraduate Athletic Training Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engelmann, Jeanine E.

2016-01-01

Context: Peer assessment is widely used in medical education as a formative evaluation and preparatory tool for students. Athletic training students learn similar knowledge, skills, and affective traits as medical students. Peer assessment has been widely studied with beneficial results in medical education, yet athletic training education has…

University-Based Peer Health Education in China: The Shantou Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, L. P.; Chow, K. W.; Griffiths, S.; Zhang, L.; Lam, J.; Kim, J. H.

2009-01-01

Objective: University-based peer health education is a recent development in China. The authors evaluated a newly implemented program in the Guangdong province. Participants and Methods: In September 2006, the authors conducted a cross-sectional study using self-administered questionnaires on 30 peer educators and 247 students. Results: All peer…

Volunteer Evaluations of the Transitions Program for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Lacey

2018-01-01

This study examined the effects of participation of peer volunteers in the Transitions Program for young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a program that facilitates social skills and social interactions. Participants in this study were peer volunteers in the Transitions Program. Each peer volunteer completed a questionnaire, following…

Efficacy of Peer Support Interventions in General Education Classrooms for High School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Erik W.; Gustafson, Jenny R.; Sreckovic, Melissa A.; Dykstra Steinbrenner, Jessica R.; Pierce, Nigel P.; Bord, Aimee; Stabel, Aaron; Rogers, Sally; Czerw, Alicia; Mullins, Teagan

2017-01-01

Even with inclusive general education classrooms, high school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have few social interactions with classmates. Peer support arrangements hold promise for increasing peer interactions and shared learning within general education classrooms. However, previous evaluations of this intervention have…

Developing the Preparation in STEM Leadership Programs for Undergraduate Academic Peer Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackwell, Stacey; Katzen, Sari; Patel, Nipa; Sun, Yan; Emenike, Mary

2017-01-01

The authors introduce the Preparation in STEM Leadership Program at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. This NSF-Funded program and research study creates a centralized training program for peer leaders that includes a battery of assessments to evaluate peer leaders' content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, communication skills, and…

The Multifaceted Impact of Peer Relations on Aggressive-Disruptive Behavior in Early Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Christopher J.; Bierman, Karen L.

2013-01-01

Following a large, diverse sample of 4,096 children in 27 schools, this study evaluated the impact of 3 aspects of peer relations, measured concurrently, on subsequent child aggressive-disruptive behavior during early elementary school: peer dislike, reciprocated friends' aggressiveness, and classroom levels of aggressive-disruptive behavior.…

Promoting Student-Teacher Interactions: Exploring a Peer Coaching Model for Teachers in a Preschool Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Stacy R.; Finlon, Kristy J.; Kobak, Roger; Izard, Carroll E.

2017-01-01

Peer coaching provides an attractive alternative to traditional professional development for promoting classroom quality in a sustainable, cost-effective manner by creating a collaborative teaching community. This exploratory study describes the development and evaluation of the Colleague Observation And CoacHing (COACH) program, a peer coaching…

Training and Generalization of Peer-Directed Mands with Non-Vocal Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kodak, Tiffany; Paden, Amber; Dickes, Nitasha

2012-01-01

The current investigation evaluated the effects of extinction and prompts on training and generalization of peer-directed mands for preferred items using a picture exchange communication system with 2 children diagnosed with autism. Results showed that independent mands with a peer increased during treatment for both participants, generalized to a…

Teaching Children with Autism to Engage in Peer-Directed Mands Using a Picture Exchange Communication System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paden, Amber R.; Kodak, Tiffany; Fisher, Wayne W.; Gawley-Bullington, Elizabeth M.; Bouxsein, Kelly J.

2012-01-01

We evaluated differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) plus prompting to increase peer-directed mands for preferred items using a picture exchange communication system (PECS). Two nonvocal individuals with autism participated. Independent mands with a peer increased with the implementation of DRA plus prompting for both…

Parent Relationship Quality Buffers against the Effect of Peer Stressors on Depressive Symptoms from Middle Childhood to Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hazel, Nicholas A.; Oppenheimer, Caroline W.; Technow, Jessica R.; Young, Jami F.; Hankin, Benjamin L.

2014-01-01

During the transition to adolescence, several developmental trends converge to increase the importance of peer relationships, the likelihood of peer-related stressors, and the experience of depressive symptoms. Simultaneously, there are significant changes in parent-child relationships. The current study sought to evaluate whether positive…

Peer Review: The CHAMPUS Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stricker, George

This paper examines the use of the peer review system in evaluating out-patient clinical services for a third-party payer seeking justification for payment of services. Peer review is defined as a process by which one professional, in an official capacity, makes a judgment about a co-professional in a matter involving professional functioning. The…

The Jury Is Still Out: Psychoemotional Support in Peer E-Mentoring for Transition to University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Risquez, Angelica; Sanchez-Garcia, Marife

2012-01-01

This study investigates how computer mediated communication (CMC) can sustain nourishing and emotionally enriching peer mentoring relations. A peer electronic mentoring program was implemented in an Irish university to facilitate freshmen's transition to college. A sample of 123 participants (42 mentors and 81 mentees) was evaluated with a…

Developing Peer Mentoring through Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Ralph; Jaugietis, Zarni

2011-01-01

Peer mentoring programs are an important component in the strategy to enhance the first year undergraduate experience. The operation of these programs needs to be informed by evidence as to their effectiveness. In this article we report on a six-year study of the development of a peer mentoring program in which feedback is used to improve program…

Promoting Awareness of a High School Peer Helping Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fielding, Sarah; Pili, Chris; Chambliss, Catherine

Peer helping has recently been adopted by many schools, but use of these services remains mixed. The different ways in which peer helpers can be selected are described and examples of effective programs already in place are offered. The two types of cognitive processes used to evaluate advertising campaigns--automatic and strategic--are discussed…

Peer Relationship Problems of Children with AD/HD: Risk Factors and New Directions in Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozdemir, Selda

2009-01-01

This review integrates and evaluates research conducted on possible contributing factors to peer relationship problems of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Substantial evidence suggests that children with AD/HD have serious problems in multiple aspects of their relationships with peers. Difficulties resulting from…

Promoting Student-Teacher Interactions: Exploring a Peer Coaching Model for Teachers in a Preschool Setting.

PubMed

Johnson, Stacy R; Finlon, Kristy J; Kobak, Roger; Izard, Carroll E

2017-07-01

Peer coaching provides an attractive alternative to traditional professional development for promoting classroom quality in a sustainable, cost-effective manner by creating a collaborative teaching community. This exploratory study describes the development and evaluation of the Colleague Observation And CoacHing (COACH) program, a peer coaching program designed to increase teachers' effectiveness in enhancing classroom quality in a preschool Head Start setting. The COACH program consists of a training workshop on coaching skills and student-teacher interactions, six peer coaching sessions, and three center meetings. Pre-post observations of emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System of twelve classrooms assigned to peer coaching were compared to twelve control classrooms at baseline and following the intervention. Findings provide preliminary support that the peer coaching program is perceived as acceptable and feasible by the participating preschool teachers and that it may strengthen student-teacher interactions. Further program refinement and evaluation with larger samples is needed to enhance student-teacher interactions and, ultimately, children's adaptive development.

Measuring the effectiveness of scientific gatekeeping.

PubMed

Siler, Kyle; Lee, Kirby; Bero, Lisa

2015-01-13

Peer review is the main institution responsible for the evaluation and gestation of scientific research. Although peer review is widely seen as vital to scientific evaluation, anecdotal evidence abounds of gatekeeping mistakes in leading journals, such as rejecting seminal contributions or accepting mediocre submissions. Systematic evidence regarding the effectiveness--or lack thereof--of scientific gatekeeping is scant, largely because access to rejected manuscripts from journals is rarely available. Using a dataset of 1,008 manuscripts submitted to three elite medical journals, we show differences in citation outcomes for articles that received different appraisals from editors and peer reviewers. Among rejected articles, desk-rejected manuscripts, deemed as unworthy of peer review by editors, received fewer citations than those sent for peer review. Among both rejected and accepted articles, manuscripts with lower scores from peer reviewers received relatively fewer citations when they were eventually published. However, hindsight reveals numerous questionable gatekeeping decisions. Of the 808 eventually published articles in our dataset, our three focal journals rejected many highly cited manuscripts, including the 14 most popular; roughly the top 2 percent. Of those 14 articles, 12 were desk-rejected. This finding raises concerns regarding whether peer review is ill--suited to recognize and gestate the most impactful ideas and research. Despite this finding, results show that in our case studies, on the whole, there was value added in peer review. Editors and peer reviewers generally--but not always-made good decisions regarding the identification and promotion of quality in scientific manuscripts.

Winning and losing: differences in reward and punishment sensitivity between smokers and nonsmokers.

PubMed

Martin, Laura E; Cox, Lisa S; Brooks, William M; Savage, Cary R

2014-01-01

Smokers show increased brain activation in reward processing regions in response to smoking-related cues, yet few studies have examined secondary rewards not associated with smoking (i.e., money). Inconsistencies exist in the studies that do examine secondary rewards with some studies showing increased brain activation in reward processing brain regions, while others show decreased activation or no difference in activation between smokers and nonsmokers. The goal of the current study is to see if smokers process the evaluation and delivery of equally salient real world rewards similarly or differently than nonsmokers. The current study employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine brain responses in smokers and nonsmokers during the evaluation and delivery of monetary gains and losses. In comparison to nonsmokers, smokers showed increased activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex to the evaluation of anticipated monetary losses and the brain response. Moreover, smokers compared to nonsmokers showed decreased activation in the inferior frontal gyrus to the delivery of expected monetary gains. Brain activations to both the evaluation of anticipated monetary losses and the delivery of expected monetary gains correlated with increased self-reported smoking craving to relieve negative withdrawal symptoms and craving related to positive aspects of smoking, respectively. Together these results indicate that smokers are hyperresponsive to the evaluation of anticipated punishment and hyporesponsive to the delivery of expected rewards. Although further research is needed, this hypersensitivity to punishments coupled with increased craving may negatively impact quit attempts as smokers anticipate the negative withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting.

Multi-Stage Open Peer Review: Scientific Evaluation Integrating the Strengths of Traditional Peer Review with the Virtues of Transparency and Self-Regulation

PubMed Central

Pöschl, Ulrich

2012-01-01

The traditional forms of scientific publishing and peer review do not live up to all demands of efficient communication and quality assurance in today’s highly diverse and rapidly evolving world of science. They need to be advanced and complemented by interactive and transparent forms of review, publication, and discussion that are open to the scientific community and to the public. The advantages of open access, public peer review, and interactive discussion can be efficiently and flexibly combined with the strengths of traditional scientific peer review. Since 2001 the benefits and viability of this approach are clearly demonstrated by the highly successful interactive open access journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP, www.atmos-chem-phys.net) and a growing number of sister journals launched and operated by the European Geosciences Union (EGU, www.egu.eu) and the open access publisher Copernicus (www.copernicus.org). The interactive open access journals are practicing an integrative multi-stage process of publication and peer review combined with interactive public discussion, which effectively resolves the dilemma between rapid scientific exchange and thorough quality assurance. Key features and achievements of this approach are: top quality and impact, efficient self-regulation and low rejection rates, high attractivity and rapid growth, low costs, and financial sustainability. In fact, ACP and the EGU interactive open access sister journals are by most if not all standards more successful than comparable scientific journals with traditional or alternative forms of peer review (editorial statistics, publication statistics, citation statistics, economic costs, and sustainability). The high efficiency and predictive validity of multi-stage open peer review have been confirmed in a series of dedicated studies by evaluation experts from the social sciences, and the same or similar concepts have recently also been adopted in other disciplines, including the life sciences and economics. Multi-stage open peer review can be flexibly adjusted to the needs and peculiarities of different scientific communities. Due to the flexibility and compatibility with traditional structures of scientific publishing and peer review, the multi-stage open peer review concept enables efficient evolution in scientific communication and quality assurance. It has the potential for swift replacement of hidden peer review as the standard of scientific quality assurance, and it provides a basis for open evaluation in science. PMID:22783183

A mixed methods evaluation of peer support in Bristol, UK: mothers', midwives' and peer supporters' views and the effects on breastfeeding.

PubMed

Ingram, Jenny

2013-10-20

International studies suggest that breastfeeding interventions in primary care are more effective than usual care in increasing short and long term breastfeeding rates. Interventions that combine pre- and postnatal components have larger effects than either alone, and those that including lay support in a multicomponent intervention may be more beneficial. Despite the mixed reports of the effectiveness of breastfeeding peer support in the UK, targeted peer support services are being established in many areas of the UK. In 2010, NHS Bristol Primary Care Trust commissioned a targeted breastfeeding peer support service for mothers in 12 lower socio-economic areas of the city, with one antenatal visit and postnatal contact for up to 2 weeks. Mothers receiving the peer support service were invited to complete an on-line survey covering infant feeding; breastfeeding support; and confidence in breastfeeding (using the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale). Semi-structured interviews and a focus group explored perceptions of mothers, midwives and peer supporters. The effects of the service on breastfeeding rates were documented and compared. 163 mothers completed the on-line survey; 25 participants were interviewed (14 mothers, 7 peer supporters and 4 maternity health professionals); exclusive and total breastfeeding rates for initiation and at 8 weeks were compared for 12 months before and after the service started.The targeted peer support service was associated with small non-significant increases in breastfeeding rates, (particularly exclusive breastfeeding), compared to the rest of the city. The service was very positively evaluated by mothers, health professionals and peer supporters. Mothers felt that peer support increased their confidence to breastfeed; peer supporters found the contacts rewarding, enjoyable and important for mothers; midwives and maternity support workers were positive about the continuity of an antenatal visit and postnatal support from the same local supporter. The introduction of a targeted peer support service was associated with psycho-social benefits for mothers, health professionals and peer supporters. Continuity of peer support with an antenatal visit and postnatal support from the same local supporter was also thought to be beneficial.

