Evaluation of distributed practice schedules on retention of a newly acquired surgical skill: a randomized trial.

PubMed

Mitchell, Erica L; Lee, Dae Y; Sevdalis, Nick; Partsafas, Aaron W; Landry, Gregory J; Liem, Timothy K; Moneta, Gregory L

2011-01-01

practice influences new skill acquisition. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate the impact of practice distribution (weekly vs monthly) on complex motor skill (end-side vascular anastomosis) acquisition and 4-month retention. twenty-four surgical interns were randomly assigned to weekly training for 4 weeks or monthly training for 4 months, with equal total training times. Performance was assessed before training, immediately after training, after the completion of distributed training, and 4 months later. there was no statistical difference in surgical skill acquisition and retention between the weekly and monthly scheduled groups, as measured by procedural checklist scores, global rating scores of operative performance, final product analysis, and overall performance or assessment of operative "competence." distributed practice results in improvement and retention of a newly acquired surgical skill independent of weekly or monthly practice schedules. Flexibility in a surgical skills laboratory curriculum is possible without adversely affecting training. 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Regional Differences in Brain Volume Predict the Acquisition of Skill in a Complex Real-Time Strategy Videogame

PubMed Central

Basak, Chandramallika; Voss, Michelle W.; Erickson, Kirk I.; Boot, Walter R.; Kramer, Arthur F.

2015-01-01

Previous studies have found that differences in brain volume among older adults predict performance in laboratory tasks of executive control, memory, and motor learning. In the present study we asked whether regional differences in brain volume as assessed by the application of a voxel-based morphometry technique on high resolution MRI would also be useful in predicting the acquisition of skill in complex tasks, such as strategy-based video games. Twenty older adults were trained for over 20 hours to play Rise of Nations, a complex real-time strategy game. These adults showed substantial improvements over the training period in game performance. MRI scans obtained prior to training revealed that the volume of a number of brain regions, which have been previously associated with subsets of the trained skills, predicted a substantial amount of variance in learning on the complex game. Thus, regional differences in brain volume can predict learning in complex tasks that entail the use of a variety of perceptual, cognitive and motor processes. PMID:21546146

Regional differences in brain volume predict the acquisition of skill in a complex real-time strategy videogame.

PubMed

Basak, Chandramallika; Voss, Michelle W; Erickson, Kirk I; Boot, Walter R; Kramer, Arthur F

2011-08-01

Previous studies have found that differences in brain volume among older adults predict performance in laboratory tasks of executive control, memory, and motor learning. In the present study we asked whether regional differences in brain volume as assessed by the application of a voxel-based morphometry technique on high resolution MRI would also be useful in predicting the acquisition of skill in complex tasks, such as strategy-based video games. Twenty older adults were trained for over 20 h to play Rise of Nations, a complex real-time strategy game. These adults showed substantial improvements over the training period in game performance. MRI scans obtained prior to training revealed that the volume of a number of brain regions, which have been previously associated with subsets of the trained skills, predicted a substantial amount of variance in learning on the complex game. Thus, regional differences in brain volume can predict learning in complex tasks that entail the use of a variety of perceptual, cognitive and motor processes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Computer-Based Assessment of Complex Problem Solving and How It Is Influenced by Students' Information and Communication Technology Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greiff, Samuel; Kretzschmar, André; Müller, Jonas C.; Spinath, Birgit; Martin, Romain

2014-01-01

The 21st-century work environment places strong emphasis on nonroutine transversal skills. In an educational context, complex problem solving (CPS) is generally considered an important transversal skill that includes knowledge acquisition and its application in new and interactive situations. The dynamic and interactive nature of CPS requires a…

Acquisition of a Complex Basketball-Dribbling Task in School Children as a Function of Bilateral Practice Order

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stockel, Tino; Weigelt, Matthias; Krug, Jurgen

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate order-of-practice effects for the acquisition of a complex basketball skill in a bilateral transfer paradigm. The task required participants to dribble as fast as possible in slalom-like movements across six javelins and return to the initial position. Fifty-two right-handed school children (M age =…

Acquisition and performance of a problem-solving skill.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morgan, B. B., Jr.; Alluisi, E. A.

1971-01-01

The acquisition of skill in the performance of a three-phase code transformation task (3P-COTRAN) was studied with 20 subjects who solved 27 3P-COTRAN problems during each of 8 successive sessions. The purpose of the study was to determine the changes in the 3P-COTRAN factor structure resulting from practice, the distribution of practice-related gains in performance over the nine measures of the five 3P-COTRAN factors, and the effects of transformation complexities on the 3P-COTRAN performance of subjects. A significant performance gain due to practice was observed, with improvements in speed continuing even when accuracy reached asymptotic levels. Transformation complexity showed no effect on early performances but the 3- and 4-element transformations were solved quicker than the 5-element transformation in the problem-solving Phase III of later skilled performances.

Development and Validation of the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Skills Questionnaire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacob, Karen L.; Christopher, Michael S.; Neuhaus, Edmund C.

2011-01-01

Although several theories exist to describe why patients improve in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), in only a limited number of studies has CBT skill acquisition been examined, particularly among patients with complex clinical profiles. Thus, the overarching aim of this research was to develop a tool to measure patients' use of CBT skills,…

Ability/Motivation Interactions in Complex Skill Acquisition

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-04-28

attentional resources. Finally, in the declarative knowledge phase, performance is slow and error prone. Once the learner has come to an adequate cognitive...mediation by the learner. After a substantial amount of consistent task practice, skilled performance becomes fast , accurate, and the task can often be

Toward meaningful outcomes in teaching conversation and greeting skills with individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Hood, Stephanie A; Luczynski, Kevin C; Mitteer, Daniel R

2017-07-01

We identified greeting and conversation deficits based on a parent interview and semistructured direct assessment for one child and two adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. We taught the greeting and conversation skills using behavioral skills training and within-session corrective feedback. A multiple baseline across conversation and greeting skills demonstrated experimental control over the effects of the teaching on acquisition and generalization to novel adults. We also conducted embedded reversals to assess maintenance of the acquired skills. Teaching produced robust acquisition, generalization, maintenance, and treatment extension for 15 of the 16 targeted skills across participants. Participant and parent reports indicated high levels of social validity for the intervention and outcomes. The results support individualized assessment and intervention for improving greeting and conversation skills during unscripted interactions, which are requisite for more extended and complex social interactions. © 2017 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

The Effectiveness of the Geritalk Communication Skills Course: A Real-Time Assessment of Skill Acquisition and Deliberate Practice

PubMed Central

Gelfman, Laura P.; Lindenberger, Elizabeth; Fernandez, Helen; Goldberg, Gabrielle R.; Lim, Betty B.; Litrivis, Evgenia; O’Neill, Lynn; Smith, Cardinale B.; Kelley, Amy S.

2014-01-01

Background Communication skills are critical in Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine because these patients confront complex clinical scenarios. We evaluated effectiveness of the Geritalk communication skills course by comparing pre- and post-course real-time assessment of participants leading family meetings. We also evaluated the participants’ sustained skills practice. Measures We compare participants’ skill acquisition before and after Geritalk using a direct observation Family Meeting Communication Assessment Tool, and assessed their deliberate practice at follow-up. Intervention First-year Geriatrics or Palliative Medicine fellows at Mount Sinai Medical Center and the James J. Peters Bronx VA Medical Center participated in Geritalk. Outcomes Pre- and post-course family meeting assessments were compared. An average net gain of 6.8 skills represented a greater than 20% improvement in use of applicable skills. At two-month follow-up, most participants reported deliberate practice of fundamental and advanced skills. Conclusions This intensive training and family meeting assessment offers evidence-based communication skills training. PMID:24681183

The effectiveness of the Geritalk communication skills course: a real-time assessment of skill acquisition and deliberate practice.

PubMed

Gelfman, Laura P; Lindenberger, Elizabeth; Fernandez, Helen; Goldberg, Gabrielle R; Lim, Betty B; Litrivis, Evgenia; O'Neill, Lynn; Smith, Cardinale B; Kelley, Amy S

2014-10-01

Communication skills are critical in Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine because these patients confront complex clinical scenarios. We evaluated the effectiveness of the Geritalk communication skills course by comparing pre- and post-course real-time assessment of the participants leading family meetings. We also evaluated the participants' sustained skills practice. We compare the participants' skill acquisition before and after Geritalk using a direct observation Family Meeting Communication Assessment Tool and assess their deliberate practice at follow-up. First-year Geriatrics or Palliative Medicine fellows at Mount Sinai Medical Center and the James J. Peters Bronx VA Medical Center participated in Geritalk. Pre- and post-course family meeting assessments were compared. An average net gain of 6.8 skills represented a greater than 20% improvement in use of applicable skills. At two month follow-up, most participants reported deliberate practice of fundamental and advanced skills. This intensive training and family meeting assessment offers evidence-based communication skills training. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Reading Comprehension and Immersion Schooling: Evidence from Component Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Laura Birke; Morales, Julia; Macizo, Pedro; Duñabeitia, Jon Andoni; Saldaña, David; Carreiras, Manuel; Fuentes, Luis J.; Bajo, M. Teresa

2017-01-01

The present research aims to assess literacy acquisition in children becoming bilingual via second language immersion in school. We adopt a cognitive components approach, assessing text-level reading comprehension, a complex literacy skill, as well as underlying cognitive and linguistic components in 144 children aged 7 to 14 (72 immersion…

The generalizability of working-memory capacity in the sport domain.

PubMed

Buszard, Tim; Masters, Rich Sw; Farrow, Damian

2017-08-01

Working-memory capacity has been implicated as an influential variable when performing and learning sport-related skills. In this review, we critically evaluate evidence linking working-memory capacity with performing under pressure, tactical decision making, motor skill acquisition, and sport expertise. Laboratory experiments link low working-memory capacity with poorer performance under pressure and poorer decision making when required to inhibit distractions or resolve conflict. However, the generalizability of these findings remains unknown. While working-memory capacity is associated with the acquisition of simple motor skills, there is no such evidence from the available data for complex motor skills. Likewise, currently there is no evidence to suggest that a larger working-memory capacity facilitates the attainment of sport expertise. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modularity and hierarchical organization of action programs in children's acquisition of graphic skills.

PubMed

Manoel, Edison de J; Dantas, Luiz; Gimenez, Roberto; de Oliveira, Dalton Lustosa

2011-10-01

The organization of actions is based on modules in memory as a result of practice, easing the demand of performing more complex actions. If this modularization occurs, the elements of the module must remain invariant in new tasks. To test this hypothesis, 35 children, age 10 yr., practiced a graphic criterion task on a digital tablet and completed a complex graphic task enclosing the previous one. Total movement and pause times to draw the figure indicated skill acquisition. A module was identified by the variability of relative timing, pause time, and sequencing. Total movement to perform the criterion task did not increase significantly when it was embedded in the more complex task. Modularity was evidenced by the stability of relative timing and pause time and sequencing. The spatial position of new elements did not perturb the module, so the grammar of action may still have been forming.

Effects of Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation on Neurosurgical Skill Acquisition: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Ciechanski, Patrick; Cheng, Adam; Lopushinsky, Steven; Hecker, Kent; Gan, Liu Shi; Lang, Stefan; Zareinia, Kourosh; Kirton, Adam

2017-12-01

Recent changes in surgical training environments may have limited opportunities for trainees to gain proficiency in skill. Complex skills such as neurosurgery require extended periods of training. Methods to enhance surgical training are required to overcome duty-hour restrictions, to ensure the acquisition of skill proficiency. Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) can enhance motor skill learning, but is untested in surgical procedural training. We aimed to determine the effects of tDCS on simulation-based neurosurgical skill acquisition. Medical students were trained to acquire tumor resection skills using a virtual reality neurosurgical simulator. The primary outcome of change in tumor resection was scored at baseline, over 8 repetitions, post-training, and again at 6 weeks. Participants received anodal tDCS or sham over the primary motor cortex. Secondary outcomes included changes in brain resected, resection effectiveness, duration of excessive forces (EF) applied, and resection efficiency. Additional outcomes included tDCS tolerability. Twenty-two students consented to participate, with no dropouts over the course of the trial. Participants receiving tDCS intervention increased the amount of tumor resected, increased the effectiveness of resection, reduced the duration of EF applied, and improved resection efficiency. Little or no decay was observed at 6 weeks in both groups. No adverse events were documented, and sensation severity did not differ between stimulation groups. The addition of tDCS to neurosurgical training may enhance skill acquisition in a simulation-based environment. Trials of additional skills in high-skill residents, and translation to nonsimulated performance are needed to determine the potential utility of tDCS in surgical training. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gross-Motor Skill Acquisition by Preschool Dance Students under Self-Instruction Procedures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vintere, Parsla; Hemmes, Nancy S.; Brown, Bruce L.; Poulson, Claire L.

2004-01-01

The effects of two training procedures -- (a) modeling and praise and (b) self-instruction, modeling, and praise -- on complex gross-motor chain acquisition for preschool dance class students were evaluated. Six girls participated in the study. A multiple baseline design across six gross-motor chains with a secondary group comparison for treatment…

How to Study the Influence of Intensity of Treatment on Generalized Skill and Knowledge Acquisition in Students with Disabilities

PubMed Central

Yoder, Paul J.; Woynaroski, Tiffany

2014-01-01

Seven empirical studies from this special issue and an overview chapter are reviewed to illustrate several points about studying the possible effects of treatment intensity manipulations on generalized skill or knowledge acquisition in students with disabilities. First, we make a case in favor of studying intensity as separate from complexity and expense of treatment. Second, we encourage researchers to define dependent variables in a way that allows us to determine whether treatment intensity effects on child skills and knowledge are highly generalized versus potentially context bound. Third, we acknowledge that effects of treatment intensity on generalized knowledge and skills likely vary according to student characteristics. Finally, we discuss important research design and measurement issues that are relevant to isolating the likely conditional effects of treatment intensity on generalized outcomes. PMID:25914513

An extension of incidental teaching procedures to reading instruction for autistic children.