2017 Project Peer Review Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None, None

This document summarizes the recommendations and evaluations provided by an independent external panel of experts at the 2017 U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office's Peer Review meeting.

The Smartphone Peer Physical Activity Counseling (SPPAC) Program for Manual Wheelchair Users: Protocol of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Best, Krista L; Sweet, Shane N; Arbour-Nicitopoulos, Kelly P; Borisoff, Jaimie F; Noreau, Luc; Martin Ginis, Kathleen A

2017-01-01

Background Physical activity (PA) must be performed regularly to accrue health benefits. However, the majority of manual wheelchair users do not meet PA recommendations. Existing community-based PA programs for manual wheelchair users appear to work, but effect sizes are small and retention is low. Existing PA programs may not fully implement some psychosocial factors that are strongly linked with PA (eg, autonomy). The use of peers and mobile phone technology in the Smartphone Peer PA Counseling (SPPAC) program represents a novel approach to cultivating a PA-supportive environment for manual wheelchair users. Objective The primary objective is to compare change in objective PA between the experimental (SPPAC) and control groups from baseline to postintervention (10 weeks) and follow-up (3 months). Changes in and relationships between subjective PA, wheelchair skills, motivation, self-efficacy (for overcoming barriers to PA for manual wheelchair use), satisfaction of psychological needs for PA, and satisfaction with PA participation will be explored (secondary outcome). Program implementation will be explored (tertiary objective). Methods A total of 38 community-living manual wheelchair users (≥18 years) will be recruited in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Participants in both the control and experimental groups will receive existing PA guidelines. Participants in the experimental group will also receive the SPPAC program: 14 sessions (~30 min) over a 10-week period delivered by a peer trainer using a mobile phone. PA activities will be based on individuals’ preferences and goals. Implementation of important theoretical variables will be enforced through a peer-trainer checklist. Outcomes for objective PA (primary) and subjective PA, wheelchair skills, motivation, self-efficacy, satisfaction of psychological needs, and satisfaction with participation will be collected at three time points (baseline, postintervention, follow-up). Multiple imputations will be used to treat missing data. A mixed-model ANCOVA will be conducted, controlling for covariates (primary and secondary objectives). The strength and direction of the relationships between the primary and secondary outcomes will be explored (secondary objective). Descriptive and content analysis will be used to appraise program implementation (tertiary objective). Results Funding has been obtained from the Craig Neilsen Foundation and the Canadian Disability Participation Project, with additional funds being sought from the Canadian Institute for Health Research and Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Santé. Pilot evaluation of intervention implementation is currently underway, with enrollment anticipated to begin early 2018. Conclusions There may be substantial benefits for the SPPAC program including limited burden on health care professionals, decreased barriers (eg. accessibility, transportation), development of peer social supports, and potential cost savings related to physical inactivity. Before conducting a large and expensive multisite RCT within a small heterogeneous population of manual wheelchair users, a pilot study affords a prudent step to establishing an adequate study protocol and implementation strategies. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02826707; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02826707 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6pqIc14dU) PMID:28446419

Teacher Improvement through Peer Teacher Evaluation in Kenyan Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnodah, Itolondo Wilfrida

2013-01-01

Purpose: This article aims to assess the awareness among educators of strategies put in place for peer teacher evaluation (PTE), and training opportunities availed to them in relation to PTE. Design/methodology/approach: The study was conducted in secondary schools in three selected districts of Western Province of Kenya using a descriptive survey…

Toward Fairness in Assessing Student Groupwork: A Protocol for Peer Evaluation of Individual Contributions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fellenz, Martin R.

2006-01-01

A key challenge for management instructors using graded groupwork with students is to find ways to maximize student learning from group projects while ensuring fair and accurate assessment methods. This article presents the Groupwork Peer-Evaluation Protocol (GPEP) that enables the assessment of individual contributions to graded student…

Attachment and Self-Evaluation in Chinese Adolescents: Age and Gender Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Hairong; Thompson, Ross A.; Ferrer, Emilio

2009-01-01

This study investigated age and gender differences in the quality of attachment to mothers, fathers, and peers, and the association of attachment with measures of self-evaluation in 584 Chinese adolescents in junior high, high school, and university. Their responses to the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment indexed attachment quality, and…

A Transition Program for Underprepared Students in General Chemistry: Diagnosis, Implementation, and Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shields, Shawn P.; Hogrebe, Mark C.; Spees, William M.; Handlin, Larry B.; Noelken, Greg P.; Riley, Julie M.; Frey, Regina F.

2012-01-01

We developed an online exam to diagnose students who are underprepared for college-level general chemistry and implemented a program to support them during the general chemistry sequence. This transition program consists of extended-length recitations, peer-led team-learning (PLTL) study groups, and peer-mentoring groups. We evaluated this…

Peer-Led, School-Based Nutrition Education for Young Adolescents: Feasibility and Process Evaluation of the TEENS Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Story, Mary; Lytle, Leslie A.; Birnbaum, Amanda S.; Perry, Cheryl L.

2002-01-01

Describes the feasibility of the peer leader component of a school-based nutrition intervention for young adolescents designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and lower fat consumption. Results from a multicomponent process evaluation involving participant feedback, observation, and teacher ratings and interviews indicated that…

How do we improve peer review for manuscripts from culturally divergent origins?

PubMed Central

Dart, Anthony

2015-01-01

Objective and informed peer review is critically important to the progress of science. These standards can sometimes be at risk in the evaluation of manuscripts from less culturally familiar places and such evaluations therefore require particular vigilance. Alternative publication strategies may be particularly helpful in these circumstances. PMID:26097688

How do we improve peer review for manuscripts from culturally divergent origins?

PubMed

Dart, Anthony

2015-01-01

Objective and informed peer review is critically important to the progress of science. These standards can sometimes be at risk in the evaluation of manuscripts from less culturally familiar places and such evaluations therefore require particular vigilance. Alternative publication strategies may be particularly helpful in these circumstances.

Peer Preference: A Way of Evaluating Social Competence and Behavioural Well-Being in Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Öneren Sendil, Çagla; Tantekin Erden, Feyza

2014-01-01

This study investigated the differences in peer preference, gender and temperamental characteristics of children aged five to six in relation to their social competence (SC) and behavioural adaptation. The data were collected through the use of "Picture Sociometry Scale", "SC and Behaviour Evaluation Scale" and "Short…

Evaluation of the Inhalation Carcinogenicity of Ethylene Oxide (2011 Interagency Science Discussion Draft)

EPA Science Inventory

On September 22, 2006, the draft Evaluation of the Carinogenicity of Ethylene Oxide (EPA/635/R-06/003) and the draft charge to external peer reviewers were released for external peer review and public comment. This draft was reviewed by EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB)...

Further evaluation of associations between attention-deficit/hyperactivity and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms and bullying-victimization in adolescence.

PubMed

Fite, Paula J; Evans, Spencer C; Cooley, John L; Rubens, Sonia L

2014-02-01

Relations between symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and bullying-victimization in adolescence are not yet clear. Accordingly, the current study evaluated these associations, with attention to gender differences, in a sample of predominantly Latino 9th-12th grade students (52.6 % male; mean grade level = 10.35, SD = 1.11). Further, the role of peer delinquency in these associations was evaluated. Findings indicated that ODD symptoms were more strongly associated with both bullying and victimization than ADHD symptoms, and the effects of ODD symptoms on physical forms of both bullying and victimization were stronger for males than females. The association between ODD symptoms and physical bullying was stronger at high levels of peer delinquency when compared to low levels of peer delinquency for both males and females. The role of peer delinquency in the link between ADHD symptoms and bullying and victimization appears to be gender specific and in need of further evaluation. Implications for the need to focus primarily on ODD symptoms for both bullying and victimization prevention and intervention are discussed.

Anticipation, Teamwork, and Cognitive Load: Chasing Efficiency during Robot-Assisted Surgery

PubMed Central

Sexton, Kevin; Johnson, Amanda; Gotsch, Amanda; Hussein, Ahmed A.; Cavuoto, Lora; Guru, Khurshid A.

2018-01-01

Introduction Robot-assisted surgery (RAS) has changed the traditional operating room, occupying more space with equipment and isolating console surgeons away from the patients and their team. We aimed to evaluate how anticipation of surgical steps and familiarity between team members impacted efficiency and safety. Methods We analyzed recordings (video and audio) of 12 robot-assisted radical prostatectomies. Any requests between surgeon and the team members were documented and classified by personnel, equipment type, mode of communication, level of inconvenience in fulfilling the request, and anticipation. Surgical team members completed questionnaires assessing team familiarity and cognitive load (NASA-TLX). Predictors of team efficiency were assessed using Pearson correlation and stepwise linear regression. Results 1330 requests were documented of which 413 (31%) were anticipated. Anticipation correlated negatively with operative time resulting in overall 8% reduction of OR time. Team familiarity negatively correlated with inconveniences. Anticipation ratio, percent of requests that were nonverbal, and total request duration were significantly correlated with the console surgeons’ cognitive load (r=0.77, p=0.006; r=0.63, p=0.04; and r=0.70, p=0.02, respectively). Conclusions Anticipation and active engagement by the surgical team resulted in shorter operative time; and higher familiarity scores were associated with fewer inconveniences. Less anticipation and nonverbal requests were also associated with lower cognitive load for the console surgeon. Training efforts to increase anticipation and team familiarity can improve team efficiency during RAS. PMID:28689193

Improving the peer review skills of young rheumatologists and researchers in rheumatology: the EMEUNET Peer Review Mentoring Program.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Carrio, Javier; Putrik, Polina; Sepriano, Alexandre; Moltó, Anna; Nikiphorou, Elena; Gossec, Laure; Kvien, Tore K; Ramiro, Sofia

2018-01-01

Although peer review plays a central role in the maintenance of high standards in scientific research, training of reviewing skills is not included in the common education programmes. The Emerging EULAR (European League Against Rheumatism) Network (EMEUNET) developed a programme to address this unmet need. The EMEUNET Peer Review Mentoring Program for Rheumatology Journals promotes a systematic training of reviewing skills by engaging mentees in a 'real world' peer review experience supervised by experienced mentors with support from rheumatology journals. This viewpoint provides an overview of this initiative and its outcomes, and discusses its potential limitations. Over 4 years, 18 mentors and 86 mentees have participated. Among the 33 participants who have completed the programme, 13 (39.3%) have become independent reviewers for Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases after the training. This programme has been recently evaluated by a survey and qualitative interviews, revealing a high interest in this initiative. The main strengths (involvement of a top journal and learning opportunities) and weaknesses of the programme (limited number of places and insufficient dissemination) were identified. Overall, this programme represents an innovative and successful approach to peer review training. Continuous evaluation and improvement are key to its functioning. The EMEUNET Peer Review Mentoring Program may be used as a reference for peer review training in areas outside rheumatology.

A substantial peer workforce in a psychiatric service will improve patient outcomes: the case for.

PubMed

Dark, Frances; Patton, Murray; Newton, Richard

2017-10-01

This statement of opinion relates to an invited debate on the role of peer workers in psychiatric services during the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists conference 2016. The views presented in this statement of opinion are those of the team for the affirmative. Peer workers are increasingly being employed within mental health services. Early adopters of this new workforce note advantages in terms of engagement of peers but also a bidirectional sharing of knowledge between clinicians and peer workers that has been mutually beneficial. Greater research and evaluation needs to occur to understand how best to incorporate peer workers into mental health care.

Ancient texts to PubMed: a brief history of the peer-review process.

PubMed

Farrell, P R; Magida Farrell, L; Farrell, M K

2017-01-01

The formal evaluation of scientific literature by invited referees (peer reviewers) is a relatively recent phenomenon and now is considered a cornerstone of modern science. However, its roots can be traced back to antiquity. As the speed and complexity of scientific information and publishing increases in the digital age, peer review must continue to evolve. To understand the future direction of peer review, we must understand its past. Here, we briefly explore the history of scientific peer review. This may help us predict and design appropriate peer review for the new era. This work was originally presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland in the Spring of 2016.

The role of peer-assisted learning in building evaluative judgement: opportunities in clinical medical education.

PubMed

Tai, Joanna Hong-Meng; Canny, Benedict J; Haines, Terry P; Molloy, Elizabeth K

2016-08-01

This study explored the contribution of peer-assisted learning (PAL) in the development of evaluative judgement capacity; the ability to understand work quality and apply those standards to appraising performance. The study employed a mixed methods approach, collecting self-reported survey data, observations of, and reflective interviews with, the medical students observed. Participants were in their first year of clinical placements. Data were thematically analysed. Students indicated that PAL contributed to both the comprehension of notions of quality, and the practice of making comparisons between a given performance and the standards. Emergent themes included peer story-telling, direct observation of performance, and peer-based feedback, all of which helped students to define 'work quality'. By participating in PAL, students were required to make comparisons, therefore using the standards of practice and gaining a deeper understanding of them. The data revealed tensions in that peers were seen as less threatening than supervisors with the advantage of increasing learners' appetites for thoughtful 'intellectual risk taking'. Despite this reported advantage of peer engagement, learners still expressed a preference for feedback from senior teachers as more trusted sources of clinical knowledge. While this study suggests that PAL already contributes to the development of evaluative judgement, further steps could be taken to formalise PAL in clinical placements to improve learners' capacity to make accurate judgements on the performance of self and others. Further experimental studies are necessary to confirm the best methods of using PAL to develop evaluative judgement. This may include both students and educators as instigators of PAL in the workplace.

Adolescents' responses to online peer conflict: How self-evaluation and ethnicity matter.