PubMed Central

McGee, G G; Krantz, P J; McClannahan, L E

1986-01-01

In an extension of incidental teaching procedures to reading instruction, two autistic children acquired functional sight-word reading skills in the context of a play activity. Children gained access to preferred toys by selecting the label of the toy in tasks requiring increasingly complex visual discriminations. In addition to demonstrating rapid acquisition of 5-choice discriminations, they showed comprehension on probes requiring reading skills to locate toys stored in labeled boxes. Also examined was postteaching transfer across stimulus materials and response modalities. Implications are that extensions of incidental teaching to new response classes may produce the same benefits documented in communication training, in terms of producing generalization concurrent with skill acquisition in the course of child-preferred activities. PMID:3733586

Intelligence, Academic Self-Concept, and Information Literacy: The Role of Adequate Perceptions of Academic Ability in the Acquisition of Knowledge about Information Searching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosman, Tom; Mayer, Anne-Kathrin; Krampen, Günter

2015-01-01

Introduction: The present paper argues that adequate self-perceptions of academic ability are essential for students' realization of their intellectual potential, thereby fostering learning of complex skills, e.g., information-seeking skills. Thus, academic self-concept should moderate the relationship between intelligence and information…

Transfer of Learning. [Concurrent Symposium Session at AHRD Annual Conference, 1998.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1998

This document contains four papers from a symposium on transfer of learning. "The Effect of a Mastery Practice Design on Learning and Transfer in Behavior Modeling Training of Supervisory Listening Skills" (Gary L. May) reports on a case-control study that drew from research in the cognitive sciences on complex skill acquisition to create a…

Teaching Complex Activities to Students with Moderate Handicaps through the Forward Chaining of Shorter Total Cycle Response Sequences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McWilliams, Renee; And Others

1990-01-01

Three adolescents with moderate mental handicaps were taught bedmaking skills through a technique which involved dividing the entire chain into sections, teaching the first section in a total cycle fashion, and adding instruction on subsequent sections in a forward chaining manner. The technique promoted skill acquisition and substantial…

The Influence of Live- vs. Video-Model Presentation on the Early Acquisition of a New Complex Coordination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lhuisset, Léna; Margnes, Eric

2015-01-01

Background: Demonstration is a widely used method in sports teaching and coaching, based on the assumption that it is more beneficial than verbal instructions or trial-and-error methods for skill acquisition. Although in teaching/coaching situations, the demonstration is usually carried out in front of the learners, in a research context, it is…

Content Validity of Game-Based Assessment: Case Study of a Serious Game for ICT Managers in Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hummel, Hans G. K.; Joosten-ten Brinke, Desirée; Nadolski, Rob J.; Baartman, Liesbeth K. J.

2017-01-01

Serious games foster the acquisition of complex problem-solving skills. Assessment of such skills should be in line with instruction, and within a serious game environment its content validity should equal face-to-face assessment. Research on assessment in serious gaming has remained rather scarce. This article shows how assessment can be…

Skill Acquisition and Utilization During Evidence-Based Psychosocial Treatments for Childhood Disruptive Behavior Problems: A Review and Meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Higa, Janelle; Trentacosta, Christopher J.; Herschell, Amy D.; Kolko, David J.

2013-01-01

We review 85 empirical articles published since 2000 that measured the acquisition and/or utilization of parent management skills and/or child cognitive-behavioral skills in the context of an evidence-based treatment (EBT) for childhood behavior problems. Results showed that: (1) there are no standardized measures of skill acquisition or skill utilization that are used across treatments, (2) little is known about predictors, correlates, or outcomes associated with skill acquisition and utilization, and (3) few studies systematically examined techniques to enhance the acquisition and utilization of specific skills. Meta-analytic results from a subset of 68 articles (59 studies) showed an overall treatment–control ES =.31, p < .01 for skill acquisition and ES =.20, p = ns for skill utilization. We recommend that future research focus on the following three areas: (1) development of standardized measures of skill acquisition and utilization from a “common elements” perspective that can used across EBTs; (2) assessment of the predictors, correlates, and outcomes associated with skill acquisition and utilization; and (3) development of innovative interventions to enhance the acquisition and utilization of cognitive-behavioral and parent management skills. PMID:23649324

Examining neural correlates of skill acquisition in a complex videogame training program.

PubMed

Prakash, Ruchika S; De Leon, Angeline A; Mourany, Lyla; Lee, Hyunkyu; Voss, Michelle W; Boot, Walter R; Basak, Chandramallika; Fabiani, Monica; Gratton, Gabriele; Kramer, Arthur F

2012-01-01

Acquisition of complex skills is a universal feature of human behavior that has been conceptualized as a process that starts with intense resource dependency, requires effortful cognitive control, and ends in relative automaticity on the multi-faceted task. The present study examined the effects of different theoretically based training strategies on cortical recruitment during acquisition of complex video game skills. Seventy-five participants were recruited and assigned to one of three training groups: (1) Fixed Emphasis Training (FET), in which participants practiced the game, (2) Hybrid Variable-Priority Training (HVT), in which participants practiced using a combination of part-task training and variable priority training, or (3) a Control group that received limited game play. After 30 h of training, game data indicated a significant advantage for the two training groups relative to the control group. The HVT group demonstrated enhanced benefits of training, as indexed by an improvement in overall game score and a reduction in cortical recruitment post-training. Specifically, while both groups demonstrated a significant reduction of activation in attentional control areas, namely the right middle frontal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, and the ventral medial prefrontal cortex, participants in the control group continued to engage these areas post-training, suggesting a sustained reliance on attentional regions during challenging task demands. The HVT group showed a further reduction in neural resources post-training compared to the FET group in these cognitive control regions, along with reduced activation in the motor and sensory cortices and the posteromedial cortex. Findings suggest that training, specifically one that emphasizes cognitive flexibility can reduce the attentional demands of a complex cognitive task, along with reduced reliance on the motor network.

Examining neural correlates of skill acquisition in a complex videogame training program

PubMed Central

Prakash, Ruchika S.; De Leon, Angeline A.; Mourany, Lyla; Lee, Hyunkyu; Voss, Michelle W.; Boot, Walter R.; Basak, Chandramallika; Fabiani, Monica; Gratton, Gabriele; Kramer, Arthur F.

2012-01-01

Acquisition of complex skills is a universal feature of human behavior that has been conceptualized as a process that starts with intense resource dependency, requires effortful cognitive control, and ends in relative automaticity on the multi-faceted task. The present study examined the effects of different theoretically based training strategies on cortical recruitment during acquisition of complex video game skills. Seventy-five participants were recruited and assigned to one of three training groups: (1) Fixed Emphasis Training (FET), in which participants practiced the game, (2) Hybrid Variable-Priority Training (HVT), in which participants practiced using a combination of part-task training and variable priority training, or (3) a Control group that received limited game play. After 30 h of training, game data indicated a significant advantage for the two training groups relative to the control group. The HVT group demonstrated enhanced benefits of training, as indexed by an improvement in overall game score and a reduction in cortical recruitment post-training. Specifically, while both groups demonstrated a significant reduction of activation in attentional control areas, namely the right middle frontal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, and the ventral medial prefrontal cortex, participants in the control group continued to engage these areas post-training, suggesting a sustained reliance on attentional regions during challenging task demands. The HVT group showed a further reduction in neural resources post-training compared to the FET group in these cognitive control regions, along with reduced activation in the motor and sensory cortices and the posteromedial cortex. Findings suggest that training, specifically one that emphasizes cognitive flexibility can reduce the attentional demands of a complex cognitive task, along with reduced reliance on the motor network. PMID:22615690

What is the role of mothers in the acquisition of termite-fishing behaviors in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)?

PubMed

Lonsdorf, Elizabeth V

2006-01-01

This paper explores the role of maternal influences on the acquisition of a tool-using task in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in order to build on and complement previous work done in captivity. Young chimpanzees show a long period of offspring dependency on mothers and it is during this period that offspring learn several important skills, especially how to and on what to forage. At Gombe National Park, one skill that is acquired during dependency is termite-fishing, a complex behavior that involves inserting a tool made from the surrounding vegetation into a termite mound and extracting the termites that attack and cling to the tool. All chimpanzees observed at Gombe have acquired the termite-fishing skill by the age of 5.5 years. Since the mother is the primary source of information throughout this time period, I investigated the influence of mothers' individual termite-fishing characteristics on their offsprings' speed of acquisition and proficiency at the skill once acquired. Mother's time spent alone or with maternal family members, which is highly correlated to time spent termite-fishing, was positively correlated to offspring's acquisition of critical elements of the skill. I also investigated the specific types of social interactions that occur between mothers and offspring at the termite mound and found that mothers are highly tolerant to offspring, even when the behavior of the offspring may disrupt the termite-fishing attempt. However, no active facilitation by mothers of offsprings' attempts were observed.

A comparison of forward and concurrent chaining strategies in teaching laundromat skills to students with severe handicaps.

PubMed

McDonnell, J; McFarland, S

1988-01-01

This study compared the relative efficiency of forward and concurrent chaining strategies in teaching the use of a commercial washing machine and laundry soap dispenser to four high school students with severe handicaps. Acquisition and maintenance of the laundromat skills were assessed through a multielement, alternating treatment within subject design. Results indicated that the concurrent chaining strategy was more efficient than forward chaining in facilitating acquisition of the activities. Four week and eight week follow-up probes indicated that concurrent chaining resulted in better maintenance of the activities. The implications of these results for teaching community activities and future research in building complex chains are discussed.

Enhancing Learning Performance and Adaptability for Complex Tasks

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-30

development of active learning interventions and techniques that influence the focus and quality of learner regulatory activity (Kozlowski Toney et al...what are the effects of these goal representations on learning strategies, performance, and adaptability? Can active learning inductions, that influence...and mindful process - active learning - are generally associated with improved skill acquisition and adaptability for complex tasks (Smith et al

How can surgical training benefit from theories of skilled motor development, musical skill acquisition and performance psychology?

PubMed

McCaskie, Andrew W; Kenny, Dianna T; Deshmukh, Sandeep

2011-05-02

Trainee surgeons must acquire expert status in the context of reduced hours, reduced operating room time and the need to learn complex skills involving screen-mediated techniques, computers and robotics. Ever more sophisticated surgical simulation strategies have been helpful in providing surgeons with the opportunity to practise, but not all of these strategies are widely available. Similarities in the motor skills required in skilled musical performance and surgery suggest that models of music learning, and particularly skilled motor development, may be applicable in training surgeons. More attention should be paid to factors associated with optimal arousal and optimal performance in surgical training - lessons learned from helping anxious musicians optimise performance and manage anxiety may also be transferable to trainee surgeons. The ways in which the trainee surgeon moves from novice to expert need to be better understood so that this process can be expedited using current knowledge in other disciplines requiring the performance of complex fine motor tasks with high cognitive load under pressure.

Contextual Interference in Complex Bimanual Skill Learning Leads to Better Skill Persistence

PubMed Central

Pauwels, Lisa; Swinnen, Stephan P.; Beets, Iseult A. M.

2014-01-01

The contextual interference (CI) effect is a robust phenomenon in the (motor) skill learning literature. However, CI has yielded mixed results in complex task learning. The current study addressed whether the CI effect is generalizable to bimanual skill learning, with a focus on the temporal evolution of memory processes. In contrast to previous studies, an extensive training schedule, distributed across multiple days of practice, was provided. Participants practiced three frequency ratios across three practice days following either a blocked or random practice schedule. During the acquisition phase, better overall performance for the blocked practice group was observed, but this difference diminished as practice progressed. At immediate and delayed retention, the random practice group outperformed the blocked practice group, except for the most difficult frequency ratio. Our main finding is that the random practice group showed superior performance persistence over a one week time interval in all three frequency ratios compared to the blocked practice group. This study contributes to our understanding of learning, consolidation and memory of complex motor skills, which helps optimizing training protocols in future studies and rehabilitation settings. PMID:24960171

A Review and Annotated Bibliography of Armor Gunnery Training Device Effectiveness Literature

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-11-01

training effectiveness (skill acquisition, skill reten-tion, performance prediction, transfer of training) and (b) research limitations (sample size...standalone, tank-appended, subcaliber, and laser) and four areas of training effectiveness (skill acquisition, skill retention, performance prediction, and...standalone, tank-appended, subcaliber, laser) and areas of training effectiveness (skill acquisition, skill retention, performance prediction, transfer of

Training 21st-century workers: Facts, fiction and memory illusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abadzi, Helen

2016-06-01

Technological achievements require complex skills for the workplace, along with creativity, communication, and critical thinking. To compete effectively in the global economy, governments must provide their citizens with relevant education and training. To help close the skills gap, international agencies often advise governments of developing countries to de-emphasise basic knowledge and focus instead on complex cognition and systemic improvements. However, the donors' advice may be due to memory biases of highly educated people. Such training strategies would fail most students, because complex skills are built by combining and automatising shorter chains of thoughts or behaviours. An effective training process requires much practice, feedback and rearrangement of subcomponents over time. Execution of various tasks must become automatic and effortless to avoid using up too much of the very limited capacity of what is termed the "working memory". Marketable skills are those skills which are fluently performed without excessive cognitive load. To provide complex skills for all, including non-cognitive skills, curricula should therefore first ensure detailed instruction and practice of basic components which can then be strung together and applied to new tasks. Policy advisers seem unaware of these scientific insights, so they are not taken into account. The article reviews the essential neurocognitive functions involved in the acquisition and execution of skills chains. The author concludes that to improve the skills of economically disadvantaged populations, donors and governments must acquire expertise and offer advice on the basis of cognitive science.

Teaching autistic children conversational speech using video modeling.

PubMed Central

Charlop, M H; Milstein, J P

1989-01-01

We assessed the effects of video modeling on acquisition and generalization of conversational skills among autistic children. Three autistic boys observed videotaped conversations consisting of two people discussing specific toys. When criterion for learning was met, generalization of conversational skills was assessed with untrained topics of conversation; new stimuli (toys); unfamiliar persons, siblings, and autistic peers; and other settings. The results indicated that the children learned through video modeling, generalized their conversational skills, and maintained conversational speech over a 15-month period. Video modeling shows much promise as a rapid and effective procedure for teaching complex verbal skills such as conversational speech. PMID:2793634

Generalization and Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, W. O.

This paper contends that human organisms are not qualitatively different from infra-human ones. The same principles apply to the acquisition, maintenance and weakening of complex verbal skills as mathematics as to rats pressing bars or pigeons pecking windows. Two aspects of child research are assessment and training. Assessment involves…

Promoting a skills-based agenda in Olympic sports: the role of skill-acquisition specialists.

PubMed

Williams, A Mark; Ford, Paul R

2009-11-01

We highlight the importance of promoting a skills-based agenda in the development and preparation of Olympic athletes. The role that specialists with a background in skill acquisition can play is illustrated and the need to move towards a culture where evidence-based practice permeates all aspects of this process reiterated. We provide examples from contemporary research to illustrate how skill-acquisition theory and practice can help inform and guide practitioners, coaches, and administrators in their quest to develop Olympic athletes. Although the acquisition and refinement of skills are essential to performance in most Olympic sports, paradoxically the area of skill acquisition has not impacted in a concerted and meaningful way on this agenda. Skill-acquisition specialists need to be more proactive in forging links with elite sport, whereas practitioners, coaches, and administrators need to appreciate the important role that sports scientists with a background in this area can play in helping to develop future generations of podium athletes.

The key to using a learning or skill acquisition plan.

PubMed

Nicholls, Delwyn; Sweet, Linda; Westerway, Sue Campbell; Gibbins, Annie

2014-11-01

A learning plan is a tool to guide the development of knowledge, skills and professional attitudes required for practice. A learning plan is an ideal tool for both supervisors and mentors to guide the process of teaching and learning a medical ultrasound examination. A good learning plan will state the learning goal, identify the learning activities and resources needed to achieve this goal, and highlight the outcome measures, which when achieved indicate the goal has been accomplished. A skill acquisition plan provides a framework for task acquisition and skill stratification; and is an extension of the application of the student learning plan. One unique feature of a skill acquisition plan is it requires the tutor to first undertake a task analysis. The task steps are progressively learnt in sequence, termed scaffolding. The skills to develop and use a learning or skill acquisition plan are also learnt, but are an integral component to the ultrasound tutors skill set. This paper will provide an outline of how to use and apply a learning and skill acquisition plan. We will review how these tools can be personalised to each student and skill teaching environment.

Designing simulator-based training: an approach integrating cognitive task analysis and four-component instructional design.

PubMed

Tjiam, Irene M; Schout, Barbara M A; Hendrikx, Ad J M; Scherpbier, Albert J J M; Witjes, J Alfred; van Merriënboer, Jeroen J G

2012-01-01

Most studies of simulator-based surgical skills training have focused on the acquisition of psychomotor skills, but surgical procedures are complex tasks requiring both psychomotor and cognitive skills. As skills training is modelled on expert performance consisting partly of unconscious automatic processes that experts are not always able to explicate, simulator developers should collaborate with educational experts and physicians in developing efficient and effective training programmes. This article presents an approach to designing simulator-based skill training comprising cognitive task analysis integrated with instructional design according to the four-component/instructional design model. This theory-driven approach is illustrated by a description of how it was used in the development of simulator-based training for the nephrostomy procedure.

Understanding the structure of skill through a detailed analysis of Individuals' performance on the Space Fortress game.

PubMed

Towne, Tyler J; Boot, Walter R; Ericsson, K Anders

2016-09-01

In this paper we describe a novel approach to the study of individual differences in acquired skilled performance in complex laboratory tasks based on an extension of the methodology of the expert-performance approach (Ericsson & Smith, 1991) to shorter periods of training and practice. In contrast to more traditional approaches that study the average performance of groups of participants, we explored detailed behavioral changes for individual participants across their development on the Space Fortress game. We focused on dramatic individual differences in learning and skill acquisition at the individual level by analyzing the archival game data of several interesting players to uncover the specific structure of their acquired skill. Our analysis revealed that even after maximal values for game-generated subscores were reached, the most skilled participant's behaviors such as his flight path, missile firing, and mine handling continued to be refined and improved (Participant 17 from Boot et al., 2010). We contrasted this participant's behavior with the behavior of several other participants and found striking differences in the structure of their performance, which calls into question the appropriateness of averaging their data. For example, some participants engaged in different control strategies such as "world wrapping" or maintaining a finely-tuned circular flight path around the fortress (in contrast to Participant 17's angular flight path). In light of these differences, we raise fundamental questions about how skill acquisition for individual participants should be studied and described. Our data suggest that a detailed analysis of individuals' data is an essential step for generating a general theory of skill acquisition that explains improvement at the group and individual levels. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exploring the Relationship between Undergraduate Service-Learning Experiences and Global Perspective-Taking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engberg, Mark E.; Fox, Katherine

2011-01-01

This study examines the relationship between service-learning participation and global perspective-taking. A global perspective is broadly defined to include both the acquisition of knowledge, attitudes, and skills important to intercultural communication and the development of more complex epistemological processes, identities, and interpersonal…

Serious games and blended learning; effects on performance and motivation in medical education.

PubMed

Dankbaar, Mary

2017-02-01

More efficient, flexible training models are needed in medical education. Information technology offers the tools to design and develop effective and more efficient training. The aims of this thesis were: 1) Compare the effectiveness of blended versus classroom training for the acquisition of knowledge; 2) Investigate the effectiveness and critical design features of serious games for performance improvement and motivation. Five empirical studies were conducted to answer the research questions and a descriptive study on an evaluation framework to assess serious games was performed. The results of the research studies indicated that: 1) For knowledge acquisition, blended learning is equally effective and attractive for learners as classroom learning; 2) A serious game with realistic, interactive cases improved complex cognitive skills for residents, with limited self-study time. Although the same game was motivating for inexperienced medical students and stimulated them to study longer, it did not improve their cognitive skills, compared with what they learned from an instructional e‑module. This indicates an 'expertise reversal effect', where a rich learning environment is effective for experts, but may be contra-productive for novices (interaction of prior knowledge and complexity of format). A blended design is equally effective and attractive as classroom training. Blended learning facilitates adaptation to the learners' knowledge level, flexibility in time and scalability of learning. Games may support skills learning, provided task complexity matches the learner's competency level. More design-based research is needed on the effects of task complexity and other design features on performance improvement, for both novices and experts.

Dual Task Automatic and Controlled Processing in Visual Search: Can It Be Done without Cost?

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-02-09

transmitted. The sequence of learning to read is similar ( LaBerge and Samuels, 1!i74). Motor skill acquisition also shows a complex buildup of . skill to...has received considerable interest in recent years ( LaBerge , 1973, 1975, 1976; Posner and Snyder, 1975; Norman, 1976; Shiffrin and Schneider, 1977... Laberge and Samuels (1974) report that for beginning readers to increase chunking, the demand for accuracy may have to be relaxed. In the present

Come to think of it: Contributions of reasoning abilities and training schedule to skill acquisition in a virtual throwing task.

PubMed

Frömer, Romy; Stürmer, Birgit; Sommer, Werner

2016-10-01

According to Schmidt's schema theory skill acquisition is based on schema formation where multiple learning incidents with varying task features are abstracted to a unifying pattern, the schema. Practice can be scheduled block-wise, with low contextual interference (CI) or randomly, with high CI. The greater effort during high CI training usually results in reduced training success but enhanced retention and transfer performance. In contrast to well-established CI effects for simple tasks, findings for complex tasks are heterogeneous, supposedly due to the detrimental accumulation of task demands. We assumed that in complex tasks, cognitive reasoning abilities might impose a limit upon schema formation and hence the effectiveness of CI. In a virtual overarm-throwing experiment participants practiced target positions at center, left, or right and were retested for retention - at the center position - and transfer with a larger target distance. Although there was no main effect of CI on performance, either in training, retention or transfer, under high CI, training performance was better for participants with higher reasoning ability, as measured with the Raven matrices. This advantage persisted across retention and transfer. Under low CI, reasoning was positively related to performance improvement only in the last third of training. We argue, that variability of practice is a necessary prerequisite for beneficial effects of reasoning abilities. Based on previous findings, we discuss feedback evaluation as a possible locus of the relationship between reasoning and performance in motor skill acquisition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language Lateralization Shifts with Learning by Adults

PubMed Central

Plante, Elena; Almryde, Kyle; Patterson, Dianne K.; Vance, Christopher J.; Asbjørnsen, Arve E.

2014-01-01

For the majority of the population, language is a left hemisphere lateralized function. During childhood, a pattern of increasing left lateralization for language has been described in brain imaging studies, suggesting this trait develops. This development could reflect change due to brain maturation or change due to skill acquisition, given that children acquire and refine language skills as they mature. We test the possibility that skill acquisition, independent of age-associated maturation can result in shifts in language lateralization in classic language cortex. We imaged adults exposed to unfamiliar language during three successive fMRI scans. Participants were then asked to identify specific words embedded in Norwegian sentences. Exposure to these sentences, relative to complex tones, resulted in consistent activation in the left and right superior temporal gyrus. Activation in this region became increasingly left lateralized with repeated exposure to the unfamiliar language. These results demonstrate that shifts in lateralization can be produced in the short-term within a learning context, independent of maturation. PMID:25285756

Adaptive Virtual Reality Training to Optimize Military Medical Skills Acquisition and Retention.

PubMed

Siu, Ka-Chun; Best, Bradley J; Kim, Jong Wook; Oleynikov, Dmitry; Ritter, Frank E

2016-05-01

The Department of Defense has pursued the integration of virtual reality simulation into medical training and applications to fulfill the need to train 100,000 military health care personnel annually. Medical personnel transitions, both when entering an operational area and returning to the civilian theater, are characterized by the need to rapidly reacquire skills that are essential but have decayed through disuse or infrequent use. Improved efficiency in reacquiring such skills is critical to avoid the likelihood of mistakes that may result in mortality and morbidity. We focus here on a study testing a theory of how the skills required for minimally invasive surgery for military surgeons are learned and retained. Our adaptive virtual reality surgical training system will incorporate an intelligent mechanism for tracking performance that will recognize skill deficiencies and generate an optimal adaptive training schedule. Our design is modeling skill acquisition based on a skill retention theory. The complexity of appropriate training tasks is adjusted according to the level of retention and/or surgical experience. Based on preliminary work, our system will improve the capability to interactively assess the level of skills learning and decay, optimizes skill relearning across levels of surgical experience, and positively impact skill maintenance. Our system could eventually reduce mortality and morbidity by providing trainees with the reexperience they need to help make a transition between operating theaters. This article reports some data that will support adaptive tutoring of minimally invasive surgery and similar surgical skills. Reprint & Copyright © 2016 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Is Three-Dimensional Videography the Cutting Edge of Surgical Skill Acquisition?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roach, Victoria A.; Brandt, Michael G.; Moore, Corey C.; Wilson, Timothy D.

2012-01-01

The process of learning new surgical technical skills is vital to the career of a surgeon. The acquisition of these new skills is influenced greatly by visual-spatial ability (VSA) and may be difficult for some learners to rapidly assimilate. In many cases, the role of VSA on the acquisition of a novel technical skill has been explored; however,…

Instruction-First and Problem-Solving-First Approaches: Alternative Pathways to Learning Complex Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Likourezos, Vicki; Kalyuga, Slava

2017-01-01

According to cognitive load theory, using worked examples is an effective and efficient instructional strategy for initial cognitive skill acquisition for novice learners, as it reduces cognitive load and frees up cognitive resources to build task competence. Contrary to this, productive failure (as well as invention learning, desirable…

The Relationship between School Mobility and the Acquisition of Early Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franco, Amy C.

2013-01-01

The relationship between frequent mobility and student achievement is complex. While studies have shown that frequent mobility may have a detrimental effect on student achievement, the suggestion that poverty is an underlying cause for poor academic progress has been proposed (Buerkle & Christenson, 1999; United States GAO Report, 2010). The…

Cognitive Load Theory and the Acquisition of Complex Cognitive Skills in the Elderly: Towards an Integrative Framework.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Gerven, Pascal W. M.; Paas, Fred G. W. C.; Van Merrienboer, Jeroen J. G.; Schmidt, Henk G.

2000-01-01

Cognitive load (CL) theory suggests minimizing extraneous CL and maximizing germane CL in order not to overload working memory. Instructional design for older adults should therefore include goal-free problems, worked examples, and different modalities and avoid splitting attention and including redundant information. (SK)

A novel approach to enhance ACL injury prevention programs.

PubMed

Gokeler, Alli; Seil, Romain; Kerkhoffs, Gino; Verhagen, Evert

2018-06-18

Efficacy studies have demonstrated decreased anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury rates for athletes participating in injury prevention programs. Typically, ACL injury prevention programs entail a combination of plyometrics, strength training, agility and balance exercises. Unfortunately, improvements of movement patterns are not sustained over time. The reason may be related to the type of instructions given during training. Encouraging athletes to consciously control knee movements during exercises may not be optimal for the acquisition of complex motor skills as needed in complex sports environments. In the motor learning domain, these types of instructions are defined as an internal attentional focus. An internal focus, on one's own movements results in a more conscious type of control that may hamper motor learning. It has been established in numerous studies that an external focus of attention facilitates motor learning more effectively due to the utilization of automatic motor control. Subsequently, the athlete has more recourses available to anticipate on situations on the field and take appropriate feed forward directed actions. The purpose of this manuscript was to present methods to optimize motor skill acquisition of athletes and elaborate on athletes' behavior.

Reading comprehension and immersion schooling: evidence from component skills.

PubMed

Hansen, Laura Birke; Morales, Julia; Macizo, Pedro; Duñabeitia, Jon Andoni; Saldaña, David; Carreiras, Manuel; Fuentes, Luis J; Bajo, M Teresa

2017-01-01

The present research aims to assess literacy acquisition in children becoming bilingual via second language immersion in school. We adopt a cognitive components approach, assessing text-level reading comprehension, a complex literacy skill, as well as underlying cognitive and linguistic components in 144 children aged 7 to 14 (72 immersion bilinguals, 72 controls). Using principal component analysis, a nuanced pattern of results was observed: although emergent bilinguals lag behind their monolingual counterparts on measures of linguistic processing, they showed enhanced performance on a memory and reasoning component. For reading comprehension, no between-group differences were evident, suggesting that selective benefits compensate costs at the level of underlying cognitive components. Overall, the results seem to indicate that literacy skills may be modulated by emerging bilingualism even when no between-group differences are evident at the level of complex skill, and the detection of such differences may depend on the focus and selectivity of the task battery used. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Infants with Down syndrome: percentage and age for acquisition of gross motor skills.

PubMed

Pereira, Karina; Basso, Renata Pedrolongo; Lindquist, Ana Raquel Rodrigues; da Silva, Louise Gracelli Pereira; Tudella, Eloisa

2013-03-01

The literature is bereft of information about the age at which infants with Down syndrome (DS) acquire motor skills and the percentage of infants that do so by the age of 12 months. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the difference in age, in relation to typical infants, at which motor skills were acquired and the percentage of infants with DS that acquire them in the first year of life. Infants with DS (N=20) and typical infants (N=25), both aged between 3 and 12 months, were evaluated monthly using the AIMS. In the prone position, a difference of up to 3 months was found for the acquisition of the 3rd to 16th skill. There was a difference in the percentage of infants with DS who acquired the 10th to 21st skill (from 71% to 7%). In the supine position, a difference of up to one month was found from the 3rd to 7th skill; however, 100% were able to perform these skills. In the sitting position, a difference of 1-4 months was found from the 1st to 12th skill, ranging from 69% to 29% from the 9th to 12th. In the upright position, the difference was 2-3 months from the 3rd to 8th skill. Only 13% acquired the 8th skill and no other skill was acquired up to the age of 12 months. The more complex the skills the greater the difference in age between typical infants and those with DS and the lower the percentage of DS individuals who performed the skills in the prone, sitting and upright positions. None of the DS infants were able to stand without support. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Deliberate acquisition of competence in physiological breech birth: A grounded theory study.

PubMed

Walker, Shawn; Scamell, Mandie; Parker, Pam

2018-06-01

Research suggests that the skill and experience of the attendant significantly affect the outcomes of vaginal breech births, yet practitioner experience levels are minimal within many contemporary maternity care systems. Due to minimal experience and cultural resistance, few practitioners offer vaginal breech birth, and many practice guidelines and training programmes recommend delivery techniques requiring supine maternal position. Fewer practitioners have skills to support physiological breech birth, involving active maternal movement and choice of birthing position, including upright postures such as kneeling, standing, squatting, or on a birth stool. How professionals learn complex skills contrary to those taught in their local practice settings is unclear. How do professionals develop competence and expertise in physiological breech birth? Nine midwives and five obstetricians with experience facilitating upright physiological breech births participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed iteratively using constructivist grounded theory methods to develop an empirical theory of physiological breech skill acquisition. Among the participants in this research, the deliberate acquisition of competence in physiological breech birth included stages of affinity with physiological birth, critical awareness, intention, identity and responsibility. Expert practitioners operating across local and national boundaries guided less experienced practitioners. The results depict a specialist learning model which could be formalised in sympathetic training programmes, and evaluated. It may also be relevant to developing competence in other specialist/expert roles and innovative practices. Deliberate development of local communities of practice may support professionals to acquire elusive breech skills in a sustainable way. Copyright © 2017 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-Impact, Self-Motivated Training Within an Enriched Environment With Single Animal Tracking Dose-Dependently Promotes Motor Skill Acquisition and Functional Recovery.