PubMed

Novin, Sheida; Bos, Marieke G N; Stevenson, Claire E; Rieffe, Carolien

2018-01-01

For parents, online platforms where their children interact with others often feel like a "black box" in terms of what exactly is happening. In this study, we developed an ecologically valid online computer game in which a (computer-generated) peer teammate tried to provoke frustration, in order to examine (a) adolescents' responses and (b) how indices of self-evaluation (i.e., sense of coherence and self-esteem) and demographic variables (i.e., gender and ethnicity) matter to these responses. Like gender, being a member of a minority or majority group may influence how provocations by peers are interpreted, influencing how one responds. Fifteen-year-old Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch adolescents (N = 167) completed self-reports and played the online computer game. The game indeed elicited frustration, with increased self-reported anger. Moreover, expressions of displeasure were much more common during and after provocation than before provocation. Crucially, perceived self-evaluation mattered; higher levels of sense of coherence but lower levels of self-esteem (only in Moroccan-Dutch group) contributed to fewer expressions of displeasure. Gender did not play a moderating role. Our findings provide initial insights into individual differences in adolescents' responses in an online peer-conflict situation. We studied Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch adolescents' responses during online peer provocation and how self-evaluation and demographic variables matter.Provocation by the (computer-generated) peer teammate increased expressions of displeasure.More sense of coherence but less self-esteem was associated with fewer expressions of displeasure, but ethnicity moderated the effect with self-esteem.

Young Chinese children's beliefs about the implications of subtypes of social withdrawal: A first look at social avoidance.

PubMed

Ding, Xuechen; Coplan, Robert J; Sang, Biao; Liu, Junsheng; Pan, Tingting; Cheng, Chen

2015-06-01

The goal of this study was to examine young Chinese children's beliefs about the implications of different subtypes of social withdrawal (e.g., shyness, unsociability), including for the first time, social avoidance. Participants were 133 children in kindergarten (n = 58, Mage  = 70.85 months) and grade 1 (n = 75, Mage  = 83.49 months). Children were presented with vignettes describing hypothetical peers displaying shy, unsociable, avoidant, and socially competent behaviours and were then asked a series of questions to assess their beliefs about the implications of these different behaviours. Young children made distinctions between social withdrawal subtypes in terms of underlying motivations and emotions. Children also appeared to hold differential beliefs about the implications of different forms of social withdrawal: Of note, they anticipated that socially avoidant peers would experience the most negative outcomes. These findings provide some of the first evidence to suggest that social avoidance represents a distinct form of social withdrawal among young Chinese children. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of distinguishing between different subtypes of social withdrawal in Chinese culture. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

Teaching children with autism to engage in peer-directed mands using a picture exchange communication system.

PubMed

Paden, Amber R; Kodak, Tiffany; Fisher, Wayne W; Gawley-Bullington, Elizabeth M; Bouxsein, Kelly J

2012-01-01

We evaluated differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) plus prompting to increase peer-directed mands for preferred items using a picture exchange communication system (PECS). Two nonvocal individuals with autism participated. Independent mands with a peer increased with the implementation of DRA plus prompting for both participants. In addition, peers engaged in brief social interactions following the majority of mands for leisure items. These results suggest that teaching children to use PECS with peers may be one way to increase manding and social interactions in individuals with limited or no vocal repertoire.

TEACHING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM TO ENGAGE IN PEER-DIRECTED MANDS USING A PICTURE EXCHANGE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

PubMed Central

Paden, Amber R; Kodak, Tiffany; Fisher, Wayne W; Gawley-Bullington, Elizabeth M; Bouxsein, Kelly J

2012-01-01

We evaluated differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) plus prompting to increase peer-directed mands for preferred items using a picture exchange communication system (PECS). Two nonvocal individuals with autism participated. Independent mands with a peer increased with the implementation of DRA plus prompting for both participants. In addition, peers engaged in brief social interactions following the majority of mands for leisure items. These results suggest that teaching children to use PECS with peers may be one way to increase manding and social interactions in individuals with limited or no vocal repertoire. PMID:22844150

Evaluation of the Inhalation Carcinogenicity of Ethylene Oxide ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA is initiating a public comment period prior to peer review of the scientific basis supporting the human health hazard and dose-response assessment of ethylene oxide (cancer) that will appear in the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database. EPA seeks external peer review on how the Agency responded to the SAB panel recommendations, the exposure-response modeling of epidemiologic data, including new analyses since the 2007 external peer review, and on the adequacy, transparency, and clarity of the revised draft. The peer review will include an opportunity for the public to address the peer reviewers.

Potentially efficient forest and range applications of remote sensing using earth orbital space craft, circa 1980

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, R. C.

1970-01-01

Sixteen remote sensing applications or groups of related applications judged to be most important of any in the forestry and range disciplines were evaluated. In one application, major land classification, large amounts of useful data are anticipated to be contributed by space sensors in 1980. In four applications moderate amounts are anticipated to be so contributed. These are timber inventory, range inventory, fire weather forecasting, and monitoring snowfields. In the following seven applications small but significant amounts of data are anticipated to be contributed by space sensors: (1) detailed land classification; (2) inventory of wildlife habitat; (3) recreation resource inventory; (4) detecting stresses on the vegetation (5) monitoring air pollution caused by wildfires and prescribed burning; (6) monitoring water cycle, (7) pollution and erosion; and (8) evaluating damage to forests and ranges.

Enhanced interoceptive awareness during anticipation of public speaking is associated with fear of negative evaluation.

PubMed

Durlik, Caroline; Brown, Gary; Tsakiris, Manos

2014-04-01

Interoceptive awareness (IA)--the ability to detect internal body signals--has been linked to various aspects of emotional processing. However, it has been examined mostly as a trait variable, with few studies also investigating state dependent fluctuations in IA. Based on the known positive correlation between IA and emotional reactivity, negative affectivity, and trait anxiety, the current study examined whether IA, as indexed by heartbeat detection accuracy, would change during an anxiety-provoking situation. Participants in the experimental condition, in which they anticipated giving a speech in front of a small audience, displayed significant IA increases from baseline to anticipation. Enhancement in IA was positively correlated with fear of negative evaluation. Implications of the results are discussed in relation to the role of trait and state IA in emotional experience.

Peer Learning in a MATLAB Programming Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reckinger, Shanon

2016-11-01

Three forms of research-based peer learning were implemented in the design of a MATLAB programming course for mechanical engineering undergraduate students. First, a peer learning program was initiated. These undergraduate peer learning leaders played two roles in the course, (I) they were in the classroom helping students' with their work, and, (II) they led optional two hour helps sessions outside of the class time. The second form of peer learning was implemented through the inclusion of a peer discussion period following in class clicker quizzes. The third form of peer learning had the students creating video project assignments and posting them on YouTube to explain course topics to their peers. Several other more informal techniques were used to encourage peer learning. Student feedback in the form of both instructor-designed survey responses and formal course evaluations (quantitative and narrative) will be presented. Finally, effectiveness will be measured by formal assessment, direct and indirect to these peer learning methods. This will include both academic data/grades and pre/post test scores. Overall, the course design and its inclusion of these peer learning techniques demonstrate effectiveness.

Evaluation Influence: The Evaluation Event and Capital Flow in International Development.

PubMed

Bell, David A

2017-12-01

Assessing program effectiveness in human development is central to informing foreign aid policy-making and organizational learning. Foreign aid effectiveness discussions have increasingly given attention to the devaluing effects of aid flow volatility. This study reveals that the external evaluation event influences actor behavior, serving as a volatility-constraining tool. A case study of a multidonor aid development mechanism served examining the influence of an evaluation event when considering anticipatory effects. The qualitative component used text and focus group data combined with individual interview data (organizations n = 10, including 26 individuals). Quantitative data included financial information on all 75 capital investments. The integrated theory of influence and model of alternative mechanisms used these components to identify the linkage between the evaluation event and capital flow volatility. Aid approved in the year of the midterm evaluation was disbursed by the mechanism with low capital volatility. Anticipating the evaluation event influenced behavior resulting in an empirical record that program outcomes were enhanced and the mechanism was an improved organization. Formative evaluations in a development program can trigger activity as an interim process. That activity provides for a more robust assessment of ultimate consequence of interest. Anticipating an evaluation can stimulate donor reality testing. The findings inform and strengthen future research on the influence of anticipating an evaluation. Closely examining activities before, during, and shortly after the evaluation event can aid development of other systematic methods to improve understanding this phenomenon, as well as improve donor effectiveness strategies.

Impact of Pregnancy and Gender on Internal Medicine Resident Evaluations: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

PubMed

Krause, Megan L; Elrashidi, Muhamad Y; Halvorsen, Andrew J; McDonald, Furman S; Oxentenko, Amy S

2017-06-01

Pregnancy and its impact on graduate medical training are not well understood. To examine the effect of gender and pregnancy for Internal Medicine (IM) residents on evaluations by peers and faculty. This was a retrospective cohort study. All IM residents in training from July 1, 2004-June 30, 2014, were included. Female residents who experienced pregnancy and male residents whose partners experienced pregnancy during training were identified using an existing administrative database. Mean evaluation scores by faculty and peers were compared relative to pregnancy (before, during, and after), accounting for the gender of both the evaluator and resident in addition to other available demographic covariates. Potential associations were assessed using mixed linear models. Of 566 residents, 117 (20.7%) experienced pregnancy during IM residency training. Pregnancy was more common in partners of male residents (24.7%) than female residents (13.2%) (p = 0.002). In the post-partum period, female residents had lower peer evaluation scores on average than their male counterparts (p = 0.0099). A large number of residents experience pregnancy during residency. Mean peer evaluation scores were lower after pregnancy for female residents. Further study is needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind these findings, develop ways to optimize training throughout pregnancy, and explore any unconscious biases that may exist.

External Peer Review Team Report for Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada, Revision 0

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marutzky, Sam J.; Andrews, Robert

The peer review team commends the Navarro-Intera, LLC (N-I), team for its efforts in using limited data to model the fate of radionuclides in groundwater at Yucca Flat. Recognizing the key uncertainties and related recommendations discussed in Section 6.0 of this report, the peer review team has concluded that U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is ready for a transition to model evaluation studies in the corrective action decision document (CADD)/corrective action plan (CAP) stage. The DOE, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) clarified the charge to the peer review team in a letter dated October 9, 2014, frommore » Bill R. Wilborn, NNSA/NFO Underground Test Area (UGTA) Activity Lead, to Sam J. Marutzky, N-I UGTA Project Manager: “The model and supporting information should be sufficiently complete that the key uncertainties can be adequately identified such that they can be addressed by appropriate model evaluation studies. The model evaluation studies may include data collection and model refinements conducted during the CADD/CAP stage. One major input to identifying ‘key uncertainties’ is the detailed peer review provided by independent qualified peers.” The key uncertainties that the peer review team recognized and potential concerns associated with each are outlined in Section 6.0, along with recommendations corresponding to each uncertainty. The uncertainties, concerns, and recommendations are summarized in Table ES-1. The number associated with each concern refers to the section in this report where the concern is discussed in detail.« less

Researcher Perspectives on Publication and Peer Review of Data

PubMed Central

Kratz, John Ernest; Strasser, Carly

2015-01-01

Data “publication” seeks to appropriate the prestige of authorship in the peer-reviewed literature to reward researchers who create useful and well-documented datasets. The scholarly communication community has embraced data publication as an incentive to document and share data. But, numerous new and ongoing experiments in implementation have not yet resolved what a data publication should be, when data should be peer-reviewed, or how data peer review should work. While researchers have been surveyed extensively regarding data management and sharing, their perceptions and expectations of data publication are largely unknown. To bring this important yet neglected perspective into the conversation, we surveyed ∼ 250 researchers across the sciences and social sciences– asking what expectations“data publication” raises and what features would be useful to evaluate the trustworthiness, evaluate the impact, and enhance the prestige of a data publication. We found that researcher expectations of data publication center on availability, generally through an open database or repository. Few respondents expected published data to be peer-reviewed, but peer-reviewed data enjoyed much greater trust and prestige. The importance of adequate metadata was acknowledged, in that almost all respondents expected data peer review to include evaluation of the data’s documentation. Formal citation in the reference list was affirmed by most respondents as the proper way to credit dataset creators. Citation count was viewed as the most useful measure of impact, but download count was seen as nearly as valuable. These results offer practical guidance for data publishers seeking to meet researcher expectations and enhance the value of published data. PMID:25706992

Situated peer coaching and unfolding cases in the fundamentals skills laboratory.

PubMed

Himes, Deborah O; Ravert, Patricia K

2012-09-03

Using unfolding case studies and situated peer coaching for the Fundamentals Skills Laboratory provides students with individualized feedback and creates a realistic clinical learning experience. A quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-intervention data was used to evaluate changes in student ratings of the course. An instrument was used to examine students' self-ratings and student comments about each lab. We found that students' ratings of the lab remained high with the new method and self-evaluations of their performance were higher as the semester progressed. Students appreciated the personalized feedback associated with peer coaching and demonstrated strong motivation and self-regulation in learning. By participating in unfolding case studies with situated peer coaching, students focus on safety issues, practice collaborative communication, and critical thinking in addition to performing psychomotor skills.

Integrating Teacher- and Peer-Assessments of Group Coursework Assignments in Business Education: Some Innovative Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Onyia, Okey Peter

2014-01-01

This paper is a sequel to an earlier one that examines "the efficacy of two innovative peer-assessment templates ("PET" and "PACT") introduced to enable students provide evidence of their fairness in evaluating peer contributions to group project work" (Onyia, O. P. and Allen, S., 2012). In the present paper, three…

Course Evaluation Matters: Improving Students' Learning Experiences with a Peer-Assisted Teaching Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carbone, Angela; Ross, Bella; Phelan, Liam; Lindsay, Katherine; Drew, Steve; Stoney, Sue; Cottman, Caroline

2015-01-01

In the rapidly changing global higher education sector, greater attention is being paid to the quality of university teaching. However, academics have traditionally not received formal teacher training. The peer-assisted teaching programme reported on in this paper provides a structured yet flexible approach for peers to assist each other in…

Click or Clique? Using Educational Technology to Address Students' Anxieties about Peer Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Ruth; Barwell, Graham

2009-01-01

Peer bias is recognised as a primary factor in negative student perceptions of peer assessment strategies. This study trialled the use of classroom response systems, widely known as clickers, in small seminar classes in order to actively engage students in their subject's assessment process while providing the anonymity that would lessen the…

The Impact of PeerWise Approach on the Academic Performance of Medical Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kadir, Farkaad A.; Ansari, Reshma M.; AbManan, Norhafizah; Abdullah, Mohd Hafiz Ngoo; Nor, Hamdan Mohd

2014-01-01

PeerWise is a novel, freely available, online pedagogical tool that allows students to create and deposit questions for peer evaluation. A participatory learning approach through this web-based system was used to motivate and promote a deep approach in learning nervous system by 124 second year MBBS students at Cyberjaya University College of…

An Investigation of Peer Mentoring in Medical Schools of North America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinberg, Sarah E.

2012-01-01

This two-phase study determined the landscape and intent of medical school peer mentoring programs in the U.S., U.S. Territories and Canada and, as far as can be determined, is the first of its kind. Insights from established peer mentoring programs, discovered by exploring their purpose, design, evaluations and outcomes, formed the evidence-based…

Peer Review Improves the Quality of MCQ Examinations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malau-Aduli, Bunmi S.; Zimitat, Craig

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the introduction of peer review processes on the quality of multiple-choice examinations in the first three years of an Australian medical course. The impact of the peer review process and overall quality assurance (QA) processes were evaluated by comparing the examination data generated in earlier…

School-Based Peer Mediation as a Strategy for Social Inclusion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noaks, John; Noaks, Lesley

2009-01-01

This paper focuses on the impact of peer mediation as a strategy for promoting social inclusion in primary school settings. Peer mediation constituted one of the interventions in the UK Government-sponsored On Track programme and evaluative data from this project are reported. The paper reports on trends in bullying and anti-social behaviour in…

Taiwan College Students' Self-Efficacy and Motivation of Learning in Online Peer Assessment Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tseng, Sheng-Chau; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2010-01-01

Online peer assessment is an innovative evaluation method that has caught both educators' and practitioners' attention in recent years. The purpose of this study was to develop relevant questionnaires for teachers to understand student self-efficacy and motivation in online peer assessment learning environments. A total of 205 college students…

Biomass Program 2007 Program Peer Review - Full Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

none,

This document summarizes the comments provided by the peer reviewers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Biomass Program’s Peer Review meeting, held on November 14-15, 2007 in Baltimore, MD and Platform Reviews conducted over the summer of 2007. The Platform Reviews provide evaluations of the Program’s projects in applied research, development, and demonstration.

A Review of Peer-Mediated Social Interaction Interventions for Students with Autism in Inclusive Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watkins, Laci; O'Reilly, Mark; Kuhn, Michelle; Gevarter, Cindy; Lancioni, Giulio E.; Sigafoos, Jeff; Lang, Russell

2015-01-01

This review addresses the use of peer-mediated interventions (PMI) to improve the social interaction skills of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in inclusive settings. The purpose of this review is to (a) identify the characteristics and components of peer-mediated social interaction interventions, (b) evaluate the effectiveness of PMI…

Concurrent and Longitudinal Associations of Peers' Acceptance with Emotion and Effortful Control in Kindergarten

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernández, Maciel M.; Eisenberg, Nancy; Valiente, Carlos; Diaz, Anjolii; VanSchyndel, Sarah K.; Berger, Rebecca H.; Terrell, Nathan; Silva, Kassondra M.; Spinrad, Tracy L.; Southworth, Jody

2017-01-01

The purpose of the study was to evaluate bidirectional associations between peer acceptance and both emotion and effortful control during kindergarten (N = 301). In both the fall and spring semesters, we obtained peer nominations of acceptance, measures of positive and negative emotion based on naturalistic observations in school (i.e., classroom,…

Adolescent Judgments and Reasoning about the Failure to Include Peers with Social Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottema-Beutel, Kristen; Li, Zhushan

2015-01-01

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder often do not have access to crucial peer social activities. This study examines how typically developing adolescents evaluate decisions not to include a peer based on disability status, and the justifications they apply to these decisions. A clinical interview methodology was used to elicit judgments and…

Formative Feedback Using Pseudo Peer Diagrams: Evaluating System Equilibrium of Buoyancy Forces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Sensen

2013-01-01

This study introduces an innovative instructional method, called "pseudo peer diagram" (PPD), where students employ executive skills to compare and contrast their work with others' as a formative feedback mechanism. The focus of this study is how students compare and contrast their own diagrams with the pseudo peer diagrams as a stimulus…

Supporting Peer Assessment of Individual Contributions in Groupwork

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raban, Richard; Litchfield, Andrew

2007-01-01

The ability to assess the work of others is a core attribute for most professionals. To develop this graduate attribute in our students requires the learning of self and peer evaluation, feedback, and review skills. This paper discusses the changing design of peer assessment and the impact of a new groupwork support tool within a capstone…

Developing a Peer Educator Program to Raise Awareness about Elder Abuse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weeks, Lori E.; Bryanton, Olive; McInnis-Perry, Gloria; Chaulk, Paul

2015-01-01

There continues to be lack of public awareness about elder abuse. To help address this issue, we developed and piloted an elder abuse peer educator training program from an educational gerontology and health empowerment perspective. We describe the process employed to train older adults as peer educators. We present evaluation results from data…

Moderating Effects of Aggression on the Associations between Social Withdrawal Subtypes and Peer Difficulties during Early Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowker, Julie C.; Markovic, Andrea; Cogswell, Alex; Raja, Radhi

2012-01-01

Recent research has revealed significant heterogeneity in the peer difficulties associated with social withdrawal subtypes during early adolescence, but little is known about possible sources of that heterogeneity. This study of 194 Indian young adolescents (48% female; 90% Hindu; M age = 13.35 years) evaluated whether the peer adversity related…

Negative Affect in Victimized Children: The Roles of Social Withdrawal, Peer Rejection, and Attitudes toward Bullying

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dill, Edward J.; Vernberg, Eric M.; Fonagy, Peter; Twemlow, Stuart W.; Gamm, Bridget K.

2004-01-01

This study evaluated the validity of mediating pathways in predicting self-assessed negative affect from shyness/social withdrawal, peer rejection, victimization by peers (overt and relational), and the attitude that aggression is legitimate and warranted. Participants were 296 3rd through 5th graders (156 girls, 140 boys) from 10 elementary…

A proposal for assessing study quality: Biomonitoring, Environmental Epidemiology, and Short-lived Chemicals (BEES-C) instrument.

PubMed

LaKind, Judy S; Sobus, Jon R; Goodman, Michael; Barr, Dana Boyd; Fürst, Peter; Albertini, Richard J; Arbuckle, Tye E; Schoeters, Greet; Tan, Yu-Mei; Teeguarden, Justin; Tornero-Velez, Rogelio; Weisel, Clifford P

2014-12-01

The quality of exposure assessment is a major determinant of the overall quality of any environmental epidemiology study. The use of biomonitoring as a tool for assessing exposure to ubiquitous chemicals with short physiologic half-lives began relatively recently. These chemicals present several challenges, including their presence in analytical laboratories and sampling equipment, difficulty in establishing temporal order in cross-sectional studies, short- and long-term variability in exposures and biomarker concentrations, and a paucity of information on the number of measurements required for proper exposure classification. To date, the scientific community has not developed a set of systematic guidelines for designing, implementing and interpreting studies of short-lived chemicals that use biomonitoring as the exposure metric or for evaluating the quality of this type of research for WOE assessments or for peer review of grants or publications. We describe key issues that affect epidemiology studies using biomonitoring data on short-lived chemicals and propose a systematic instrument--the Biomonitoring, Environmental Epidemiology, and Short-lived Chemicals (BEES-C) instrument--for evaluating the quality of research proposals and studies that incorporate biomonitoring data on short-lived chemicals. Quality criteria for three areas considered fundamental to the evaluation of epidemiology studies that include biological measurements of short-lived chemicals are described: 1) biomarker selection and measurement, 2) study design and execution, and 3) general epidemiological study design considerations. We recognize that the development of an evaluative tool such as BEES-C is neither simple nor non-controversial. We hope and anticipate that the instrument will initiate further discussion/debate on this topic. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A proposal for assessing study quality: Biomonitoring, Environmental Epidemiology, and Short-lived Chemicals (BEES-C) instrument

PubMed Central

LaKind, Judy S.; Sobus, Jon R.; Goodman, Michael; Barr, Dana Boyd; Fürst, Peter; Albertini, Richard J.; Arbuckle, Tye E.; Schoeters, Greet; Tan, Yu-Mei; Teeguarden, Justin; Tornero-Velez, Rogelio; Weisel, Clifford P.

2015-01-01

The quality of exposure assessment is a major determinant of the overall quality of any environmental epidemiology study. The use of biomonitoring as a tool for assessing exposure to ubiquitous chemicals with short physiologic half-lives began relatively recently. These chemicals present several challenges, including their presence in analytical laboratories and sampling equipment, difficulty in establishing temporal order in cross-sectional studies, short- and long-term variability in exposures and biomarker concentrations, and a paucity of information on the number of measurements required for proper exposure classification. To date, the scientific community has not developed a set of systematic guidelines for designing, implementing and interpreting studies of short-lived chemicals that use biomonitoring as the exposure metric or for evaluating the quality of this type of research for WOE assessments or for peer review of grants or publications. We describe key issues that affect epidemiology studies using biomonitoring data on short-lived chemicals and propose a systematic instrument – the Biomonitoring, Environmental Epidemiology, and Short-lived Chemicals (BEES-C) instrument – for evaluating the quality of research proposals and studies that incorporate biomonitoring data on short-lived chemicals. Quality criteria for three areas considered fundamental to the evaluation of epidemiology studies that include biological measurements of short-lived chemicals are described: 1) biomarker selection and measurement, 2) study design and execution, and 3) general epidemiological study design considerations. We recognize that the development of an evaluative tool such as BEES-C is neither simple nor non-controversial. We hope and anticipate that the instrument will initiate further discussion/debate on this topic. PMID:25137624

Process Evaluation of the Project SHINE Intervention for African American Families: An Integrated Positive Parenting and Peer Monitoring Approach to Health Promotion.

PubMed

St George, Sara M; Wilson, Dawn K; McDaniel, Tyler; Alia, Kassandra A

2016-07-01

This study describes the process evaluation of Project SHINE, a randomized family-based health promotion intervention that integrated parenting and peer monitoring for improving sedentary behavior, physical activity, and diet in African American families. Adolescent-parent dyads (n = 89) were randomized to a 6-week behavioral, positive parenting, and peer monitoring skills intervention or a general health education comparison condition. Process evaluation included observational ratings of fidelity, attendance records, psychosocial measures, and qualitative interviews. Results indicated that the intervention was delivered with high fidelity based on facilitator adherence (>98% of content delivered) and competent use of theoretically based behavior change and positive parenting skills (100% of ratings >3 on a 1-4 scale). Although only 43% of peers attended the "bring a friend" session, overall attendance was high (4.39 ± 1.51 sessions) as was the retention rate (88%). Parents in the intervention condition reported significant improvements in communication related to adolescents' engagement in health behaviors both on their own and with peers. These findings were supported by qualitative themes related to improvements in family communication and connectedness. This study provides an innovative example of how future family-based health promotion trials can expand their process evaluation approaches by assessing theoretically relevant positive parenting variables as part of ongoing monitoring. © 2016 Society for Public Health Education.

A Test of Concept Study of At-Home, Self-Administered HIV Testing With Web-Based Peer Counseling Via Video Chat for Men Who Have Sex With Men.

PubMed

Maksut, Jessica L; Eaton, Lisa A; Siembida, Elizabeth J; Driffin, Daniel D; Baldwin, Robert

2016-12-14

Men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly MSM who identify as African-American or Black (BMSM), are the sociodemographic group that is most heavily burdened by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in the United States. To meet national HIV testing goals, there must be a greater emphasis on novel ways to promote and deliver HIV testing to MSM. Obstacles to standard, clinic-based HIV testing include concerns about stigmatization or recognition at in-person testing sites, as well as the inability to access a testing site due to logistical barriers. This study examined the feasibility of self-administered, at-home HIV testing with Web-based peer counseling to MSM by using an interactive video chatting method. The aims of this study were to (1) determine whether individuals would participate in at-home HIV testing with video chat-based test counseling with a peer counselor, (2) address logistical barriers to HIV testing that individuals who report risk for HIV transmission may experience, and (3) reduce anticipated HIV stigma, a primary psychosocial barrier to HIV testing. In response to the gap in HIV testing, a pilot study was developed and implemented via mailed, at-home HIV test kits, accompanied by HIV counseling with a peer counselor via video chat. A total of 20 MSM were enrolled in this test of concept study, 80% of whom identified as BMSM. All participants reported that at-home HIV testing with a peer counseling via video chat was a satisfying experience. The majority of participants (13/18, 72%) said they would prefer for their next HIV testing and counseling experience to be at home with Web-based video chat peer counseling, as opposed to testing in an office or clinic setting. Participants were less likely to report logistical and emotional barriers to HIV testing at the 6-week and 3-month follow-ups. The results of this study suggest that self-administered HIV testing with Web-based peer counseling is feasible and that MSM find it to be a satisfactory means by which they can access their test results. This study can serve as a general guideline for future, larger-scale studies of Web-based HIV test counseling for MSM. ©Jessica L Maksut, Lisa A Eaton, Elizabeth J Siembida, Daniel D Driffin, Robert Baldwin. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (http://publichealth.jmir.org), 14.12.2016.