PubMed

Starkey, Michelle L; Bleul, Christiane; Kasper, Hansjörg; Mosberger, Alice C; Zörner, Björn; Giger, Stefan; Gullo, Miriam; Buschmann, Frank; Schwab, Martin E

2014-07-01

Functional recovery following central nervous system injuries is strongly influenced by rehabilitative training. In the clinical setting, the intensity of training and the level of motivation for a particular task are known to play important roles. With increasing neuroscience studies investigating the effects of training and rehabilitation, it is important to understand how the amount and type of training of individuals influences outcome. However, little is known about the influence of spontaneous "self-training" during daily life as it is often uncontrolled, not recorded, and mostly disregarded. Here, we investigated the effects of the intensity of self-training on motor skill acquisition in normal, intact rats and on the recovery of functional motor behavior following spinal cord injury in adult rats. We used a custom-designed small animal tracking system, "RatTrack," to continuously record the activity of multiple rats, simultaneously in a complex Natural Habitat-enriched environment. Naïve, adult rats performed high-intensity, self-motivated motor training, which resulted in them out-performing rats that were conventionally housed and trained on skilled movement tasks, for example, skilled prehension (grasping) and ladder walking. Following spinal cord injury the amount of self-training was correlated with improved functional recovery. These data suggest that high-impact, self-motivated training leads to superior skill acquisition and functional recovery than conventional training paradigms. These findings have important implications for the design of animal studies investigating rehabilitation and for the planning of human rehabilitation programs. © The Author(s) 2014.

Using the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition to Describe and Interpret Skill Acquisition and Clinical Judgment in Nursing Practice and Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benner, Patricia

2004-01-01

Three studies using the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition were conducted over a period of 21 years. Nurses with a range of experience and reported skillfulness were interviewed. Each study used nurses' narrative accounts of actual clinical situations. A subsample of participants were observed and interviewed at work. These studies extend the…

Abilities and Skill Acquisition: A Latent Growth Curve Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voelkle, Manuel C.; Wittmann, Werner W.; Ackerman, Phillip L.

2006-01-01

The relationship between abilities and skill acquisition has been the subject of numerous controversies in psychology. However, while most researchers implicitly or explicitly accept the idea that abilities and skill acquisition should be related, empirical research has failed to provide evidence for a consistently strong correlation between the…

Online Learning Communities: Enhancing Undergraduate Students' Acquisition of Information Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dominguez-Flores, Noraida; Wang, Ling

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of online learning communities (OLC) on enhancing the undergraduate students' acquisition of information skills. OLC was compared with online tutorials and one-shot face-to-face sessions designed to facilitate students' information skill acquisition. Data were gathered through multiple…

Sensor fusion for laparoscopic surgery skill acquisition.

PubMed

Anderson, Fraser; Birch, Daniel W; Boulanger, Pierre; Bischof, Walter F

2012-01-01

Surgical techniques are becoming more complex and require substantial training to master. The development of automated, objective methods to analyze and evaluate surgical skill is necessary to provide trainees with reliable and accurate feedback during their training programs. We present a system to capture, visualize, and analyze the movements of a laparoscopic surgeon for the purposes of skill evaluation. The system records the upper body movement of the surgeon, the position, and orientation of the instruments, and the force and torque applied to the instruments. An empirical study was conducted using the system to record the performances of a number of surgeons with a wide range of skill. The study validated the usefulness of the system, and demonstrated the accuracy of the measurements.

Acquisition and retention of laparoscopic skills is different comparing conventional laparoscopic and single-incision laparoscopic surgery: a single-centre, prospective randomized study.

PubMed

Ellis, Scott Michael; Varley, Martin; Howell, Stuart; Trochsler, Markus; Maddern, Guy; Hewett, Peter; Runge, Tina; Mees, Soeren Torge

2016-08-01

Training in laparoscopic surgery is important not only to acquire and improve skills but also avoid the loss of acquired abilities. The aim of this single-centre, prospective randomized study was to assess skill acquisition of different laparoscopic techniques and identify the point in time when acquired skills deteriorate and training is needed to maintain these skills. Sixty surgical novices underwent laparoscopic surgery (LS) and single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) baseline training (BT) performing two validated tasks (peg transfer, precision cutting). The novices were randomized into three groups and skills retention testing (RT) followed after 8 (group A), 10 (group B) or 12 (group C) weeks accordingly. Task performance was measured in time with time penalties for insufficient task completion. 92 % of the participants completed the BT and managed to complete the task in the required time frame of proficiency. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that SILS (P < 0.0001) and precision cutting (P < 0.0001) were significantly more difficult. Males performed significantly better than females (P < 0.005). For LS, a deterioration of skills (comparison of BT vs RT) was not identified; however, for SILS a significant deterioration of skills (adjustment of BT and RT values) was demonstrated for all groups (A-C) (P < 0.05). Our data reveal that complex laparoscopic tasks (cutting) and techniques (SILS) are more difficult to learn and acquired skills more difficult to maintain. Acquired LS skills were maintained for the whole observation period of 12 weeks but SILS skills had begun to deteriorate at 8 weeks. These data show that maintenance of LS and SILS skills is divergent and training curricula need to take these specifics into account.

Educating the adult brain: How the neuroscience of learning can inform educational policy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knowland, Victoria C. P.; Thomas, Michael S. C.

2014-05-01

The acquisition of new skills in adulthood can positively affect an individual's quality of life, including their earning potential. In some cases, such as the learning of literacy in developing countries, it can provide an avenue to escape from poverty. In developed countries, job retraining in adulthood contributes to the flexibility of labour markets. For all adults, learning opportunities increase participation in society and family life. However, the popular view is that adults are less able to learn for an intrinsic reason: their brains are less plastic than in childhood. This article reviews what is currently known from neuroscientific research about how brain plasticity changes with age, with a particular focus on the ability to acquire new skills in adulthood. Anchoring their review in the examples of the adult acquisition of literacy and new motor skills, the authors address five specific questions: (1) Are sensitive periods in brain development relevant to learning complex educational skills like literacy? (2) Can adults become proficient in a new skill? (3) Can everyone learn equally effectively in adulthood? (4) What is the role of the learning environment? (5) Does adult education cost too much? They identify areas where further research is needed and conclude with a summary of principles for enhancing adult learning now established on a neuroscience foundation.

A Comparison of Error-Correction Procedures on Skill Acquisition during Discrete-Trial Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carroll, Regina A.; Joachim, Brad T.; St. Peter, Claire C.; Robinson, Nicole

2015-01-01

Previous research supports the use of a variety of error-correction procedures to facilitate skill acquisition during discrete-trial instruction. We used an adapted alternating treatments design to compare the effects of 4 commonly used error-correction procedures on skill acquisition for 2 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder…

Fluid reasoning predicts future mathematics among children and adolescents

PubMed Central

Green, Chloe T.; Bunge, Silvia A.; Chiongbian, Victoria Briones; Barrow, Maia; Ferrer, Emilio

2017-01-01

The aim of this longitudinal study was to determine whether fluid reasoning (FR) plays a significant role in the acquisition of mathematics skills, above and beyond the effects of other cognitive and numerical abilities. Using a longitudinal cohort sequential design, we examined how FR measured at three assessment occasions, spaced approximately 1.5 years apart, predicted math outcomes for a group of 69 participants between ages 6 and 21 across all three assessment occasions. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the direct and indirect relations between children's prior cognitive abilities and their future math achievement. A model including age, FR, vocabulary, and spatial skills accounted for 90% of the variance in future math achievement. In this model, FR was the only significant predictor of future math achievement; neither age, vocabulary, nor spatial skills were significant predictors. Thus, FR was the only predictor of future math achievement across a wide age range that spanned primary and secondary school. These findings build on Cattell's conceptualization of FR (Cattell, 1987) as a scaffold for learning, showing that this domain-general ability supports the acquisition of rudimentary math skills as well as the ability to solve more complex mathematical problems. PMID:28152390

Looking to Learn: The Effects of Visual Guidance on Observational Learning of the Golf Swing.

PubMed

D'Innocenzo, Giorgia; Gonzalez, Claudia C; Williams, A Mark; Bishop, Daniel T

2016-01-01

Skilled performers exhibit more efficient gaze patterns than less-skilled counterparts do and they look more frequently at task-relevant regions than at superfluous ones. We examine whether we may guide novices' gaze towards relevant regions during action observation in order to facilitate their learning of a complex motor skill. In a Pre-test-Post-test examination of changes in their execution of the full golf swing, 21 novices viewed one of three videos at intervention: i) a skilled golfer performing 10 swings (Free Viewing, FV); ii) the same video with transient colour cues superimposed to highlight key features of the setup (Visual Guidance; VG); iii) or a History of Golf video (Control). Participants in the visual guidance group spent significantly more time looking at cued areas than did the other two groups, a phenomenon that persisted after the cues had been removed. Moreover, the visual guidance group improved their swing execution at Post-test and on a Retention test one week later. Our results suggest that visual guidance to cued areas during observational learning of complex motor skills may accelerate acquisition of the skill.

Looking to Learn: The Effects of Visual Guidance on Observational Learning of the Golf Swing

PubMed Central

Gonzalez, Claudia C.; Williams, A. Mark

2016-01-01

Skilled performers exhibit more efficient gaze patterns than less-skilled counterparts do and they look more frequently at task-relevant regions than at superfluous ones. We examine whether we may guide novices’ gaze towards relevant regions during action observation in order to facilitate their learning of a complex motor skill. In a Pre-test-Post-test examination of changes in their execution of the full golf swing, 21 novices viewed one of three videos at intervention: i) a skilled golfer performing 10 swings (Free Viewing, FV); ii) the same video with transient colour cues superimposed to highlight key features of the setup (Visual Guidance; VG); iii) or a History of Golf video (Control). Participants in the visual guidance group spent significantly more time looking at cued areas than did the other two groups, a phenomenon that persisted after the cues had been removed. Moreover, the visual guidance group improved their swing execution at Post-test and on a Retention test one week later. Our results suggest that visual guidance to cued areas during observational learning of complex motor skills may accelerate acquisition of the skill. PMID:27224057

No childhood advantage in the acquisition of skill in using an artificial language rule.

PubMed

Ferman, Sara; Karni, Avi

2010-10-27

A leading notion is that language skill acquisition declines between childhood and adulthood. While several lines of evidence indicate that declarative ("what", explicit) memory undergoes maturation, it is commonly assumed that procedural ("how-to", implicit) memory, in children, is well established. The language superiority of children has been ascribed to the childhood reliance on implicit learning. Here we show that when 8-year-olds, 12-year-olds and young adults were provided with an equivalent multi-session training experience in producing and judging an artificial morphological rule (AMR), adults were superior to children of both age groups and the 8-year-olds were the poorest learners in all task parameters including in those that were clearly implicit. The AMR consisted of phonological transformations of verbs expressing a semantic distinction: whether the preceding noun was animate or inanimate. No explicit instruction of the AMR was provided. The 8-year-olds, unlike most adults and 12-year-olds, failed to explicitly uncover the semantic aspect of the AMR and subsequently to generalize it accurately to novel items. However, all participants learned to apply the AMR to repeated items and to generalize its phonological patterns to novel items, attaining accurate and fluent production, and exhibiting key characteristics of procedural memory. Nevertheless, adults showed a clear advantage in learning implicit task aspects, and in their long-term retention. Thus, our findings support the notion of age-dependent maturation in the establishment of declarative but also of procedural memory in a complex language task. In line with recent reports of no childhood advantage in non-linguistic skill learning, we propose that under some learning conditions adults can effectively express their language skill acquisition potential. Altogether, the maturational effects in the acquisition of an implicit AMR do not support a simple notion of a language skill learning advantage in children.

Toward a Model of Human Information Processing for Decision-Making and Skill Acquisition in Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery.

PubMed

White, Eoin J; McMahon, Muireann; Walsh, Michael T; Coffey, J Calvin; O Sullivan, Leonard

To create a human information-processing model for laparoscopic surgery based on already established literature and primary research to enhance laparoscopic surgical education in this context. We reviewed the literature for information-processing models most relevant to laparoscopic surgery. Our review highlighted the necessity for a model that accounts for dynamic environments, perception, allocation of attention resources between the actions of both hands of an operator, and skill acquisition and retention. The results of the literature review were augmented through intraoperative observations of 7 colorectal surgical procedures, supported by laparoscopic video analysis of 12 colorectal procedures. The Wickens human information-processing model was selected as the most relevant theoretical model to which we make adaptions for this specific application. We expanded the perception subsystem of the model to involve all aspects of perception during laparoscopic surgery. We extended the decision-making system to include dynamic decision-making to account for case/patient-specific and surgeon-specific deviations. The response subsystem now includes dual-task performance and nontechnical skills, such as intraoperative communication. The memory subsystem is expanded to include skill acquisition and retention. Surgical decision-making during laparoscopic surgery is the result of a highly complex series of processes influenced not only by the operator's knowledge, but also patient anatomy and interaction with the surgical team. Newer developments in simulation-based education must focus on the theoretically supported elements and events that underpin skill acquisition and affect the cognitive abilities of novice surgeons. The proposed human information-processing model builds on established literature regarding information processing, accounting for a dynamic environment of laparoscopic surgery. This revised model may be used as a foundation for a model describing robotic surgery. Copyright © 2017 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of reinforcement magnitude on skill acquisition for children with autism.

PubMed

Paden, Amber R; Kodak, Tiffany

2015-12-01

We examined the effects of reinforcement magnitude on skill acquisition during discrete-trial training. After conducting a magnitude preference assessment, we compared acquisition during conditions with large and small magnitudes of edible reinforcement to a praise-only condition. Although all participants showed a preference for the large-magnitude reinforcer, preference did not predict the magnitude that produced the fastest skill acquisition. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Peyton's four-step approach for teaching complex spinal manipulation techniques - a prospective randomized trial.

PubMed

Gradl-Dietsch, Gertraud; Lübke, Cavan; Horst, Klemens; Simon, Melanie; Modabber, Ali; Sönmez, Tolga T; Münker, Ralf; Nebelung, Sven; Knobe, Matthias

2016-11-03

The objectives of this prospective randomized trial were to assess the impact of Peyton's four-step approach on the acquisition of complex psychomotor skills and to examine the influence of gender on learning outcomes. We randomly assigned 95 third to fifth year medical students to an intervention group which received instructions according to Peyton (PG) or a control group, which received conventional teaching (CG). Both groups attended four sessions on the principles of manual therapy and specific manipulative and diagnostic techniques for the spine. We assessed differences in theoretical knowledge (multiple choice (MC) exam) and practical skills (Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE)) with respect to type of intervention and gender. Participants took a second OSPE 6 months after completion of the course. There were no differences between groups with respect to the MC exam. Students in the PG group scored significantly higher in the OSPE. Gender had no additional impact. Results of the second OSPE showed a significant decline in competency regardless of gender and type of intervention. Peyton's approach is superior to standard instruction for teaching complex spinal manipulation skills regardless of gender. Skills retention was equally low for both techniques.

Selecting Learning Tasks: Effects of Adaptation and Shared Control on Learning Efficiency and Task Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corbalan, Gemma; Kester, Liesbeth; van Merrienboer, Jeroen J. G.

2008-01-01

Complex skill acquisition by performing authentic learning tasks is constrained by limited working memory capacity [Baddeley, A. D. (1992). Working memory. "Science, 255", 556-559]. To prevent cognitive overload, task difficulty and support of each newly selected learning task can be adapted to the learner's competence level and perceived task…

Deaf Children and Children with ADHD in the Inclusive Classroom: Working Memory Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cockcroft, Kate; Dhana-Dullabh, Hansini

2013-01-01

This study compared the working memory functioning of deaf children, children with ADHD and typically developing children. Working memory is involved in the storage and mental manipulation of information during classroom learning activities that are crucial for the acquisition of complex skills and knowledge. Thus, it is important to determine how…

How to Combine Collaboration Scripts and Heuristic Worked Examples to Foster Mathematical Argumentation--When Working Memory Matters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwaighofer, Matthias; Vogel, Freydis; Kollar, Ingo; Ufer, Stefan; Strohmaier, Anselm; Terwedow, Ilka; Ottinger, Sarah; Reiss, Kristina; Fischer, Frank

2017-01-01

Mathematical argumentation skills (MAS) are considered an important outcome of mathematics learning, particularly in secondary and tertiary education. As MAS are complex, an effective way of supporting their acquisition may require combining different scaffolds. However, how to combine different scaffolds is a delicate issue, as providing learners…

Cognitive Flexibility and Undergraduate Physiology Students: Increasing Advanced Knowledge Acquisition within an Ill-Structured Domain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhodes, Ashley E.; Rozell, Timothy G.

2017-01-01

Cognitive flexibility is defined as the ability to assimilate previously learned information and concepts to generate novel solutions to new problems. This skill is crucial for success within ill-structured domains such as biology, physiology, and medicine, where many concepts are simultaneously required for understanding a complex problem, yet…

The Acquisition of Skill and Expertise in Massively Multiplayer Online Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schrader, P. G.; McCreery, Michael

2008-01-01

Educational learning environments have changed dramatically in the last 20 years. Advances in technology have enabled the World Wide Web and a sundry of other tools. In response, many researchers have argued that one way to understand learning in a complex world is to examine user interactions within Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) [Gee…

On the acquisition of temporal conjunctions in Finnish.

PubMed

Atanassova, M

2001-03-01

This study concerns the acquisition of complex sentence structures in Finnish. Specifically, three simultaneous and sequential events were acted out with toys in an elicitation task, and the production of "and," "and then," "when," and "after" were observed. There were 48 children in a cross-sectional design at the age levels 3, 4, 5, and 6 years. Immediately after the complex event was presented, the child was asked the initial request "What happened?" If the child did not produce the whole event spontaneously, she or he was prompted by "What else happened?" Finally, the prompted request "When did X?" was asked (X referring to the second action component of the event). The results showed that prompting better revealed the ability of the children, especially that of the younger ones, to use temporal conjunctions in complex sentences, as well as the delicate interplay of language skills and their flexible use.

The role of negative cognitions, emotion regulation strategies, and attachment style in complex post-traumatic stress disorder: Implications for new and existing therapies.

PubMed

Karatzias, Thanos; Shevlin, Mark; Hyland, Philip; Brewin, Chris R; Cloitre, Marylene; Bradley, Aoife; Kitchiner, Neil J; Jumbe, Sandra; Bisson, Jonathan I; Roberts, Neil P

2018-06-01

We set out to investigate the association between negative trauma-related cognitions, emotional regulation strategies, and attachment style and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). As the evidence regarding the treatment of CPTSD is emerging, investigating psychological factors that are associated with CPTSD can inform the adaptation or the development of effective interventions for CPTSD. A cross-sectional design was employed. Measures of CPTSD, negative trauma-related cognitions, emotion regulation strategies, and attachment style were completed by a British clinical sample of trauma-exposed patients (N = 171). Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the predictive utility of these psychological factors on diagnosis of CPTSD as compared to PTSD. It was found that the most important factor in the diagnosis of CPTSD was negative trauma-related cognitions about the self, followed by attachment anxiety, and expressive suppression. Targeting negative thoughts and attachment representations while promoting skills acquisition in emotional regulation hold promise in the treatment of CPTSD. Further research is required on the development of appropriate models to treat CPTSD that tackle skills deficit in these areas. Results suggest that cognitive-behavioural interventions might be useful for the treatment of CPTSD. Targeting negative thoughts and attachment representations while promoting skills acquisition in emotional regulation hold promise in the treatment of CPTSD. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Atypical Acquisition and Atypical Expression of Memory Consolidation Gains in a Motor Skill in Young Female Adults with ADHD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adi-Japha, Esther; Fox, Orly; Karni, Avi

2011-01-01

Individuals with ADHD often show performance deficits in motor tasks. It is not clear, however, whether this reflects less effective acquisition of skill (procedural knowledge), or deficient consolidation into long-term memory, in ADHD. The aim of the study was to compare the acquisition of skilled motor performance, the expression of…

An Experimental Study of Interventions for the Acquisition and Retention of Motivational Interviewing Skills among Probation Officers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asteris, Mark M., Jr.

2012-01-01

This study was designed to investigate the differences in Motivational Interviewing (MI) skill acquisition and retention among probation officers. This study had a randomized, experimental, pretest-posttest control group design using the MITI 3.1.1 and the VASE-R to measure MI skill acquisition and retention. A random sample (n = 24) of probation…

Acquisition of Dental Skills in Preclinical Technique Courses: Influence of Spatial and Manual Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwibbe, Anja; Kothe, Christian; Hampe, Wolfgang; Konradt, Udo

2016-01-01

Sixty years of research have not added up to a concordant evaluation of the influence of spatial and manual abilities on dental skill acquisition. We used Ackerman's theory of ability determinants of skill acquisition to explain the influence of spatial visualization and manual dexterity on the task performance of dental students in two…

Regional Differences in Brain Volume Predict the Acquisition of Skill in a Complex Real-Time Strategy Videogame

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basak, Chandramallika; Voss, Michelle W.; Erickson, Kirk I.; Boot, Walter R.; Kramer, Arthur F.

2011-01-01

Previous studies have found that differences in brain volume among older adults predict performance in laboratory tasks of executive control, memory, and motor learning. In the present study we asked whether regional differences in brain volume as assessed by the application of a voxel-based morphometry technique on high resolution MRI would also…

The Management of Cognitive Load During Complex Cognitive Skill Acquisition by Means of Computer-Simulated Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kester, Liesbeth; Kirschner, Paul A.; van Merrienboer, Jeroen J.G.

2005-01-01

This study compared the effects of two information presentation formats on learning to solve problems in electrical circuits. In one condition, the split-source format, information relating to procedural aspects of the functioning of an electrical circuit was not integrated in a circuit diagram, while information in the integrated format condition…

Acquisition of Internal Models of Motor Tasks in Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gidley Larson, Jennifer C.; Bastian, Amy J.; Donchin, Opher; Shadmehr, Reza; Mostofsky, Stewart H.

2008-01-01

Children with autism exhibit a host of motor disorders including poor coordination, poor tool use and delayed learning of complex motor skills like riding a tricycle. Theory suggests that one of the crucial steps in motor learning is the ability to form internal models: to predict the sensory consequences of motor commands and learn from errors to…

Cognitive and Language Acquisition in Typical and Aided Language Learning: A Review of Recent Evidence from an Aided Communication Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Janice; Goldbart, Juliet

2009-01-01

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a discipline that has seen recent developments as a consequence of the worldwide technological revolution. Children with complex communication needs, who benefit from such systems, are now afforded an opportunity to develop independent communication skills. The aim of this paper is to review…

Scaling Tennis Racquets during PE in Primary School to Enhance Motor Skill Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buszard, Tim; Reid, Machar; Masters, Rich S. W.; Farrow, Damian

2016-01-01

Purpose: Research supporting the skill acquisition benefits of scaling sports equipment for children in a real-world setting where child-to-coach ratios are high is scarce. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the influence of scaling the tennis racquet on children's skill acquisition in a primary school setting. Method: Children aged 6 to 7…

Interaction of memory systems during acquisition of tool knowledge and skills in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Roy, Shumita; Park, Norman W; Roy, Eric A; Almeida, Quincy J

2015-01-01

Previous research suggests that different aspects of tool knowledge are mediated by different memory systems. It is believed that tool attributes (e.g., function, color) are represented as declarative memory while skill learning is supported by procedural memory. It has been proposed that other aspects (e.g., skilled tool use) may rely on an interaction of both declarative and procedural memory. However, the specific form of procedural memory underlying skilled tool use and the nature of interaction between declarative and procedural memory systems remain unclear. In the current study, individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) and healthy controls were trained over 2 sessions, 3 weeks apart, to use a set of novel complex tools. They were also tested on their ability to recall tool attributes as well as their ability to demonstrate grasp and use of the tools to command. Results showed that, compared to controls, participants with PD showed intact motor skill acquisition and tool use to command within sessions, but failed to retain performance across sessions. In contrast, people with PD showed equivalent recall of tool attributes and tool grasping relative to controls, both within and across sessions. Current findings demonstrate that the frontal-striatal network, compromised in PD, mediates long-term retention of motor skills. Intact initial skill learning raises the possibility of compensation from declarative memory for frontal-striatal dysfunction. Lastly, skilled tool use appears to rely on both memory systems which may reflect a cooperative interaction between the two systems. Current findings regarding memory representations of tool knowledge and skill learning may have important implications for delivery of rehabilitation programs for individuals with PD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolving Educational Techniques in Surgical Training.

PubMed

Evans, Charity H; Schenarts, Kimberly D

2016-02-01

Training competent and professional surgeons efficiently and effectively requires innovation and modernization of educational methods. Today's medical learner is quite adept at using multiple platforms to gain information, providing surgical educators with numerous innovative avenues to promote learning. With the growth of technology, and the restriction of work hours in surgical education, there has been an increase in use of simulation, including virtual reality, robotics, telemedicine, and gaming. The use of simulation has shifted the learning of basic surgical skills to the laboratory, reserving limited time in the operating room for the acquisition of complex surgical skills". Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Applying Aspects of the Expert Performance Approach to Better Understand the Structure of Skill and Mechanisms of Skill Acquisition in Video Games.

PubMed

Boot, Walter R; Sumner, Anna; Towne, Tyler J; Rodriguez, Paola; Anders Ericsson, K

2017-04-01

Video games are ideal platforms for the study of skill acquisition for a variety of reasons. However, our understanding of the development of skill and the cognitive representations that support skilled performance can be limited by a focus on game scores. We present an alternative approach to the study of skill acquisition in video games based on the tools of the Expert Performance Approach. Our investigation was motivated by a detailed analysis of the behaviors responsible for the superior performance of one of the highest scoring players of the video game Space Fortress (Towne, Boot, & Ericsson, ). This analysis revealed how certain behaviors contributed to his exceptional performance. In this study, we recruited a participant for a similar training regimen, but we collected concurrent and retrospective verbal protocol data throughout training. Protocol analysis revealed insights into strategies, errors, mental representations, and shifting game priorities. We argue that these insights into the developing representations that guided skilled performance could only easily have been derived from the tools of the Expert Performance Approach. We propose that the described approach could be applied to understand performance and skill acquisition in many different video games (and other short- to medium-term skill acquisition paradigms) and help reveal mechanisms of transfer from gameplay to other measures of laboratory and real-world performance. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Spatial complexity of character-based writing systems and arithmetic in primary school: a longitudinal study

PubMed Central

Rodic, Maja; Tikhomirova, Tatiana; Kolienko, Tatiana; Malykh, Sergey; Bogdanova, Olga; Zueva, Dina Y.; Gynku, Elena I.; Wan, Sirui; Zhou, Xinlin; Kovas, Yulia

2015-01-01

Previous research has consistently found an association between spatial and mathematical abilities. We hypothesized that this link may partially explain the consistently observed advantage in mathematics demonstrated by East Asian children. Spatial complexity of the character-based writing systems may reflect or lead to a cognitive advantage relevant to mathematics. Seven hundered and twenty one 6–9-year old children from the UK and Russia were assessed on a battery of cognitive skills and arithmetic. The Russian children were recruited from specialist linguistic schools and divided into four different language groups, based on the second language they were learning (i.e., English, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese). The UK children attended regular schools and were not learning any second language. The testing took place twice across the school year, once at the beginning, before the start of the second language acquisition, and once at the end of the year. The study had two aims: (1) to test whether spatial ability predicts mathematical ability in 7–9 year-old children across the samples; (2) to test whether acquisition and usage of a character-based writing system leads to an advantage in performance in arithmetic and related cognitive tasks. The longitudinal link from spatial ability to mathematics was found only in the Russian sample. The effect of second language acquisition on mathematics or other cognitive skills was negligible, although some effect of Chinese language on mathematical reasoning was suggested. Overall, the findings suggest that although spatial ability is related to mathematics at this age, one academic year of exposure to spatially complex writing systems is not enough to provide a mathematical advantage. Other educational and socio-cultural factors might play a greater role in explaining individual and cross-cultural differences in arithmetic at this age. PMID:25859235

Spatial complexity of character-based writing systems and arithmetic in primary school: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Rodic, Maja; Tikhomirova, Tatiana; Kolienko, Tatiana; Malykh, Sergey; Bogdanova, Olga; Zueva, Dina Y; Gynku, Elena I; Wan, Sirui; Zhou, Xinlin; Kovas, Yulia

2015-01-01

Previous research has consistently found an association between spatial and mathematical abilities. We hypothesized that this link may partially explain the consistently observed advantage in mathematics demonstrated by East Asian children. Spatial complexity of the character-based writing systems may reflect or lead to a cognitive advantage relevant to mathematics. Seven hundered and twenty one 6-9-year old children from the UK and Russia were assessed on a battery of cognitive skills and arithmetic. The Russian children were recruited from specialist linguistic schools and divided into four different language groups, based on the second language they were learning (i.e., English, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese). The UK children attended regular schools and were not learning any second language. The testing took place twice across the school year, once at the beginning, before the start of the second language acquisition, and once at the end of the year. The study had two aims: (1) to test whether spatial ability predicts mathematical ability in 7-9 year-old children across the samples; (2) to test whether acquisition and usage of a character-based writing system leads to an advantage in performance in arithmetic and related cognitive tasks. The longitudinal link from spatial ability to mathematics was found only in the Russian sample. The effect of second language acquisition on mathematics or other cognitive skills was negligible, although some effect of Chinese language on mathematical reasoning was suggested. Overall, the findings suggest that although spatial ability is related to mathematics at this age, one academic year of exposure to spatially complex writing systems is not enough to provide a mathematical advantage. Other educational and socio-cultural factors might play a greater role in explaining individual and cross-cultural differences in arithmetic at this age.

Effect of delayed reinforcement on skill acquisition during discrete-trial instruction: Implications for treatmen-integrity errors in academic settings.

PubMed

Carroll, Regina A; Kodak, Tiffany; Adolf, Kari J

2016-03-01

We used an adapted alternating treatments design to compare skill acquisition during discrete-trial instruction using immediate reinforcement, delayed reinforcement with immediate praise, and delayed reinforcement for 2 children with autism spectrum disorder. Participants acquired the skills taught with immediate reinforcement; however, delayed reinforcement decreased the efficiency and effectiveness of discrete-trial instruction. We discuss the importance of evaluating the influence of treatment-integrity errors on skill acquisition during discrete-trial instruction. © 2015 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Memory ability of children with complex communication needs.