Small group gender ratios impact biology class performance and peer evaluations

PubMed Central

Cotner, Sehoya

2018-01-01

Women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Evidence suggests the microclimate of the classroom is an important factor influencing female course grades and interest, which encourages retention of women in STEM fields. Here, we test whether the gender composition of small (8–9 person) learning groups impacts course performance, sense of social belonging, and intragroup peer evaluations of intellectual contributions. Across two undergraduate active learning courses in introductory biology, we manipulated the classroom microclimate by varying the gender ratios of learning groups, ranging from 0% female to 100% female. We found that as the percent of women in groups increased, so did overall course performance for all students, regardless of gender. Additionally, women assigned higher peer- evaluations in groups with more women than groups with less women. Our work demonstrates an added benefit of the retention of women in STEM: increased performance for all, and positive peer perceptions for women. PMID:29614091

Children's reasoning about evaluative feedback.

PubMed

Heyman, Gail D; Fu, Genyue; Sweet, Monica A; Lee, Kang

2009-11-01

Children's reasoning about the willingness of peers to convey accurate positive and negative performance feedback to others was investigated among a total of 179 6- to 11-year-olds from the USA and China. In Study 1, which was conducted in the USA only, participants responded that peers would be more likely to provide positive feedback than negative feedback, and this tendency was strongest among the younger children. In Study 2, the expectation that peers would preferentially disclose positive feedback was replicated among children from the USA, and was also seen among younger but not older children from China. Participants in all groups took the relationship between communication partners into account when predicting whether peers would express evaluative feedback. Results of open-ended responses suggested cross-cultural differences, including a greater emphasis by Chinese children on the implications of evaluative feedback for future performance, and reference by some older Chinese children to the possibility that positive feedback might make the recipient 'too proud'.

Evaluation of a peer mentoring program for early career gerontological nursing faculty and its potential for application to other fields in nursing and health sciences.

PubMed

Brody, Abraham A; Edelman, Linda; Siegel, Elena O; Foster, Victoria; Bailey, Donald E; Bryant, Ashley Leak; Bond, Stewart M

2016-01-01

As the retirement rate of senior nursing faculty increases, the need to implement new models for providing mentorship to early career academics will become key to developing and maintaining an experienced faculty. This evaluation of a peer mentorship program for predoctoral and postdoctoral gerontological nurses examined its efficacy, utility, and potential for improvement. A web-based survey was developed, implemented, and completed by 22 mentees and 17 mentors (71% and 61% response rates, respectively) as part of the evaluation. The peer mentorship program was found to be valuable by both mentors (64.7%) and mentees (72.7%) in helping mentees further develop their careers and networks and providing mentors with supported mentorship experience. The peer mentorship program could serve as a model for other professional organizations, academic institutions, and consortiums to enhance and extend the formal vertical mentorship provided to early academic career individuals. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Evaluation of a peer mentoring program for early career gerontological nursing faculty and its potential for application to other fields in nursing and health sciences

PubMed Central

Brody, Abraham A.; Edelman, Linda; Siegel, Elena O.; Foster, Victoria; Bailey, Donald E.; Bryant, Ashley Leak; Bond, Stewart M.

2018-01-01

Background As the retirement rate of senior nursing faculty increases, the need to implement new models for providing mentorship to early career academics will become key to developing and maintaining an experienced faculty. Purpose This evaluation of a peer mentorship program for predoctoral and postdoctoral gerontological nurses examined its efficacy, utility, and potential for improvement. Methods A web-based survey was developed, implemented, and completed by 22 mentees and 17 mentors (71% and 61% response rates, respectively) as part of the evaluation. Discussion The peer mentorship program was found to be valuable by both mentors (64.7%) and mentees (72.7%) in helping mentees further develop their careers and networks and providing mentors with supported mentorship experience. Conclusion The peer mentorship program could serve as a model for other professional organizations, academic institutions, and consortiums to enhance and extend the formal vertical mentorship provided to early academic career individuals. PMID:27156778

Peer teaching in paediatrics - medical students as learners and teachers on a paediatric course.

PubMed

Schauseil-Zipf, Ulrike; Karay, Yassin; Ehrlich, Roland; Knoop, Kai; Michalk, Dietrich

2010-01-01

Peer assisted learning is known as an effective educational strategy in medical teaching. We established a peer assisted teaching program by student tutors with a focus on clinical competencies for students during their practical training on paediatric wards. It was the purpose of this study to investigate the effects of a clinical skills training by tutors, residents and consultants on students evaluations of the teaching quality and the effects of a peer teaching program on self assessed clinical competencies by the students. Medical student peers in their 6(th) year were trained by an intensive instruction program for teaching clinical skills by paediatric consultants, doctors and psychologists. 109 students in their 5(th) year (study group) participated in a peer assisted teaching program for training clinical skills in paediatrics. The skills training by student peer teachers were supervised by paediatric doctors. 45 students (control group) participated in a conventional paediatric skills training by paediatric doctors and consultants. Students from both groups, which were consecutively investigated, completed a questionnaire with an evaluation of the satisfaction with their practical training and a self assessment of their practical competencies. The paediatric skills training with student peer teachers received significantly better ratings than the conventional skills training by paediatric doctors concerning both the quality of the practical training and the support by the teaching medical staff. Self assessed learning success in practical skills was higher rated in the peer teaching program than in the conventional training. The peer assisted teaching program of paediatric skills training was rated higher by the students regarding their satisfaction with the teaching quality and their self assessment of the acquired skills. Clinical skills training by student peer teachers have to be supervised by paediatric doctors. Paediatric doctors seem to be more motivated for their own teaching tasks if they are assisted by student peer teachers. More research is needed to investigate the influence of peer teaching on the motivation of paediatric doctors to teach medical students und the academic performance of the student peers.

Training and Generalization of Peer-Directed Mands With Non-vocal Children With Autism.

PubMed

Kodak, Tiffany; Paden, Amber; Dickes, Nitasha

2012-01-01

The current investigation evaluated the effects of extinction and prompts on training and generalization of peer-directed mands for preferred items using a picture exchange communication system with 2 children diagnosed with autism. Results showed that independent mands with a peer increased during treatment for both participants, generalized to a novel peer without explicit training for 1 participant and following training for the second participant, and maintained in a more naturalistic setting that simulated a free-play activity in a classroom.

A mixed-method evaluation of peer-education workshops for school-aged children to teach about antibiotics, microbes and hygiene.

PubMed

Young, Vicki L; Cole, Amy; Lecky, Donna M; Fettis, Dennis; Pritchard, Beth; Verlander, Neville Q; Eley, Charlotte V; McNulty, Cliodna A M

2017-07-01

Delivering health topics in schools through peer education is known to be beneficial for all students involved. In this study, we have evaluated a peer-education workshop that aims to educate primary and secondary school students on hygiene, the spread of infection and antibiotics. Four schools in south-west England, in a range of localities, took part in peer-education workshops, with students completing before, after and knowledge-retention questionnaires. Mixed-effect logistic regression and mixed-effect linear regression were used to analyse the data. Data were analysed by topic, region and peer/non-peer-educator status. Qualitative interviews and focus groups with students and educators were conducted to assess changes in participants' skills, confidence and behaviour. Qualitative data indicated improvements in peer-educator skills and behaviour, including confidence, team-working and communication. There was a significant improvement in knowledge for all topics covered in the intervention, although this varied by region. In the antibiotics topic, peer-educators' knowledge increased in the retention questionnaire, whereas non-peer-educators' knowledge decreased. Knowledge declined in the retention questionnaires for the other topics, although this was mostly not significant. This study indicates that peer education is an effective way to educate young people on important topics around health and hygiene, and to concurrently improve communication skills. Its use should be encouraged across schools to help in the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance that recommends children are taught in an age-appropriate manner about hygiene and antibiotics. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

Psychological distress and academic self-perception among international medical students: the role of peer social support.

PubMed

Yamada, Yukari; Klugar, Miloslav; Ivanova, Katerina; Oborna, Ivana

2014-11-28

Psychological distress among medical students is commonly observed during medical education and is generally related to poor academic self-perception. We evaluated the role of peer social support at medical schools in the association between psychological distress and academic self-perception. An online survey was conducted in a medical degree program for 138 international students educated in English in the Czech Republic. The Medical Student Well-Being Index was used to define the students' psychological distress. Perceived peer social support was investigated with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Poor academic self-perception was defined as the lowest 30% of a subscale score of the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure. Analyses evaluated the presence of additive interactions between psychological distress and peer social support on poor academic self-perception, adjusted for possible confounders. Both psychological distress and low peer social support were negatively associated with poor academic self-perception, adjusted for local language proficiency and social support from family. Students with psychological distress and low peer social support had an odds ratio of 11.0 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.1-56.6) for poor academic self-perception as compared with those without distress who had high peer social support. The presence of an additive interaction was confirmed in that the joint association was four times as large as what would have been expected to be on summing the individual risks of psychological distress and low peer social support (synergy index = 4.5, 95% CI: 1.3-14.9). Psychological distress and low peer social support may synergistically increase the probability of poor academic self-perception among international medical students. Promoting peer social relationships at medical school may interrupt the vicious cycle of psychological distress and poor academic performance.

Peer-led and professional-led group interventions for people with co-occurring disorders: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Pallaveshi, Luljeta; Balachandra, Krishna; Subramanian, Priya; Rudnick, Abraham

2014-05-01

This pilot study evaluated the experience of people with co-occurring disorders (mental illness and addiction) in relation to peer-led and professional-led group interventions. The study used a qualitative (phenomenological) approach to evaluate the experience of a convenience sample of 6 individuals with co-occurring disorders who participated in up to 8 sessions each of both peer-led and professional-led group interventions (with a similar rate of attendance in both groups). The semi-structured interview data were coded and thematically analyzed. We found 5 themes within and across the 2 interventions. In both groups, participants experienced a positive environment and personal growth, and learned, albeit different things. They were more comfortable in the peer-led group and acquired more knowledge and skills in the professional-led group. Offering both peer-led and professional-led group interventions to people with co-occurring disorders may be better than offering either alone.

Challenging Gender Stereotypes: Theory of Mind and Peer Group Dynamics

PubMed Central

Mulvey, Kelly Lynn; Rizzo, Michael T.; Killen, Melanie

2016-01-01

To investigate the social cognitive skills related to challenging gender stereotypes, children (N = 61, 3-6 years) evaluated a peer who challenged gender stereotypic norms held by the peer’s group. Participants with false belief theory of mind (FB ToM) competence were more likely than participants who did not have FB ToM to expect a peer to challenge the group’s stereotypes and propose that the group engage in a non-stereotypic activity. Further, participants with FB ToM rated challenging the peer group more positively. Participants without FB ToM did not differentiate between their own and the group’s evaluation of challenges to the group’s stereotypic norms, but those with ToM competence asserted that they would be more supportive of challenging the group norm than would the peer group. Results reveal the importance of social-cognitive competencies for recognizing the legitimacy of challenging stereotypes, and for understanding one’s own and other group perspectives. PMID:26395753

The outcast-lash-out effect in youth: alienation increases aggression following peer rejection.

PubMed

Reijntjes, Albert; Thomaes, Sander; Bushman, Brad J; Boelen, Paul A; de Castro, Bram Orobio; Telch, Michael J

2010-10-01

Although there are good theoretical reasons to believe that youth who are high in alienation (i.e., estranged from society, significant others, and themselves) are prone to behave aggressively, empirical evidence is lacking. The present experiment tested whether alienation moderates the effects of acute peer rejection on aggression in youth. Participants (N = 121; mean age = 11.5 years) completed a personal profile (e.g., "How do you describe yourself?") that was allegedly evaluated online by a panel of peer judges. After randomly receiving negative or positive feedback from peer judges, participants were given the opportunity to aggress against them (i.e., by reducing their monetary reward and by posting negative comments about them online). As predicted, alienation increased participants' aggression against peers who had rejected them, but not against peers who had praised them, even after controlling for peer-nominated chronic rejection and peer-nominated aggression. Thus, alienated youth are more aggressive than others when they experience acute peer rejection.

The Multifaceted Impact of Peer Relations on Aggressive-Disruptive Behavior in Early Elementary School

PubMed Central

Powers, Christopher J.; Bierman, Karen L.

2013-01-01

Following a large, diverse sample of 4096 children in 27 schools, this study evaluated the impact of three aspects of peer relations, measured concurrently, on subsequent child aggressive-disruptive behavior during early elementary school – peer-dislike, reciprocated friends' aggressiveness, and classroom levels of aggressive-disruptive behavior. Teachers rated child aggressive-disruptive behavior in first and third grade, and peer relations were assessed during second grade. Results indicated that heightened classroom aggressive-disruptive behavior levels were related to proximal peer relations, including an increased likelihood of having aggressive friends and lower levels of peer-dislike of aggressive-disruptive children. Controlling for first grade aggressive-disruptive behavior, the three second grade peer experiences each made unique contributions to third grade child aggressive-disruptive behavior. These findings replicate and extend a growing body of research documenting the multifaceted nature of peer influence on aggressive-disruptive behavior in early elementary school. They highlight the importance of the classroom ecology and proximal peer relations in the socialization of aggressive-disruptive behavior. PMID:22545840

The Role of Peer-Assisted Learning in Building Evaluative Judgement: Opportunities in Clinical Medical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tai, Joanna Hong-Meng; Canny, Benedict J.; Haines, Terry P.; Molloy, Elizabeth K.

2016-01-01

This study explored the contribution of peer-assisted learning (PAL) in the development of evaluative judgement capacity; the ability to understand work quality and apply those standards to appraising performance. The study employed a mixed methods approach, collecting self-reported survey data, observations of, and reflective interviews with, the…

Antisocial Peer Affiliation and Externalizing Disorders in the Transition from Adolescence to Young Adulthood: Selection versus Socialization Effects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samek, Diana R.; Goodman, Rebecca J.; Erath, Stephen A.; McGue, Matt; Iacono, William G.

2016-01-01

Prior research has demonstrated both socialization and selection effects for the relationship between antisocial peer affiliation and externalizing problems in adolescence. Less research has evaluated such effects postadolescence. In this study, a cross-lagged panel analysis was used to evaluate the extent of "socialization" (i.e., the…

Children's Feedback Preferences in Response to an Experimentally Manipulated Peer Evaluation Outcome: The Role of Depressive Symptoms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reijntjes, Albert; Dekovic, Maja; Vermande, Marjolijn; Telch, Michael J.

2007-01-01

The present study examined the linkage between pre-adolescent children's depressive symptoms and their preferences for receiving positive vs. negative feedback subsequent to being faced with an experimentally manipulated peer evaluation outcome in real time. Participants (n = 142) ages 10 to 13, played a computer contest based on the television…

Peer Evaluation in Blended Team Project-Based Learning: What Do Students Find Important?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hye-Jung; Lim, Cheolil

2012-01-01

Team project-based learning is reputed to be an appropriate way to activate interactions among students and to encourage knowledge building through collaborative learning. Peer evaluation is an effective way for each student to participate actively in a team project. This article investigates the issues that are important to students when…

Process Evaluation of HIV Prevention Peer Groups in Malawi: A Look inside the Black Box

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCreary, Linda L.; Kaponda, Chrissie P. N.; Kafulafula, Ursula K.; Ngalande, Rebecca C.; Kumbani, Lily C.; Jere, Diana L. N.; Norr, James L.; Norr, Kathleen F.

2010-01-01

This paper reports the process evaluation of a peer group intervention for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention which had positive outcomes for three target groups in Malawi: rural adults, adolescents and urban hospital workers. The six-session intervention was delivered to small groups of 10-12 participants by 85 trained volunteer peer…

What Students Think and Do in Classroom Teams When Peer Evaluations Are Highly Consequential: A Two-Stage Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jassawalla, Avan R.; Sashittal, Hemant C.

2017-01-01

The article presents findings from a two-stage study that examined student perceptions of peer evaluations (PEs) conducted in undergraduate business classroom teams. In stage 1, we used qualitative research to identify constructs focal in students' PE-related cognitive schemas and developed grounded measurement scales and hypotheses about their…

Peer Evaluation of Teachers in Maricopa County's Teacher Incentive Fund Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milanowski, Anthony; Heneman, Herbert G., III; Finster, Matthew

2015-01-01

This case study describes the peer evaluation system the Maricopa County Educational Services Agency (MCESA) is using in the districts participating in its Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) 3 and 4 grants. Maricopa County's TIF districts cover much of the Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area. Including both TIF 3 and 4 cohorts, 12 districts with a total…

Influences on Peer Evaluation in a Group Project: An Exploration of Leadership, Demographics and Course Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dingel, Molly; Wei, Wei

2014-01-01

Collaborative learning strategies are widely used in higher education to deepen learning, promote team-building skills and achieve course learning objectives. Using peer evaluation is an important strategy to ensure that engaged and active students are rewarded for their efforts, and to discourage loafing within groups. However, less is known…

Peer reviews: taking on new meanings.

PubMed

Raia, Lucille

2011-01-01

Peer reviews in nursing are historically used to gauge performance within an individual's scope of practice or as a tool to evaluate a sentinel or adverse event. Quality of care measures, clinical pertinence, and evaluating standards of care have begun as parallel strategies to replace the former uses in assuring the right care at the right time in the right setting.

Using Voice Boards: Pedagogical Design, Technological Implementation, Evaluation and Reflections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yaneske, Elisabeth; Oates, Briony

2011-01-01

We present a case study to evaluate the use of a Wimba Voice Board to support asynchronous audio discussion. We discuss the learning strategy and pedagogic rationale when a Voice Board was implemented within an MA module for language learners, enabling students to create learning objects and facilitating peer-to-peer learning. Previously students…

Using Voice Boards: Pedagogical Design, Technological Implementation, Evaluation and Reflections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yaneske, Elisabeth; Oates, Briony

2010-01-01

We present a case study to evaluate the use of a Wimba Voice Board to support asynchronous audio discussion. We discuss the learning strategy and pedagogic rationale when a Voice Board was implemented within an MA module for language learners, enabling students to create learning objects and facilitating peer-to-peer learning. Previously students…

Disentangling reward anticipation with simultaneous pupillometry / fMRI.

PubMed

Schneider, Max; Leuchs, Laura; Czisch, Michael; Sämann, Philipp G; Spoormaker, Victor I

2018-05-05

The reward system may provide an interesting intermediate phenotype for anhedonia in affective disorders. Reward anticipation is characterized by an increase in arousal, and previous studies have linked the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to arousal responses such as dilation of the pupil. Here, we examined pupil dynamics during a reward anticipation task in forty-six healthy human subjects and evaluated its neural correlates using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Pupil size showed a strong increase during monetary reward anticipation, a moderate increase during verbal reward anticipation and a decrease during control trials. For fMRI analyses, average pupil size and pupil change were computed in 1-s time bins during the anticipation phase. Activity in the ventral striatum was inversely related to the pupil size time course, indicating an early onset of activation and a role in reward prediction processing. Pupil dilations were linked to increased activity in the salience network (dorsal ACC and bilateral insula), which likely triggers an increase in arousal to enhance task performance. Finally, increased pupil size preceding the required motor response was associated with activity in the ventral attention network. In sum, pupillometry provides an effective tool for disentangling different phases of reward anticipation, with relevance for affective symptomatology. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A magnetoencephalography study of multi-modal processing of pain anticipation in primary sensory cortices.

PubMed

Gopalakrishnan, R; Burgess, R C; Plow, E B; Floden, D P; Machado, A G

2015-09-24

Pain anticipation plays a critical role in pain chronification and results in disability due to pain avoidance. It is important to understand how different sensory modalities (auditory, visual or tactile) may influence pain anticipation as different strategies could be applied to mitigate anticipatory phenomena and chronification. In this study, using a countdown paradigm, we evaluated with magnetoencephalography the neural networks associated with pain anticipation elicited by different sensory modalities in normal volunteers. When encountered with well-established cues that signaled pain, visual and somatosensory cortices engaged the pain neuromatrix areas early during the countdown process, whereas the auditory cortex displayed delayed processing. In addition, during pain anticipation, the visual cortex displayed independent processing capabilities after learning the contextual meaning of cues from associative and limbic areas. Interestingly, cross-modal activation was also evident and strong when visual and tactile cues signaled upcoming pain. Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and mid-cingulate cortex showed significant activity during pain anticipation regardless of modality. Our results show pain anticipation is processed with great time efficiency by a highly specialized and hierarchical network. The highest degree of higher-order processing is modulated by context (pain) rather than content (modality) and rests within the associative limbic regions, corroborating their intrinsic role in chronification. Copyright © 2015 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The value of foresight: how prospection affects decision-making.

PubMed

Pezzulo, Giovanni; Rigoli, Francesco

2011-01-01

Traditional theories of decision-making assume that utilities are based on the intrinsic value of outcomes; in turn, these values depend on associations between expected outcomes and the current motivational state of the decision-maker. This view disregards the fact that humans (and possibly other animals) have prospection abilities, which permit anticipating future mental processes and motivational and emotional states. For instance, we can evaluate future outcomes in light of the motivational state we expect to have when the outcome is collected, not (only) when we make a decision. Consequently, we can plan for the future and choose to store food to be consumed when we expect to be hungry, not immediately. Furthermore, similarly to any expected outcome, we can assign a value to our anticipated mental processes and emotions. It has been reported that (in some circumstances) human subjects prefer to receive an unavoidable punishment immediately, probably because they are anticipating the dread associated with the time spent waiting for the punishment. This article offers a formal framework to guide neuroeconomic research on how prospection affects decision-making. The model has two characteristics. First, it uses model-based Bayesian inference to describe anticipation of cognitive and motivational processes. Second, the utility-maximization process considers these anticipations in two ways: to evaluate outcomes (e.g., the pleasure of eating a pie is evaluated differently at the beginning of a dinner, when one is hungry, and at the end of the dinner, when one is satiated), and as outcomes having a value themselves (e.g., the case of dread as a cost of waiting for punishment). By explicitly accounting for the relationship between prospection and value, our model provides a framework to reconcile the utility-maximization approach with psychological phenomena such as planning for the future and dread.

The Value of Foresight: How Prospection Affects Decision-Making

PubMed Central

Pezzulo, Giovanni; Rigoli, Francesco

2011-01-01

Traditional theories of decision-making assume that utilities are based on the intrinsic value of outcomes; in turn, these values depend on associations between expected outcomes and the current motivational state of the decision-maker. This view disregards the fact that humans (and possibly other animals) have prospection abilities, which permit anticipating future mental processes and motivational and emotional states. For instance, we can evaluate future outcomes in light of the motivational state we expect to have when the outcome is collected, not (only) when we make a decision. Consequently, we can plan for the future and choose to store food to be consumed when we expect to be hungry, not immediately. Furthermore, similarly to any expected outcome, we can assign a value to our anticipated mental processes and emotions. It has been reported that (in some circumstances) human subjects prefer to receive an unavoidable punishment immediately, probably because they are anticipating the dread associated with the time spent waiting for the punishment. This article offers a formal framework to guide neuroeconomic research on how prospection affects decision-making. The model has two characteristics. First, it uses model-based Bayesian inference to describe anticipation of cognitive and motivational processes. Second, the utility-maximization process considers these anticipations in two ways: to evaluate outcomes (e.g., the pleasure of eating a pie is evaluated differently at the beginning of a dinner, when one is hungry, and at the end of the dinner, when one is satiated), and as outcomes having a value themselves (e.g., the case of dread as a cost of waiting for punishment). By explicitly accounting for the relationship between prospection and value, our model provides a framework to reconcile the utility-maximization approach with psychological phenomena such as planning for the future and dread. PMID:21747755

Why Peer Crowds Matter: Incorporating Youth Subcultures and Values in Health Education Campaigns.

PubMed

Moran, Meghan B; Walker, Matthew W; Alexander, Tesfa N; Jordan, Jeffrey W; Wagner, Dana E

2017-03-01

Grounded on research showing that peer crowds vary in risk behavior, several recent health behavior interventions, including the US Food and Drug Administration's Fresh Empire campaign, have targeted high-risk peer crowds. We establish the scientific foundations for using this approach. We introduce peer crowd targeting as a strategy for culturally targeting health behavior interventions to youths. We use social identity and social norms theory to explicate the theoretical underpinnings of this approach. We describe Fresh Empire to demonstrate how peer crowd targeting functions in a campaign and critically evaluate the benefits and limitations of this approach. By replacing unhealthy behavioral norms with desirable, healthy lifestyles, peer crowd-targeted interventions can create a lasting impact that resonates in the target audience's culture.

Implicit Theories of Peer Relationships

PubMed Central

Rudolph, Karen D.

2009-01-01

This research investigated the role of children’s implicit theories of peer relationships in their psychological, emotional, and behavioral adjustment. Participants included 206 children (110 girls; 96 boys; M age = 10.13 years, SD = 1.16) who reported on their implicit theories of peer relationships, social goal orientation, need for approval, depressive and aggressive symptoms, and exposure to peer victimization. Parents also provided reports on aggressive symptoms. Results confirmed that holding an entity theory of peer relationships was associated with a greater tendency to endorse performance-oriented social goals and to evaluate oneself negatively in the face of peer disapproval. Moreover, entity theorists were more likely than incremental theorists to demonstrate depressive and aggressive symptoms when victimized. These findings contribute to social-cognitive theories of motivation and personality, and have practical implications for children exposed to peer victimization and associated difficulties. PMID:20396649

Legislative Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Harrison

The speaker discusses Congressional program evaluation. From the Congressional perspective, good evaluators understand the political, social, and economic processes; are familiar with various evaluation methods; and know how to use authority and power within their roles. Program evaluation serves three major purposes: to anticipate social impact…

A narrative review of undergraduate peer-based healthcare ethics teaching.

PubMed

Hindmarch, Thomas; Allikmets, Silvia; Knights, Felicity

2015-12-12

This study explores the literature in establishing the value of undergraduate peer-based healthcare ethics teaching as an educational methodology. A narrative review of the literature concerning peer-based ethics teaching was conducted. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, SCOPUS databases, and the Cochrane Library, were systematically searched for studies of peer-based ethics or professionalism teaching. Selected studies related peer-based teaching to ethics education outcomes. Ten publications were identified. Selected studies were varied in their chosen intervention methodology and analysis. Collectively, the identified studies suggest peer-based ethics education is an effective and valued educational methodology in training healthcare professionals. One paper suggests peer-based ethics teaching has advantages over traditional didactic methods. Peer-based ethics teaching also receives positive feedback from student participants. However, the limited literature base demonstrates a clear need for more evaluation of this pedagogy. The current literature base suggests that undergraduate peer based healthcare ethics teaching is valuable in terms of efficacy and student satisfaction. We conclude that the medical community should invest in further study in order to capitalise upon the potential of peer-based ethics teaching in undergraduate healthcare education.