PubMed

Larsson, Maria; Sandberg, Annika Dahlgren

2008-01-01

Phonological memory is central to language and reading and writing skills. Many children with complex communication needs (CCN) experience problems with reading and writing acquisition. The reason could be because of the absence of articulatory ability, which might have a negative affect on phonological memory. Phonological and visuo-spatial short-term memory and working memory were tested in 15 children with CCN, aged 5 - 12 years, and compared to children with natural speech matched for gender, and mental and linguistic age. Results indicated weaker phonological STM and visuo-spatial STM and WM in children with CCN. The lack of articulatory ability could be assumed to affect subvocal rehearsal and, therefore, phonological memory which, in turn, may affect reading and writing acquisition. Weak visuo-spatial memory could also complicate the use of Bliss symbols and other types of augmentative and alternative communication.

Cumulative cultural learning: Development and diversity

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The complexity and variability of human culture is unmatched by any other species. Humans live in culturally constructed niches filled with artifacts, skills, beliefs, and practices that have been inherited, accumulated, and modified over generations. A causal account of the complexity of human culture must explain its distinguishing characteristics: It is cumulative and highly variable within and across populations. I propose that the psychological adaptations supporting cumulative cultural transmission are universal but are sufficiently flexible to support the acquisition of highly variable behavioral repertoires. This paper describes variation in the transmission practices (teaching) and acquisition strategies (imitation) that support cumulative cultural learning in childhood. Examining flexibility and variation in caregiver socialization and children’s learning extends our understanding of evolution in living systems by providing insight into the psychological foundations of cumulative cultural transmission—the cornerstone of human cultural diversity. PMID:28739945

Cumulative cultural learning: Development and diversity.

PubMed

Legare, Cristine H

2017-07-24

The complexity and variability of human culture is unmatched by any other species. Humans live in culturally constructed niches filled with artifacts, skills, beliefs, and practices that have been inherited, accumulated, and modified over generations. A causal account of the complexity of human culture must explain its distinguishing characteristics: It is cumulative and highly variable within and across populations. I propose that the psychological adaptations supporting cumulative cultural transmission are universal but are sufficiently flexible to support the acquisition of highly variable behavioral repertoires. This paper describes variation in the transmission practices (teaching) and acquisition strategies (imitation) that support cumulative cultural learning in childhood. Examining flexibility and variation in caregiver socialization and children's learning extends our understanding of evolution in living systems by providing insight into the psychological foundations of cumulative cultural transmission-the cornerstone of human cultural diversity.

Relative frequency of knowledge of performance and motor skill learning.

PubMed

Weeks, D L; Kordus, R N

1998-09-01

This study examined the effects of variations in relative frequency of knowledge of performance (KP) on acquisition, retention, and transfer of form for a multilimb closed sport skill. Two groups received either 100% relative frequency of KP or 33% relative frequency of KP while learning the soccer throw-in skill. Participants were boys between the ages of 11 and 14 years who were unfamiliar with the skill. Participants performed a 30-trial acquisition phase in which KP was provided about one of eight aspects of form. Following acquisition, five trial retention and transfer (to a target at a different distance than experienced in acquisition) tests were administered at 5 min, 24 hr, and 72 hr. Although no group differences were found for accuracy scores, the 33% group had higher form scores in acquisition and all retention and transfer tests. It was concluded that reducing the relative frequency of KP eliminated a dependency on KP to guide performance in acquisition, which was beneficial for maintaining form in conditions in which KP was absent.

The influence of professional expertise and task complexity upon the potency of the contextual interference effect.

PubMed

Ollis, Stewart; Button, Chris; Fairweather, Malcolm

2005-03-01

The contextual interference (CI) effect has been investigated through practice schedule manipulations within both basic and applied studies. Despite extensive research activity there is little conclusive evidence regarding the optimal practice structure of real world manipulative tasks in professional training settings. The present study therefore assessed the efficacy of practising simple and complex knot-tying skills in professional fire-fighters training. Forty-eight participants were quasi-randomly assigned to various practice schedules along the CI continuum. Twenty-four participants were students selected for their novice knot-tying capabilities and 24 were experienced fire-fighters who were more 'experienced knot-tiers'. They were assessed for skill acquisition, retention and transfer effects having practiced tying knots classified as simple or complex. Surprisingly, high levels of CI scheduling enhance learning for novices even when practising a complex task. The findings also revealed that CI benefits are most apparent as learners engage in tasks high in transfer distality. In conclusion, complexity and experience are mediating factors influencing the potency of the CI training effect in real-world settings.

Playing off the curve - testing quantitative predictions of skill acquisition theories in development of chess performance.

PubMed

Gaschler, Robert; Progscha, Johanna; Smallbone, Kieran; Ram, Nilam; Bilalić, Merim

2014-01-01

Learning curves have been proposed as an adequate description of learning processes, no matter whether the processes manifest within minutes or across years. Different mechanisms underlying skill acquisition can lead to differences in the shape of learning curves. In the current study, we analyze the tournament performance data of 1383 chess players who begin competing at young age and play tournaments for at least 10 years. We analyze the performance development with the goal to test the adequacy of learning curves, and the skill acquisition theories they are based on, for describing and predicting expertise acquisition. On the one hand, we show that the skill acquisition theories implying a negative exponential learning curve do a better job in both describing early performance gains and predicting later trajectories of chess performance than those theories implying a power function learning curve. On the other hand, the learning curves of a large proportion of players show systematic qualitative deviations from the predictions of either type of skill acquisition theory. While skill acquisition theories predict larger performance gains in early years and smaller gains in later years, a substantial number of players begin to show substantial improvements with a delay of several years (and no improvement in the first years), deviations not fully accounted for by quantity of practice. The current work adds to the debate on how learning processes on a small time scale combine to large-scale changes.

Interacting Learning Processes during Skill Acquisition: Learning to control with gradually changing system dynamics.

PubMed

Ludolph, Nicolas; Giese, Martin A; Ilg, Winfried

2017-10-16

There is increasing evidence that sensorimotor learning under real-life conditions relies on a composition of several learning processes. Nevertheless, most studies examine learning behaviour in relation to one specific learning mechanism. In this study, we examined the interaction between reward-based skill acquisition and motor adaptation to changes of object dynamics. Thirty healthy subjects, split into two groups, acquired the skill of balancing a pole on a cart in virtual reality. In one group, we gradually increased the gravity, making the task easier in the beginning and more difficult towards the end. In the second group, subjects had to acquire the skill on the maximum, most difficult gravity level. We hypothesized that the gradual increase in gravity during skill acquisition supports learning despite the necessary adjustments to changes in cart-pole dynamics. We found that the gradual group benefits from the slow increment, although overall improvement was interrupted by the changes in gravity and resulting system dynamics, which caused short-term degradations in performance and timing of actions. In conclusion, our results deliver evidence for an interaction of reward-based skill acquisition and motor adaptation processes, which indicates the importance of both processes for the development of optimized skill acquisition schedules.

The sensorimotor and social sides of the architecture of speech.

PubMed

Pezzulo, Giovanni; Barca, Laura; D'Ausilio, Alessando

2014-12-01

Speech is a complex skill to master. In addition to sophisticated phono-articulatory abilities, speech acquisition requires neuronal systems configured for vocal learning, with adaptable sensorimotor maps that couple heard speech sounds with motor programs for speech production; imitation and self-imitation mechanisms that can train the sensorimotor maps to reproduce heard speech sounds; and a "pedagogical" learning environment that supports tutor learning.

Factors Influencing the Acquisition of Employability Skills by Students of Selected Technical Secondary School in Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dania, Jovinia; Bakar, Ab Rahim; Mohamed, Shamsiah

2014-01-01

The main purpose of the study was to assess the acquisition of employability skills by vocational students in Malaysia. A total of 214 students participated in the study. We used the SCANS instrument to assess vocational students' employability skills. The overall mean of vocational secondary students' employability skills was 3.81 (SD = 0.34).…

Gender differences in the acquisition of surgical skills: a systematic review.

PubMed

Ali, Amir; Subhi, Yousif; Ringsted, Charlotte; Konge, Lars

2015-11-01

Females are less attracted than males to surgical specialties, which may be due to differences in the acquisition of skills. The aim of this study was to systematically review studies that investigate gender differences in the acquisition of surgical skills. We performed a comprehensive database search using relevant search phrases and MeSH terms. We included studies that investigated the role of gender in the acquisition of surgical skills. Our search yielded 247 studies, 18 of which were found to be eligible and were therefore included. These studies included a total of 2,106 study participants. The studies were qualitatively synthesized in five categories (studies on medical students, studies on both medical students and residents, studies on residents, studies on gender differences in needed physical strength, and studies on other gender-related training conditions). Male medical students tended to outperform females, while no gender differences were found among residents. Gaming experience and interest in surgery correlated with better acquisition of surgical skills, regardless of gender. Although initial levels of surgical abilities seemed lower among females, one-on-one training and instructor feedback worked better on females and were able to help the acquisition of surgical skills at a level that negated measurable gender differences. Female physicians possess the required physical strength for surgical procedures, but may face gender-related challenges in daily clinical practice. Medical students are a heterogeneous group with a range of interests and experiences, while surgical residents are more homogeneous perhaps due to selection bias. Gender-related differences are more pronounced among medical students. Future surgical curricula should consider tailoring personalized programs that accommodate more mentoring and one-on-one training for female physicians while giving male physicians more practice opportunities in order to increase the output of surgical training and acquisition of surgical skills.

The Effects of Reinforcement Magnitude on Skill Acquisition for Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paden, Amber R.; Kodak, Tiffany

2015-01-01

We examined the effects of reinforcement magnitude on skill acquisition during discrete-trial training. After conducting a magnitude preference assessment, we compared acquisition during conditions with large and small magnitudes of edible reinforcement to a praise-only condition. Although all participants showed a preference for the…

An Examination of the Skills, Experience, Training and Education Requirements Needed as a Functional Area 97 Officer in the Army Acquisition Corps

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

4. No Particular Skill . . . . . . . . . . . .. 68 5. Communications Skill ............. 68 6. Contract Law ...... . . . . . . . . . . 69 7. Empirical...tenets of contract law and the provisions of the regulatory guidelines from the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to the next highest command’s... Contract Law , another AFIT managed course; and the Management of Defense Acquisition (Executive), taught by ALMC. [Ref.10,pgs 5-6] One of the most important

Effectiveness of Mobile Learning on Athletic Training Psychomotor Skill Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davie, Emily; Martin, Malissa; Cuppett, Micki; Lebsack, Denise

2015-01-01

Context: Instruction of psychomotor skills is an important component of athletic training education. Accommodating the varied learning abilities and preferences of athletic training students can be challenging for an instructor initiating skill acquisition in a traditional face-to-face (F2F) environment. Video instruction available on mobile…

A Disciplinary Perspective of Competency-Based Training on the Acquisition of Employability Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boahin, Peter; Hofman, Adriaan

2013-01-01

In the changing global economy, employability skills increasingly are the focus of vocational education and training institutions. This paper explores the effect of academic disciplines, students' background characteristics and industry training on the acquisition of employability skills through competency-based training. A significant…

Modeling the Distinct Phases of Skill Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tenison, Caitlin; Anderson, John R.

2016-01-01

A focus of early mathematics education is to build fluency through practice. Several models of skill acquisition have sought to explain the increase in fluency because of practice by modeling both the learning mechanisms driving this speedup and the changes in cognitive processes involved in executing the skill (such as transitioning from…

[The Strategic Organization of Skill

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Ralph

1996-01-01

Eye-movement software was developed in addition to several studies that focused on expert-novice differences in the acquisition and organization of skill. These studies focused on how increasingly complex strategies utilize and incorporate visual look-ahead to calibrate action. Software for collecting, calibrating, and scoring eye-movements was refined and updated. Some new algorithms were developed for analyzing corneal-reflection eye movement data that detect the location of saccadic eye movements in space and time. Two full-scale studies were carried out which examined how experts use foveal and peripheral vision to acquire information about upcoming environmental circumstances in order to plan future action(s) accordingly.

Enhancing pediatric clinical competency with high-fidelity simulation.

PubMed

Birkhoff, Susan D; Donner, Carol

2010-09-01

In today's tertiary pediatric hospital setting, the increased complexity of patient care demands seamless coordination and collaboration among multidisciplinary team members. In an effort to enhance patient safety, clinical competence, and teamwork, simulation-based learning has become increasingly integrated into pediatric clinical practice as an innovative educational strategy. The simulated setting provides a risk-free environment where learners can incorporate cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skill acquisition without fear of harming patients. One pediatric university hospital in Southeastern Pennsylvania has enhanced the traditional American Heart Association (AHA) Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) course by integrating high-fidelity simulation into skill acquisition, while still functioning within the guidelines and framework of the AHA educational standards. However, very little research with reliable standardized testing methods has been done to measure the effect of simulation-based learning. This article discusses the AHA guidelines for PALS, evaluation of PALS and nursing clinical competencies, communication among a multidisciplinary team, advantages and disadvantages of simulation, incorporation of high-fidelity simulation into pediatric practice, and suggestions for future practice. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

Does trampolining and anaerobic physical fitness affect sleep?

PubMed

Buchegger, J; Fritsch, R; Meier-Koll, A; Riehle, H

1991-08-01

The structure of nocturnal sleep of 16 volunteers, participating in the anaerobic sports of trampolining, dancing, and soccer, was monitored by means of polygraphic recordings. Since trampolining requires the acquisition of unfamiliar patterns of motor coordination, it can be considered as a special form of motor learning, whereas the acquisition of motor skills specific for dancing and soccer can be linked with motor patterns of normal biped locomotion. According to this view, an experimental group of 8 volunteers was formed; they participated in a training course of trampolining. In addition, a control group of 8 subjects was recruited, who engaged in one of the other two anaerobic sports. Subjects who had acquired new motor skills during a 13-wk. program in trampolining showed a statistically significant increase in REM-sleep. By contrast, the 8 subjects of the control group showed no considerable changes in REM-sleep. This suggests that efforts in acquiring new and complex motor patterns activate processes specifically involved in the generation of REM stage during nocturnal sleep.

Analogy motor learning by young children: a study of rope skipping.

PubMed

Tse, Andy C Y; Fong, Shirley S M; Wong, Thomson W L; Masters, Rich

2017-03-01

Research in psychology suggests that provision of an instruction by analogy can enhance acquisition and understanding of knowledge. Limited research has been conducted to test this proposition in motor learning by children. The purpose of the present study was to examine the feasibility of analogy instructions in motor skill acquisition by children. Thirty-two children were randomly assigned to one of the two instruction protocols: analogy and explicit instruction protocols for a two-week rope skipping training. Each participant completed a pretest (Lesson 1), three practice sessions (Lesson 2-4), a posttest and a secondary task test (Lesson 5). Children in the analogy protocol displayed better rope skip performance than those in the explicit instruction protocol (p < .001). Moreover, a cognitive secondary task test indicated that children in the analogy protocol performed more effectively, whereas children in the explicit protocol displayed decrements in performance. Analogy learning may aid children to acquire complex motor skills, and have potential benefits related to reduced cognitive processing requirements.

Base Rates of Social Skills Acquisition/Performance Deficits, Strengths, and Problem Behaviors: An Analysis of the Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gresham, Frank M.; Elliott, Stephen N.; Kettler, Ryan J.

2010-01-01

Base rate information is important in clinical assessment because one cannot know how unusual or typical a phenomenon is without first knowing its base rate in the population. This study empirically determined the base rates of social skills acquisition and performance deficits, social skills strengths, and problem behaviors using a nationally…

Accelerating language acquisition.

PubMed

Fowler, W; Ogston, K; Roberts-Fiati, G; Swenson, A

1993-01-01

How much can the development of language and other skills be accelerated in the general population? High correlations between early verbal and mental competencies and parent and teacher language socialization practices suggest enormous potential for widespread improvement. Here we report follow-up research in progress in studies of late adolescent children from diverse ethnic and educational backgrounds who participated in a language enrichment programme during infancy in the home or day-care. In 39 of 44 home-stimulated children located to date (nearly all from college-educated families) 62-93% were: in gifted or advanced programmes, obtaining high grades, avid readers and skilled in writing (over half read before school and wrote creative material independently) and generally highly skilled in verbal, mathematical and other academic domains. They also excelled socially and in sports, and showed intellectual independence. Additional subjects and data (on competence, later experiences and Scholastic Aptitude Test [SAT] scores) are currently being collected. Preliminary data analyses suggest that although early language enrichment can in the short term easily increase competence in all groups well beyond norms generated by current socialization practices, long-term outcomes are a complex function of developmental dynamics between the early, complex, foundation of high skills and motivation for learning, and the interaction with facilitative parental resources.

An evaluation of programmed treatment-integrity errors during discrete-trial instruction.

PubMed

Carroll, Regina A; Kodak, Tiffany; Fisher, Wayne W

2013-01-01

This study evaluated the effects of programmed treatment-integrity errors on skill acquisition for children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during discrete-trial instruction (DTI). In Study 1, we identified common treatment-integrity errors that occur during academic instruction in schools. In Study 2, we simultaneously manipulated 3 integrity errors during DTI. In Study 3, we evaluated the effects of each of the 3 integrity errors separately on skill acquisition during DTI. Results showed that participants either demonstrated slower skill acquisition or did not acquire the target skills when instruction included treatment-integrity errors. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Cognitive Load in Mastoidectomy Skills Training: Virtual Reality Simulation and Traditional Dissection Compared.

PubMed

Andersen, Steven Arild Wuyts; Mikkelsen, Peter Trier; Konge, Lars; Cayé-Thomasen, Per; Sørensen, Mads Sølvsten

2016-01-01

The cognitive load (CL) theoretical framework suggests that working memory is limited, which has implications for learning and skills acquisition. Complex learning situations such as surgical skills training can potentially induce a cognitive overload, inhibiting learning. This study aims to compare CL in traditional cadaveric dissection training and virtual reality (VR) simulation training of mastoidectomy. A prospective, crossover study. Participants performed cadaveric dissection before VR simulation of the procedure or vice versa. CL was estimated by secondary-task reaction time testing at baseline and during the procedure in both training modalities. The national Danish temporal bone course. A total of 40 novice otorhinolaryngology residents. Reaction time was increased by 20% in VR simulation training and 55% in cadaveric dissection training of mastoidectomy compared with baseline measurements. Traditional dissection training increased CL significantly more than VR simulation training (p < 0.001). VR simulation training imposed a lower CL than traditional cadaveric dissection training of mastoidectomy. Learning complex surgical skills can be a challenge for the novice and mastoidectomy skills training could potentially be optimized by employing VR simulation training first because of the lower CL. Traditional dissection training could then be used to supplement skills training after basic competencies have been acquired in the VR simulation. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Acquisition of Integrated Science Process Skills in a Web-Based Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saat, Rohaida Mohd

2004-01-01

Web-based learning is becoming prevalent in science learning. Some use specially designed programs, while others use materials available on the Internet. This qualitative case study examined the process of acquisition of integrated science process skills, particularly the skill of controlling variables, in a web-based learning environment among…

Development of Teaching Expertise Viewed through the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyon, Lucinda J.

2015-01-01

This study was designed to explore development of skill acquisition in dental education, utilizing the Dreyfus and Dreyfus continuum. By identifying what skill progression may be recognized in the expert dental educator and what experiences appear to influence this growth, the knowledge gained may inform more efficient, effective faculty support,…

A Survey of Knowledge Management Skills Acquisition in an Online Team-Based Distributed Computing Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Jennifer D. E.

2007-01-01

This paper investigates students' perceptions of their acquisition of knowledge management skills, namely thinking and team-building skills, resulting from the integration of various resources and technologies into an entirely team-based, online upper level distributed computing (DC) information systems (IS) course. Results seem to indicate that…

Effect of Delayed Reinforcement on Skill Acquisition during Discrete-Trial Instruction: Implications for Treatment-Integrity Errors in Academic Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carroll, Regina A.; Kodak, Tiffany; Adolf, Kari J.

2016-01-01

We used an adapted alternating treatments design to compare skill acquisition during discrete-trial instruction using immediate reinforcement, delayed reinforcement with immediate praise, and delayed reinforcement for 2 children with autism spectrum disorder. Participants acquired the skills taught with immediate reinforcement; however, delayed…

Skill Acquisition: Compilation of Weak-Method Problem Solutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, John R.

According to the ACT theory of skill acquisition, cognitive skills are encoded by a set of productions, which are organized according to a hierarchical goal structure. People solve problems in new domains by applying weak problem-solving procedures to declarative knowledge they have about this domain. From these initial problem solutions,…

Competency Assessment in Senior Emergency Medicine Residents for Core Ultrasound Skills.

PubMed

Schmidt, Jessica N; Kendall, John; Smalley, Courtney

2015-11-01

Quality resident education in point-of-care ultrasound (POC US) is becoming increasingly important in emergency medicine (EM); however, the best methods to evaluate competency in graduating residents has not been established. We sought to design and implement a rigorous assessment of image acquisition and interpretation in POC US in a cohort of graduating residents at our institution. We evaluated nine senior residents in both image acquisition and image interpretation for five core US skills (focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST), aorta, echocardiogram (ECHO), pelvic, central line placement). Image acquisition, using an observed clinical skills exam (OSCE) directed assessment with a standardized patient model. Image interpretation was measured with a multiple-choice exam including normal and pathologic images. Residents performed well on image acquisition for core skills with an average score of 85.7% for core skills and 74% including advanced skills (ovaries, advanced ECHO, advanced aorta). Residents scored well but slightly lower on image interpretation with an average score of 76%. Senior residents performed well on core POC US skills as evaluated with a rigorous assessment tool. This tool may be developed further for other EM programs to use for graduating resident evaluation.

Disease management in Latinos with schizophrenia: a family-assisted, skills training approach.

PubMed

Kopelowicz, Alex; Zarate, Roberto; Gonzalez Smith, Veronica; Mintz, Jim; Liberman, Robert Paul

2003-01-01

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a skills training program designed to teach disease management to Latinos with schizophrenia treated at a community mental health center. Ninety-two Latino outpatients with schizophrenia and their designated relatives were randomly assigned to 3 months of skills training (ST) versus customary outpatient care (CC) and followed for a total of 9 months. The skills training approach was culturally adapted mainly by including the active participation of key relatives to facilitate acquisition and generalization of disease management skills into the patients' natural environment. There was a significant advantage for the ST group over the CC group on several symptom measures, skill acquisition and generalization, level of functioning, and rates of rehospitalization. There were no significant differences between the groups on quality of life or caregiver burden. Skills training had a direct effect on skill acquisition and generalization, and utilization of disease management skills led to decreased rates of rehospitalization. Incorporating an intensive, culturally relevant generalization effort into skills training for Latinos with schizophrenia appeared to be effective in teaching disease management and viable in a community mental health center.

Effects of explicit instruction on the acquisition of students' science inquiry skills in grades 5 and 6 of primary education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruit, P. M.; Oostdam, R. J.; van den Berg, E.; Schuitema, J. A.

2018-03-01

In most primary science classes, students are taught science inquiry skills by way of learning by doing. Research shows that explicit instruction may be more effective. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of explicit instruction on the acquisition of inquiry skills. Participants included 705 Dutch fifth and sixth graders. Students in an explicit instruction condition received an eight-week intervention of explicit instruction on inquiry skills. In the lessons of the implicit condition, all aspects of explicit instruction were absent. Students in the baseline condition followed their regular science curriculum. In a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design, two paper-and-pencil tests and three performance assessments were used to examine the acquisition and transfer of inquiry skills. Additionally, questionnaires were used to measure metacognitive skills. The results of a multilevel analysis controlling for pre-tests, general cognitive ability, age, gender and grade level indicated that explicit instruction facilitates the acquisition of science inquiry skills. Specifically on the performance assessment with an unfamiliar topic, students in the explicit condition outperformed students of both the implicit and baseline condition. Therefore, this study provides a strong argument for including an explicit teaching method for developing inquiry skills in primary science education.

Toward an embedded training tool for Deep Space Network operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, Randall W., Jr.; Sturdevant, Kathryn F.; Johnson, W. L.

1993-01-01

There are three issues to consider when building an embedded training system for a task domain involving the operation of complex equipment: (1) how skill is acquired in the task domain; (2) how the training system should be designed to assist in the acquisition of the skill, and more specifically, how an intelligent tutor could aid in learning; and (3) whether it is feasible to incorporate the resulting training system into the operational environment. This paper describes how these issues have been addressed in a prototype training system that was developed for operations in NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN). The first two issues were addressed by building an executable cognitive model of problem solving and skill acquisition of the task domain and then using the model to design an intelligent tutor. The cognitive model was developed in Soar for the DSN's Link Monitor and Control (LMC) system; it led to several insights about learning in the task domain that were used to design an intelligent tutor called REACT that implements a method called 'impasse-driven tutoring'. REACT is one component of the LMC training system, which also includes a communications link simulator and a graphical user interface. A pilot study of the LMC training system indicates that REACT shows promise as an effective way for helping operators to quickly acquire expert skills.

Robotic technology results in faster and more robust surgical skill acquisition than traditional laparoscopy.

PubMed

Moore, Lee J; Wilson, Mark R; Waine, Elizabeth; Masters, Rich S W; McGrath, John S; Vine, Samuel J

2015-03-01

Technical surgical skills are said to be acquired quicker on a robotic rather than laparoscopic platform. However, research examining this proposition is scarce. Thus, this study aimed to compare the performance and learning curves of novices acquiring skills using a robotic or laparoscopic system, and to examine if any learning advantages were maintained over time and transferred to more difficult and stressful tasks. Forty novice participants were randomly assigned to either a robotic- or laparoscopic-trained group. Following one baseline trial on a ball pick-and-drop task, participants performed 50 learning trials. Participants then completed an immediate retention trial and a transfer trial on a two-instrument rope-threading task. One month later, participants performed a delayed retention trial and a stressful multi-tasking trial. The results revealed that the robotic-trained group completed the ball pick-and-drop task more quickly and accurately than the laparoscopic-trained group across baseline, immediate retention, and delayed retention trials. Furthermore, the robotic-trained group displayed a shorter learning curve for accuracy. The robotic-trained group also performed the more complex rope-threading and stressful multi-tasking transfer trials better. Finally, in the multi-tasking trial, the robotic-trained group made fewer tone counting errors. The results highlight the benefits of using robotic technology for the acquisition of technical surgical skills.

[Psychomotor skills assessment in basic procedures of laparoscopic surgery in undergraduate medical students at the School of Medicine of the University of Colima].

PubMed

Prieto-Díaz-Chávez, Emilio; Medina-Chávez, José Luís; Martínez-Lira, Rafael; Millán-Guerrero, Rebeca; Vázquez-Jiménez, Clemente; Trujillo-Hernández, Benjamín

2014-01-01

The changes in recent decades in the training of medical student seem to agree that the educational model for professional skills is most appropriate. The virtual simulator translates skills acquired the operating room, in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colima noticed the need to prepare the students of pregrade transferring surgical trainees' skills in basic laparoscopic activities that require a simple cognitive effort. The hypothesis in this study was to evaluate the acquisition of skills in laparoscopic simulator in students of pregrade. Educational research, analytical comparison, which was conducted within the activities of the program of Problem Based Learning in the program of Education and Surgical Technique, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colima. All participants in the simulator achieved a significantly better during the task one after three repetitions (p= 0.001). The evaluation of final students calcification, we observed significant differences in means being lower during the initial assessment (8.60 ± 0.76) compared to the end (8.96 ± 0.58) p= 0.001. The acquisition of skills in the simulator is longer but at the end is better than the acquisition of skills from the traditional method, showing that leads to the acquisition of skills that promote the transfer of skills to the surgical environment.

Information and psychomotor skills knowledge acquisition: A student-customer-centered and computer-supported approach.

PubMed

Nicholson, Anita; Tobin, Mary

2006-01-01

This presentation will discuss coupling commercial and customized computer-supported teaching aids to provide BSN nursing students with a friendly customer-centered self-study approach to psychomotor skill acquisition.

Video Game Telemetry as a Critical Tool in the Study of Complex Skill Learning

PubMed Central

Thompson, Joseph J.; Blair, Mark R.; Chen, Lihan; Henrey, Andrew J.

2013-01-01

Cognitive science has long shown interest in expertise, in part because prediction and control of expert development would have immense practical value. Most studies in this area investigate expertise by comparing experts with novices. The reliance on contrastive samples in studies of human expertise only yields deep insight into development where differences are important throughout skill acquisition. This reliance may be pernicious where the predictive importance of variables is not constant across levels of expertise. Before the development of sophisticated machine learning tools for data mining larger samples, and indeed, before such samples were available, it was difficult to test the implicit assumption of static variable importance in expertise development. To investigate if this reliance may have imposed critical restrictions on the understanding of complex skill development, we adopted an alternative method, the online acquisition of telemetry data from a common daily activity for many: video gaming. Using measures of cognitive-motor, attentional, and perceptual processing extracted from game data from 3360 Real-Time Strategy players at 7 different levels of expertise, we identified 12 variables relevant to expertise. We show that the static variable importance assumption is false - the predictive importance of these variables shifted as the levels of expertise increased - and, at least in our dataset, that a contrastive approach would have been misleading. The finding that variable importance is not static across levels of expertise suggests that large, diverse datasets of sustained cognitive-motor performance are crucial for an understanding of expertise in real-world contexts. We also identify plausible cognitive markers of expertise. PMID:24058656

Video game telemetry as a critical tool in the study of complex skill learning.