A Two-Method Investigation of Early Adolescents' Responses upon Witnessing Peer Victimization in School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bellmore, Amy; Ma, Ting-Lan; You, Ji-in; Hughes, Maria

2012-01-01

Given the passivity of many adolescents upon witnessing peer victimization, the goal of this study was to evaluate the features of school-based peer victimization events that promote helping. A sample of 470 early adolescents (52% girls; 71% White, 9% Black, 6% Latino, 2% Asian, 1% American Indian, 8% Multiethnic, and 3% Other) reported likelihood…

Students as Teachers: Effectiveness of a Peer-Led STEM Learning Programme over 10 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drane, Denise; Micari, Marina; Light, Gregory

2014-01-01

Peer-led small-group learning has been used quite extensively in the US to enhance performance and retention of undergraduate students in science, math, and engineering classes. This study presents the results from an evaluation of a peer-led small-group programme at a research university in the US over a 10-year period across five disciplines…

Building on Experience: A Formative Evaluation of a Peer Education Sexual Health Project in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warwick, Ian; Aggleton, Peter

2004-01-01

In South Africa, as elsewhere in the world, the promise of peer education as a means of promoting sexual health has contributed to its increasing popularity. While structural and organisational constraints can compromise the success of peer education, many of those involved in modest local programmes in South Africa are able to address the sexual…

Peer-Implemented Time Delay Procedures on the Acquisition of Chained Tasks by Students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Godsey, Janet Read; Schuster, John W.; Lingo, Amy Shearer; Collins, Belva C.; Kleinert, Harold L.

2008-01-01

This study evaluated the effectiveness of and reliability of peer tutors implementing a constant time delay procedure when teaching four high school students with moderate and severe disabilities to prepare foods using picture recipes. We used a multiple probe design across subjects to determine the effectiveness of the peer tutor implemented…

Peer Review and the Dilemmas of Quality Control in Programme Accreditation in South African Higher Education: Challenges and Possibilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cross, Michael; Naidoo, Devika

2011-01-01

The paper scrutinises the dynamics and the nature of peer review in the programme evaluation and accreditation process within the context of diverse individual and institutional legacies in South Africa. It analyses the peer review process and highlights the contestation at political, policy and epistemological levels. The paper argues that,…

Enhancing Peer Acceptance of Children with Learning Difficulties: Classroom Goal Orientation and Effects of a Storytelling Programme with Drama Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Law, Yin-kum; Lam, Shui-fong; Law, Wilbert; Tam, Zoe W. Y.

2017-01-01

Peer acceptance is an important facilitator for the success of inclusive education. The aim of the current study is twofold: (1) to examine how classroom goal orientation is associated with children's acceptance of peers with learning difficulties; and (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of a storytelling programme with drama techniques on…

The Peer Attitudes toward Children Who Stutter (PATCS) Scale: An Evaluation of Validity, Reliability and the Negativity of Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langevin, Marilyn; Kleitman, Sabina; Packman, Ann; Onslow, Mark

2009-01-01

Background: Persistent calls for school-based education about stuttering necessitate a better understanding of peer attitudes toward children who stutter and a means to measure outcomes of such educational interventions. Langevin and Hagler in 2004 developed the Peer Attitudes Toward Children who Stutter scale (PATCS) to address these needs and…

Subjective and Objective Peer Approval Evaluations and Self-Esteem Development: A Test of Reciprocal, Prospective, and Long-Term Effects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gruenenfelder-Steiger, Andrea E.; Harris, Michelle A.; Fend, Helmut A.

2016-01-01

A large body of literature suggests a clear, concurrent association between peer approval and self-esteem in adolescence. However, little empirical work exists on either the prospective or reciprocal relation between peer approval and self-esteem during this age period. Moreover, it is unclear from past research whether both "subjectively…

The Role of Self-, Peer and Teacher Assessment in Promoting Iranian EFL Learners' Writing Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birjandi, Parviz; Hadidi Tamjid, Nasrin

2012-01-01

In the last decade, with the increased attention to learner-centred curricula, the topic of self-assessment and peer assessment has become of particular interest in testing and evaluation. The present study explores the role of self-assessment, and peer assessment in promoting writing performance of language learners. To do this, 157 intermediate…

Evaluation of the Effects of Conflict Resolution, Peace Education and Peer Mediation: A Meta-Analysis Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turk, Fulya

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of conflict resolution, peace education and peer mediation on the conflict resolution skills of students via meta-analysis method. 23 studies were determined to be in accordance with the study criteria. According to research findings conflict resolution, peace education and peer mediation…

Using a Template to Facilitate External Peer Preview of Curriculum: A Variation on the PRoT Theme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sealey, Rebecca

2013-01-01

Peer reviewing of teaching and curriculum in Higher Education is a common practice aimed at both quality assurance and professional development. External review of curriculum prior to implementation appears less common. The aim of this project was to develop, implement and evaluate a user-friendly process for external peer preview of teaching…

Assessment of Social Competence of Boys with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Problematic Peer Entry, Host Responses, and Evaluations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ronk, Marla J.; Hund, Alycia M.; Landau, Steven

2011-01-01

Anecdotally and empirically, there is clear evidence that children with the Combined subtype of Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience disturbed peer relations, yet the field has not clearly established the origin of these difficulties. This is the first known investigation to examine the role of peer entry as a means to…

Enhancing the Status of Peer Observation through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engin, Marion

2016-01-01

In this Reflection on Practice I argue the case for using the principles of scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) to serve as a framework for evaluating and designing peer observation programmes in higher education contexts. I suggest that for peer observation to be an activity worthy of SoTL, it should be systematic, collaborative,…

Picture Exchange Communication System and Pals: A Peer-Mediated Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention for Minimally Verbal Preschoolers with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thiemann-Bourque, Kathy; Brady, Nancy; McGuff, Sara; Strump, Keenan; Naylor, Amy

2016-01-01

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a social intervention that integrates peer-mediated approaches and the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). Method: Effects were evaluated using a series of A-B designs replicated across 4 children with severe autism and limited verbal skills. Seven peers without…

Increasing the Uptake of Peer Feedback in Primary School Writing: Findings from an Action Research Enquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boon, Stuart Ian

2016-01-01

This article reports on how an action research strategy was used to increase children's uptake of feedback during peer assessment in primary school writing. Several different strategies were used in the study that had been successful in increasing students' uptake of peer feedback in contexts such as higher education. In order to evaluate how…

Links between Local Language Competence and Peer Relations among Swiss and Immigrant Children: The Mediating Role of Social Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

von Grunigen, Renate; Kochenderfer-Ladd, Becky; Perren, Sonja; Alsaker, Francoise D.

2012-01-01

The primary aim of this investigation was to evaluate a model in which children's social behaviors, including prosocial behavior, setting limits, and social withdrawal, were hypothesized to mediate the links between local language competence (LLC) and peer acceptance and victimization. Longitudinal data were collected via teacher and peer reports…

Online and offline peer led models against bullying and cyberbullying.

PubMed

Palladino, Benedetta Emanuela; Nocentini, Annalaura; Menesini, Ersilia

2012-11-01

The aim of the present study is to describe and evaluate an ongoing peer-led model against bullying and cyberbullying carried out with Italian adolescents. The evaluation of the project was made through an experimental design consisting of a pre-test and a post-test. Participants in the study were 375 adolescents (20.3% males), enrolled in 9th to 13th grades. The experimental group involved 231 students with 42 peer educators, and the control group involved 144 students. Results showed a significant decrease in the experimental group as compared to the control group for all the variables except for cyberbullying. Besides, in the experimental group we found a significant increase in adaptive coping strategies like problem solving and a significant decrease in maladaptive coping strategies like avoidance: these changes mediate the changes in the behavioural variables. In particular, the decrease in avoidance predicts the decrease in victimization and cybervictimization for peer educators and for the other students in the experimental classes whereas the increase in problem solving predicts the decrease in cyberbullying only in the peer educators group. Results are discussed following recent reviews on evidence based efficacy of peer led models.

Basic echocardiography for undergraduate students: a comparison of different peer-teaching approaches.

PubMed

Gradl-Dietsch, G; Menon, A K; Gürsel, A; Götzenich, A; Hatam, N; Aljalloud, A; Schrading, S; Hölzl, F; Knobe, M

2018-02-01

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of different teaching interventions in a peer-teaching environment on basic echocardiography skills and to examine the influence of gender on learning outcomes. We randomly assigned 79 s year medical students (55 women, 24 men) to one of four groups: peer teaching (PT), peer teaching using Peyton's four-step approach (PPT), team based learning (TBL) and video-based learning (VBL). All groups received theoretical and practical hands-on training according to the different approaches. Using a pre-post-design we assessed differences in theoretical knowledge [multiple choice (MC) exam], practical skills (Objective Structured Practical Examination, OSPE) and evaluation results with respect to gender. There was a significant gain in theoretical knowledge for all students. There were no relevant differences between the four groups regarding the MC exam and OSPE results. The majority of students achieved good or very good results. Acceptance of the peer-teaching concept was moderate and all students preferred medical experts to peer tutors even though the overall rating of the instructors was fairly good. Students in the Video group would have preferred a different training method. There was no significant effect of gender on evaluation results. Using different peer-teaching concepts proved to be effective in teaching basic echocardiography. Gender does not seem to have an impact on effectiveness of the instructional approach. Qualitative analysis revealed limited acceptance of peer teaching and especially of video-based instruction.

Peer-led prenatal breast-feeding education: a viable alternative to nurse-led education.

PubMed

Rempel, Lynn A; Moore, Katrina C J

2012-02-01

To evaluate a prenatal breast-feeding class developed and facilitated by peer Breast-feeding Buddies. Non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental study comparing participants of the peer-led class (PLC) to those attending an established hospital-based breast-feeding nurse-led class (NLC). A brief questionnaire was completed immediately prior to the class, and telephone interviews were conducted approximately one week following the class, and one and six months post partum. 54 expectant mothers who registered for the community PLC and 55 expectant mothers who registered for the NLC. Breast-feeding intentions were measured at all time-points. Class evaluations, breast-feeding experiences, and breast-feeding support were measured at all post-class interviews. Both classes were considered worthwhile, but the PLC class was rated as more helpful and participants appreciated learning from the peers' personal experiences. Mothers taught by peers were more likely to access peer breast-feeding support. PLC participants initially decreased their prenatal breast-feeding duration intentions but had significantly stronger intentions to continue breast feeding at six months than did NLC mothers. A peer-led prenatal breast-feeding class is as effective as a traditional model of breast-feeding education and is a valuable tool to promote and support successful breast feeding. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Peer-led breast-feeding classes should be provided to enhance the accessibility of breast-feeding education and support for expectant mothers. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clark County, Nevada's Assessment of Land Use Conflicts Resulting from Shipments to Yucca Mountain

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Christiansen, N.W.; Navis, I.; Matranga, E.

2007-07-01

This paper should help the reader understand the impact that the proposed Yucca Mountain spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste shipping campaign by rail and truck may have on the 'present and future uses of the land' that are impacted by these shipments in the Las Vegas Metropolitan area. In the FEIS, DOE states that, 'information useful for an evaluation of land-use and ownership impacts should identify the current ownership of the land that its activities could disturb, and the present and anticipated future uses of the land' (emphasis added). As stated, any information that helps evaluate the land usemore » and ownership impacts needs to look at the present and anticipated uses of the land. This paper looks at the change occurring in Clark County, specifically in the Las Vegas Metropolitan area, in regards to the anticipated use of the land. (authors)« less

Peer-supported review of teaching: an evaluation.

PubMed

Thampy, Harish; Bourke, Michael; Naran, Prasheena

2015-09-01

Peer-supported review (also called peer observation) of teaching is a commonly implemented method of ascertaining teaching quality that supplements student feedback. A large variety of scheme formats with rather differing purposes are described in the literature. They range from purely formative, developmental formats that facilitate a tutor's reflection of their own teaching to reaffirm strengths and identify potential areas for development through to faculty- or institution-driven summative quality assurance-based schemes. Much of the current literature in this field focuses within general higher education and on the development of rating scales, checklists or observation tools to help guide the process. This study reports findings from a qualitative evaluation of a purely formative peer-supported review of teaching scheme that was implemented for general practice clinical tutors at our medical school and describes tutors' attitudes and perceived benefits and challenges when undergoing observation.

There is no ``I'' in referee: Why referees should be anonymous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ucko, Daniel

2015-03-01

From the early days of modern science, it has been recognized that scientific claims must be verified by someone who is not the maker of those claims, and who furthermore has no stake in the matter. In other words, claims need to be evaluated objectively, by the community. The way in which this tends to be done is by peer review conducted by journals. Peer review as currently practiced touches on the themes of trust, where the trust is in institutions and procedures that emerge from expert communities. The practice of peer review is viewed as a citizenly duty of scientists in the scientific community, because all scientists take turns serving either as authors, referees, and editors in the peer review process We lack the resources to have a work evaluated by the entire community, so we substitute with a representative. Yet, in most examples of scientific review, the referee or referees are anonymous. This question is particularly important when the peer review process is brought to bear in order to evaluate matters beyond scientific validity, more ``subjective'' criteria such as relative importance, broadness of interest - criteria that do not appear to have an objective standard of comparison and validation. I will show that the anonymity of referees, far from endangering this trust, actually strengthens it. I will show that this anonymity is crucial in order to maintain any objectivity in scientific peer review, and why authors should not try to unmask the referee. Also at American Physical Society (APS).

[Peer training for patients with diabetes mellitus 2. A quantitative and qualitative evaluation in the Basque Country and Andalusia].

PubMed

Danet, Alina; Prieto Rodríguez, María Ángeles; Gamboa Moreno, Estibaliz; Ochoa de Retana Garcia, Lourdes; March Cerdà, Joan Carles

2016-10-01

To evaluate a peer training strategy for patients with type2 diabetes mellitus, developed in two training programmes in the Basque Country and Andalusia. Quantitative pre- and post-intervention and qualitative evaluation, developed between 2012 and 2014. The Basque Country and Andalusia. A total of 409 patients and trainer-patients, participating in self-management peer training programmes. Intentional sample of 44 patients for the qualitative study. Bivariate analysis and net gains for common variables used in questionnaires in the Basque Country and Andalusia: self-reported health, daily activities, physical activity, use of health services, and self-management. Content analysis of 8 focus groups with patients and trainer-patients, including: coding, categorisation, and triangulation of results. Peer training has a positive impact on physical activity, the use of health services, and self-management, with some gender differences. The peer-training strategy is considered positive, as it strengthens the patient-health provider relationship, generates group support and self-confidence, and improves the emotional management. Patients identify two areas of potential improvement: access and continuity of training strategies, and more support and recognition from health providers and institutions. The positive impact on health and quality of life that this patient peer-training provides, requires the collaboration of health professionals and institutions, which should improve the access, continuity and adaptation to patient needs and expectations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

The role of social networks in physical and relational aggression among young adolescents.

PubMed

Low, Sabina; Polanin, Joshua R; Espelage, Dorothy L

2013-07-01

Despite the veritable influence of the peer context on the elaboration of adolescent aggression, few studies of relational aggression have directly identified and measured peer groups, limiting our ability to draw formal conclusions about the level and nature of peer influence. The current study used a developmental framework to examine peer group influence on individual levels of physical and relational aggression over a year with 6th and 7th grade students (n = 346, 51 % female). A multilevel network approach was used in which peer groups were identified via social network analysis, and peer group influence was evaluated with hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). HLM analyses indicated that peer group aggression (physical and relational) at time 1 was predictive of individual aggression levels at time 2 after controlling for other peer group characteristics as well as other individual risk and protective factors. Although both forms of aggression were embedded in peer networks, findings suggest that physical aggression is relatively less endemic to peer networks, and is more likely to occur in smaller, predominantly male networks. The current study highlights the importance of understanding the influence of peer group membership on adolescent aggression and points to important implications for prevention.

Attachment to Conventional Institutions and Adolescent Rapid Repeat Pregnancy: A Longitudinal National Study Among Adolescents in the United States.

PubMed

Reese, Bianka M; Halpern, Carolyn T

2017-01-01

Introduction There is limited research on rapid repeat pregnancies (RRP) among adolescents, especially using nationally representative samples. We examine distal factors-school, family, peers, and public/private religious ties-and their associations with RRP among adolescent mothers. Methods Guided by social development theory, we conducted multivariate logistic regression analyses, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, to examine associations between RRP and attachment to school, family, peers, and religion among 1158 female respondents from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) who reported at least one live birth before age 20. Results Attachments to conventional institutions were associated with lower likelihood of RRP. Adolescent mothers who had a stronger relationship with their parents had reduced odds of RRP (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.83, 95 % CI 0.71-0.99). Increased odds of RRP were associated with anticipating fewer negative social consequences of sex (aOR 1.18, 95 % CI 1.02-1.35), never praying (versus praying daily; aOR 1.47, 95 % CI 1.10-1.96), and never participating in church-related youth activities (versus participating once a week; 1.04, 95 % CI 1.01-1.07). Discussion After an adolescent birth, social support from family, peers, and the community can benefit young mothers. Private aspects of religiosity may be especially important. Understanding the processes by which these distal factors are linked to the likelihood of RRP is needed to create multifaceted intervention programs that provide diverse methods of support customized to specific circumstances of adolescent mothers.

Attachment to Conventional Institutions and Adolescent Rapid Repeat Pregnancy: A Longitudinal National Study among Adolescents in the United States

PubMed Central

Reese, Bianka M.; Halpern, Carolyn T.

2016-01-01

Introduction There is limited research on rapid repeat pregnancies (RRP) among adolescents, especially using nationally representative samples. We examine distal factors—school, family, peers, and public/private religious ties—and their associations with RRP among adolescent mothers. Methods Guided by social development theory, we conducted multivariate logistic regression analyses, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, to examine associations between RRP and attachment to school, family, peers, and religion among 1,158 female respondents from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) who reported at least one live birth before age 20. Results Attachments to conventional institutions were associated with lower likelihood of RRP. Adolescent mothers who had a stronger relationship with their parents had reduced odds of RRP (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.83, 95% CI 0.71-0.99). Increased odds of RRP were associated with anticipating fewer negative social consequences of sex (aOR 1.18, 95% CI 1.02-1.35), never praying (versus praying daily; aOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.10-1.96), and never participating in church-related youth activities (versus participating once a week; 1.04, 95% CI 1.01-1.07). Discussion After an adolescent birth, social support from family, peers, and the community can benefit young mothers. Private aspects of religiosity may be especially important. Understanding the processes by which these distal factors are linked to the likelihood of RRP is needed to create multifaceted intervention programs that provide diverse methods of support customized to specific circumstances of adolescent mothers. PMID:27475827

Contextual Influences on Early Drinking: Characteristics of Drinking and Non-Drinking Days

PubMed Central

Jackson, Kristina M.; Merrill, Jennifer E.; Barnett, Nancy P.; Colby, Suzanne M.; Abar, Caitlin C.; Rogers, Michelle L.; Hayes, Kerri L.

2016-01-01

Research characterizing the adolescent drinking context is limited, often relies on samples of current drinkers reporting on recent/last or typical drinking experiences, and provides little information about the context of very early use. The present study uses repeated monthly assessments to describe the context of drinking days and matched non-drinking days to determine the unique risk associated with different drinking-related characteristics. Additionally, we used latent class analysis to empirically identify key configurations of drinking-related characteristics and both family- and non-family-related environmental characteristics (social context, physical location, source of alcohol). Data included 688 days (344 drinking days, 344 non-drinking days) from 164 middle-school students enrolled in a prospective study on drinking initiation and progression (62% female; 26% non-White, 11% Hispanic). Results supported four patterns: (1) heavier drinking occurring in a peer context, lighter drinking occurring in (2) a family context or (3) a peer context, and (4) drinking alcohol obtained at home without permission. Latent classes varied as a function of gender, age, peer norms, and parenting behaviors as well as alcohol type and perceived alcohol availability. Findings indicated that highly endorsed contexts were not necessarily the riskiest ones, and simply targeting an oft-reported source of alcohol, physical location, or social context may not be an effective strategy for reducing underage drinking. Additionally, although greater monitoring and anticipated parent reaction to drinking are typically protective against adolescent drinking, we found they were associated with parent-sanctioned drinking, suggesting the role of parenting practices must be considered in the context of drinking pattern. PMID:27269292

The Anticipated Effects of Alcohol Scale: Development and Psychometric Evaluation of a Novel Assessment Tool for Measuring Alcohol Expectancies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morean, Meghan E.; Corbin, William R.; Treat, Teresa A.

2012-01-01

Alcohol expectancy (AEs) research has enhanced our understanding of how anticipated alcohol effects confer risk for heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems. However, extant AE measures have limitations within 1 or more of the following areas: assessing a comprehensive range of effects, specifying the hypothetical number of drinks consumed,…

Peer support to improve diabetes care: an implementation evaluation of the Australasian Peers for Progress Diabetes Program.

PubMed

Aziz, Zahra; Riddell, Michaela A; Absetz, Pilvikki; Brand, Margaret; Oldenburg, Brian

2018-02-17

Several studies have now demonstrated the benefits of peer support in promoting diabetes control. The aim of this study is to evaluate the implementation of a cluster randomised controlled trial of a group-based, peer support program to improve diabetes self-management and thereby, diabetes control in people with Type 2 Diabetes in Victoria, Australia. The intervention program was designed to address four key peer support functions i.e. 1) assistance in daily management, 2) social and emotional support, 3) regular linkage to clinical care, and 4) ongoing and sustained support to assist with the lifelong needs of diabetes self-care management. The intervention participants attended monthly group meetings facilitated by a trained peer leader for 12 months. Data was collected on the intervention's reach, participation, implementation fidelity, groups' effectiveness and participants' perceived support and satisfaction with the intervention. The RE-AIM and PIPE frameworks were used to guide this evaluation. The trial reached a high proportion (79%) of its target population through mailed invitations. Out of a total of 441 eligible individuals, 273 (61.9%) were willing to participate. The intervention fidelity was high (92.7%). The proportion of successful participants who demonstrated a reduction in 5 years cardiovascular disease risk score was 65.1 and 44.8% in the intervention and control arm respectively. Ninety-four percent (94%) of the intervention participants stated that the program helped them manage their diabetes on a day to day basis. Overall, attending monthly group meetings provided 'a lot of support' to 57% and 'moderate' support to 34% of the participants. Peer support programs are feasible, acceptable and can be used to supplement treatment for patients motivated to improve behaviours related to diabetes. However, program planners need to focus on the participation component in designing future programs. The use of two evaluation frameworks allowed a comprehensive evaluation of the trial from the provider-, participant- and public health perspective. The learnings gained from this evaluation will guide and improve future implementation by improving program feasibility for adoption and acceptability among participants, and will ultimately increase the likelihood of program effectiveness for the participants. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12609000469213 . Registered 16 June 2009.

A youth-led reproductive health program in a university setting.

PubMed

Djalalinia, Shirin; Ramezani Tehrani, Fahimeh; Malekafzali, Hossein; Hashemi, Zeynab; Peykari, Niloofar

2015-01-01

Reproductive health problems affect youths in all countries. There is an urgent need to enhance youths reproductive health services to provide a healthy life for this group. In this regard, the present study aimed to evaluate the Reproductive Health Peer Education Program based on the opinion of university students. This interventional study was conducted in Qazvin University of Medical Sciences through the peer education method. The participants of this study were 24 peer educators who received training in a 40 hour peer educator training course. The peer education program was implemented in the university. In order to evaluate this community- based intervention, 329 students were selected through the stratified sampling method and their opinion was assessed. Descriptive statistical methods were used by SPSS software for data analysis. The results of the study revealed that peer education was accepted by 64.7% (n= 213) of the students, according to their opinion. The educational priorities of the students were as follows: pre-marriage counseling (78%, n= 166); STI/AIDS (17%, n= 36); and contraception (5%, n= 11). The peer education program was recognized as the most required reproductive health service in the university by 55.3% (n= 118) of the students. They believed that the most important duties of the peer educators were: education (33.5%, n= 71); counseling (30.4%, n= 65); referring to a counseling center (21.6%, n= 46) and referring to a therapeutic center (14.5%, n= 31). Also, the students stated that confidentiality (53%, n= 113), suitable communication (26%, n= 55) and sufficient knowledge (21%, n= 45) were desired characteristics for the peer educators. According to the students' opinion, peer education could provide suitable reproductive health services and could also be beneficial for reproductive health promotion and might reinforce positive behaviors in youths. Reproductive health peer- counseling is a sensitive process, and it is best to be conducted under the supervision of specialists.

[Peer teaching and peer assessment are appropriate tools in medical education in otorhinolaryngology].

PubMed

Kemper, M; Linke, J; Zahnert, T; Neudert, M

2014-06-01

The use of student tutors (peers) is an accepted method in medical education. In 2011, final year students of the otorhinolaryngology (ORL) department of the University Hospital in Dresden were appointed as peers for the clinical ORL examination. They assisted in the instruction of the clinical ORL examination (peer teaching, PT) and served as examiners (peer assessment, PA) in the final objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). The effect on the quality of education and examination was examined. 248 medical students (5(th) year) were divided in 2 groups. They were trained and finally examined in the standardized clinical ORL examination by peers and/or physicians. Group I (n=118) was exclusively trained and examined by physicians and group II (n=130) by peers and physicians. The results of the OSCE were stratified for the 2 groups and in group II for the subgroups according to the instructors' and examiners' qualification (peer or physician). The students evaluated the internship and the instructors' and examiners' quality with a validated questionnaire. In the OSCE, group I scored in the mean 59.9±4.9 points (max. 65). In group II the mean score was 58.3±4.3 points examined by the peers and 59.5±4.8 points for same performance assessed by the physicians. There were no statistical significant differences in the examination results when stratified for the instructors' and examiners' qualification. The evaluation results were consistently positive and identical when compared to the previous year without use of PT and PA and between the 2 groups and subgroups. When using a standardized clinical examination routine peers can be used for PT and PA to appropriate tools in student's medical education without any decrease in the teaching and examination quality. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Children's and Adolescents' Reasons for Socially Excluding Others

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Recchia, Holly E.; Brehl, Beverly A.; Wainryb, Cecilia

2012-01-01

The goal of this study was to investigate children's descriptions and evaluations of their reasons for leaving others out of a peer group. A total of 84 children (divided into 7-, 11-, and 17-year-old age groups) provided a narrative account of a time they excluded a peer and were subsequently asked to evaluate their reasons for exclusion. With…

The Judge Specificity of Evaluations of Youth Social Behavior: The Case of Peer Provocation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dirks, Melanie A.; Treat, Teresa A.; Weersing, V. Robin

2010-01-01

Increasingly, theorists have suggested that social competence is an evaluative construct that will vary as a function of who is judging behavior. This study examined how two key groups in children's social environments--peers (N = 663, age range = 10.83-15.25 years) and teachers (N = 49)--rated the effectiveness of different behaviors generated by…

Evaluating Student Motivation in Organic Chemistry Courses: Moving from a Lecture-Based to a Flipped Approach with Peer-Led Team Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Yujuan; Raker, Jeffrey R.; Lewis, Jennifer E.

2018-01-01

Academic Motivation Scale-Chemistry (AMS-Chemistry), an instrument based on the self-determination theory, was used to evaluate students' motivation in two organic chemistry courses, where one course was primarily lecture-based and the other implemented flipped classroom and peer-led team learning (Flip-PLTL) pedagogies. Descriptive statistics…

Peer Mentoring during the Transition to University: Assessing the Usage of a Formal Scheme within the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collings, Rosalyn; Swanson, Vivien; Watkins, Ruth

2016-01-01

Although mentoring has become increasingly popular within UK higher education, there is little evaluative research. The current longitudinal study aimed to evaluate the usage of a peer mentoring scheme during a first semester at university amongst 124 students. Results indicate that during the first week at university the majority accessed the…