PubMed

Thompson, Joseph J; Blair, Mark R; Chen, Lihan; Henrey, Andrew J

2013-01-01

Cognitive science has long shown interest in expertise, in part because prediction and control of expert development would have immense practical value. Most studies in this area investigate expertise by comparing experts with novices. The reliance on contrastive samples in studies of human expertise only yields deep insight into development where differences are important throughout skill acquisition. This reliance may be pernicious where the predictive importance of variables is not constant across levels of expertise. Before the development of sophisticated machine learning tools for data mining larger samples, and indeed, before such samples were available, it was difficult to test the implicit assumption of static variable importance in expertise development. To investigate if this reliance may have imposed critical restrictions on the understanding of complex skill development, we adopted an alternative method, the online acquisition of telemetry data from a common daily activity for many: video gaming. Using measures of cognitive-motor, attentional, and perceptual processing extracted from game data from 3360 Real-Time Strategy players at 7 different levels of expertise, we identified 12 variables relevant to expertise. We show that the static variable importance assumption is false--the predictive importance of these variables shifted as the levels of expertise increased--and, at least in our dataset, that a contrastive approach would have been misleading. The finding that variable importance is not static across levels of expertise suggests that large, diverse datasets of sustained cognitive-motor performance are crucial for an understanding of expertise in real-world contexts. We also identify plausible cognitive markers of expertise.

Engineering Research Teams: The Role of Social Networks in the Formation of Research Skills for Postgraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sampson, Kaylene; Comer, Keith

2011-01-01

This study explores learner experiences regarding skills acquisition of a cohort of engineering doctoral students enrolled in a New Zealand university. Employing a qualitative methodology, we interviewed 28 PhD students about the range of experiences and exchanges that comprised their pathways to skill acquisition. Students reported that research…

The Ethical Implications of the Five-Stage Skill-Acquisition Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dreyfus, Hubert L.; Dreyfus, Stuart E.

2004-01-01

We assume that acting ethically is a skill. We then use a phenomenological description of five stages of skill acquisition to argue that an ethics based on principles corresponds to a beginner's reliance on rules and so is developmentally inferior to an ethics based on expert response that claims that, after long experience, the ethical expert…

The Role of Observation and Emulation in the Development of Athletic Self-Regulation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitsantas, Anastasia; Zimmerman, Barry J.; Cleary, Tim

2000-01-01

Studies the influences of modeling and social feedback in acquisition of dart-throwing skill with 60 high school girls. Discusses results in terms of a social-cognitive view of athletic skill acquisition in which vicarious abstraction of a skill prepares students to learn self-regulatively during practice efforts. (Contains 20 references, 4…

The Effects of Kinetic Structure on Knowledge About and Performance of a Psychomotor Skill: Teaching Students to Use the Compound Microscope

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simmons, Ellen Stephanie

1977-01-01

Investigates effects of method of presentation and structure on secondary student's acquisition of knowledge and psychomotor skills in teaching use of the compound microscope. Psychomotor skills and knowledge acquisitions were both found to be directly related to high structure and separated presentations. (SL)

Visual Skills and Chinese Reading Acquisition: A Meta-Analysis of Correlation Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Ling-Yan; Guo, Jian-Peng; Richman, Lynn C.; Schmidt, Frank L.; Gerken, Kathryn C.; Ding, Yi

2013-01-01

This paper used meta-analysis to synthesize the relation between visual skills and Chinese reading acquisition based on the empirical results from 34 studies published from 1991 to 2011. We obtained 234 correlation coefficients from 64 independent samples, with a total of 5,395 participants. The meta-analysis revealed that visual skills as a…

Predictors of the Acquisition and Portability of Transferable Skills: A Longitudinal Portuguese Case Study on Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rocha, Magda

2015-01-01

The basis for this longitudinal study was to find the predictors of transferable skills acquisition and portability among university sophomore students. The method employed was the path analysis using as variables: (1) the theoretical framework of transferable skills representations (Evers and Rush in "Manag Learn" 27(4):275-300, 1996;…

Exploring the Influencing Factors in Students' Acquisition of Manipulative Skills during Transition from Primary to Secondary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fadzil, Hidayah Mohd; Saat, Rohaida Mohd

2014-01-01

This paper discusses the contributing factors that influence students' acquisition of manipulative skills. Incompetence in manipulative skills in science at a primary level may impede science learning at secondary school. Thus, to confront these issues, an in-depth study was conducted. The research involved 10 primary school students who were…

The Effect of Soft Skills and Training Methodology on Employee Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ibrahim, Rosli; Boerhannoeddin, Ali; Bakare, Kazeem Kayode

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of soft skill acquisition and the training methodology adopted on employee work performance. In this study, the authors study the trends of research in training and work performance in organisations that focus on the acquisition of technical or "hard skills" for employee…

Teaching and assessing procedural skills: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Touchie, Claire; Humphrey-Murto, Susan; Varpio, Lara

2013-05-14

Graduating Internal Medicine residents must possess sufficient skills to perform a variety of medical procedures. Little is known about resident experiences of acquiring procedural skills proficiency, of practicing these techniques, or of being assessed on their proficiency. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively investigate resident 1) experiences of the acquisition of procedural skills and 2) perceptions of procedural skills assessment methods available to them. Focus groups were conducted in the weeks following an assessment of procedural skills incorporated into an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Using fundamental qualitative description, emergent themes were identified and analyzed. Residents perceived procedural skills assessment on the OSCE as a useful formative tool for direct observation and immediate feedback. This positive reaction was regularly expressed in conjunction with a frustration with available assessment systems. Participants reported that proficiency was acquired through resident directed learning with no formal mechanism to ensure acquisition or maintenance of skills. The acquisition and assessment of procedural skills in Internal Medicine programs should move toward a more structured system of teaching, deliberate practice and objective assessment. We propose that directed, self-guided learning might meet these needs.

Augmented kinematic feedback from haptic virtual reality for dental skill acquisition.

PubMed

Suebnukarn, Siriwan; Haddawy, Peter; Rhienmora, Phattanapon; Jittimanee, Pannapa; Viratket, Piyanuch

2010-12-01

We have developed a haptic virtual reality system for dental skill training. In this study we examined several kinds of kinematic information about the movement provided by the system supplement knowledge of results (KR) in dental skill acquisition. The kinematic variables examined involved force utilization (F) and mirror view (M). This created three experimental conditions that received augmented kinematic feedback (F, M, FM) and one control condition that did not (KR-only). Thirty-two dental students were randomly assigned to four groups. Their task was to perform access opening on the upper first molar with the haptic virtual reality system. An acquisition session consisted of two days of ten trials of practice in which augmented kinematic feedback was provided for the appropriate experimental conditions after each trial. One week after, a retention test consisting of two trials without augmented feedback was completed. The results showed that the augmented kinematic feedback groups had larger mean performance scores than the KR-only group in Day 1 of the acquisition and retention sessions (ANOVA, p<0.05). The apparent differences among feedback groups were not significant in Day 2 of the acquisition session (ANOVA, p>0.05). The trends in acquisition and retention sessions suggest that the augmented kinematic feedback can enhance the performance earlier in the skill acquisition and retention sessions.

Effect of simultaneous model observation and self-modeling of volleyball skill acquisition.

PubMed

Barzouka, Karolina; Bergeles, Nikolaos; Hatziharistos, Dimitris

2007-02-01

This study examined the effect of feedback with simultaneous skilled model observation and self-modeling on volleyball skill acquisition. 53 pupils 12 to 15 years old formed two experimental groups and one control group who followed an intervention program with 12 practice sessions for acquisition and retention of how to receive a ball. Groups received different types of feedback before and in the middle of each practice session. Reception performance outcome (score) and technique in every group were assessed before and at the end of the intervention program and during the retention phase. A 3 (Group) x 3 (Measurement Period) multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measures was applied to investigate differences. Results showed equivalent improvement in all three groups at the end of the intervention program. In conclusion, types of augmented feedback from the physical education teacher are effective in acquisition and retention of the skill for reception in volleyball.

Adult Age Differences and the Role of Cognitive Resources in Perceptual–Motor Skill Acquisition: Application of a Multilevel Negative Exponential Model

PubMed Central

Kennedy, Kristen M.; Rodrigue, Karen M.; Lindenberger, Ulman; Raz, Naftali

2010-01-01

The effects of advanced age and cognitive resources on the course of skill acquisition are unclear, and discrepancies among studies may reflect limitations of data analytic approaches. We applied a multilevel negative exponential model to skill acquisition data from 80 trials (four 20-trial blocks) of a pursuit rotor task administered to healthy adults (19–80 years old). The analyses conducted at the single-trial level indicated that the negative exponential function described performance well. Learning parameters correlated with measures of task-relevant cognitive resources on all blocks except the last and with age on all blocks after the second. Thus, age differences in motor skill acquisition may evolve in 2 phases: In the first, age differences are collinear with individual differences in task-relevant cognitive resources; in the second, age differences orthogonal to these resources emerge. PMID:20047985

Expansion Policy of Secondary Technical Education as a Correlate to the Acquisition of Basic Technical Skills by Students in Cameroon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Efande, Lyonga John

2015-01-01

This study aims at investigating the relationship between the expansion of secondary Technical Education on the acquisition of technical skills by students. Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has been expanding quantitatively yearly without paying enough attention to its adverse effect on quality and the acquisition of the…

Nominal and functional task difficulty in skill acquisition: Effects on performance in two tests of transfer.

PubMed

Sanli, Elizabeth A; Lee, Timothy D

2015-06-01

The influence of nominal and functional task difficulty during the acquisition of a motor skill was examined in two tests of transfer of learning. The task involved a ballistic, target-directed, finger action. Nominal task difficulty was defined as the distance of the target from the home position. Functional task difficulty was created by manipulating the progression of target distances during practice. Based on the challenge point framework (Guadagnoli & Lee, 2004), we predicted that practice with a set of targets farther away from the performer would benefit from less functional task difficulty, while practice with a closer set of targets would benefit from more functional task difficulty. In single-task transfer tests, learners who practiced using the high nominal task difficulty targets benefitted in terms of persistence of performance over time. In dual-task transfer tests, groups with an intermediate combined (nominal and functional) task difficulty performed with greater persistence over time on tests of transfer than those who practiced with the highest or lowest combined difficulty. Together these findings suggest that the influences of nominal and functional task difficulty during acquisition are weighted differentially depending upon the transfer test context. The challenge point framework does not accurately capture this complex relationship in its current form. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Educational Software, Video Modelling and Group Discussion on Social-Skill Acquisition among Students with Mild Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hetzroni, Orit E.; Banin, Irit

2017-01-01

Background: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often demonstrate difficulties in social skills. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a comprehensive intervention program on the acquisition of social skills among students with mild IDD. Method: Single subject multiple baseline design across situations…

Effects of Computer-Based Practice on the Acquisition and Maintenance of Basic Academic Skills for Children with Moderate to Intensive Educational Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Everhart, Julie M.; Alber-Morgan, Sheila R.; Park, Ju Hee

2011-01-01

This study investigated the effects of computer-based practice on the acquisition and maintenance of basic academic skills for two children with moderate to intensive disabilities. The special education teacher created individualized computer games that enabled the participants to independently practice academic skills that corresponded with their…

Acquisition of Innovative and Entrepreneurial Skills in Basic Science Education for Job Creation in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mbanefo, Maryrose Chinwe; Eboka, Obiajulu C.

2017-01-01

Innovative and entrepreneurial skill acquisition in Nigeria entails focusing on what should be done to bridge the gap between the school and labor market, where the learner will work after graduation, so as to be self-reliant in the society. Specifically, the study determined: The innovative and entrepreneurial skills needed in basic science…

The development of a vocabulary for PEEPS-SE-profiles of early expressive phonological skills for Swedish.

PubMed

Marklund, Ulrika; Lacerda, Francisco; Persson, Anna; Lohmander, Anette

2018-04-10

This paper describes the development of a vocabulary for Profiles of Early Expressive Phonological Skills for Swedish (PEEPS-SE), a tool for assessment of expressive phonology in Swedish-learning children in the age range of 18-36 months. PEEPS-SE is the Swedish version of the original PEEPS, Profiles of Early Expressive Phonological Skills, which uses two age-adequate word lists-a basic word list (BWL) for the assessment of 18-24-month-old children, to which an expanded word list (EWL) is added for assessment of 24-36-month-old children, or children with more than 250 words in their expressive vocabulary. The selection of words in PEEPS-SE is based on two types of criteria: age of acquisition and phonological complexity. The words also need to be easy to elicit in a natural way in test situations. Vocabulary data previously collected with the Swedish Early Communicative Development Inventory are used for selection of age-adequate words, where the BWL contains words acquired earlier compared to the additional words in the EWL. The latter also contains words that are more phonologically complex compared to those in the BWL. Word complexity was determined by the Swedish version of word complexity measure. PEEPS-SE has made an attempt to match the original version of PEEPS in terms of both assessment method and word selection.

The skills related to the early reading acquisition in Spain and Peru

PubMed Central

Ávila, Vicenta; Martínez, Tomás; Ysla, Liz

2018-01-01

This paper deals with the skills related to the early reading acquisition in two countries that share language. Traditionally on reading readiness research there is a great interest to find out what factors affect early reading ability, but differ from other academic skills that affect general school learnings. Furthermore, it is also known how the influence of pre-reading variables in two countries with the same language, affect the development of the reading. On the other hand, several studies have examined what skills are related to reading readiness (phonological awareness, alphabetic awareness, naming speed, linguistic skills, metalinguistic knowledge and basic cognitive processes), but there are no studies showing whether countries can also influence the development of these skills.Our main objective in this study was to establish whether there were differences in the degree of acquisition of these skills between Spanish (119 children) and Peruvian (128 children), five years old children assessed in their own countries and after controlling Economic, Social and Cultural Status (ESCS). The results show that there are significant differences in the degree of acquisition of these skills between these two samples. It's especially relevant, in these results, that the main predictor in a regression study was the country of origin, explaining a higher percentage of variance than other variables such as age differences, in months, or gender. These findings corroborate the results obtained in other studies with migrant population. PMID:29505592

Visuospatial abilities and fine motor experiences influence acquisition and maintenance of fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery (FLS) task performance.

PubMed

Harrington, Cuan M; Dicker, Patrick; Traynor, Oscar; Kavanagh, Dara O

2018-05-18

Minimally invasive surgery poses a unique learning curve due to the requirement for non-intuitive psychomotor skills. The fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery (FLS) program trains and certifies residents in such skills. However, innate predictors of FLS performance and maintenance remain to be described. This single-centre observational study aimed to assess for candidate factors influencing the acquisition and maintenance of FLS performance amongst a surgically naïve cohort. Laparoscopically naïve medical students were recruited from pre-clinical university grades. Participants completed five visuospatial/psychomotor tests and a questionnaire surveying non-surgical experiences and personality traits. Individuals completed baseline assessments of FLS standard tasks followed by an intensive training course over week one and two on inanimate box trainers. A post-training assessment was performed in week three to evaluate acquisition. Participants were withdrawn from exposure and retested at four 1-month intervals to assess maintenance requirements. Forty-nine participants enrolled with 35 (71.4%) and 33 (67.3%) completing acquisition and maintenance phases, respectively. Mean age of participants was 19.3 (± 1.2) years with 68.6% female predominance. Participants demonstrated significant improvements in all five tasks during the acquisition (p < 0.05) period and maintenance of skills with task exposure at 1-month intervals. Significant predictors of skill acquisition included: card rotations for intracorporeal knot (p = 0.027) and combined tasks (p = 0.028) and cube comparisons for extracorporeal knot (p = 0.040). During skill maintenance: Card rotations predicted performance across all tasks (p < 0.05), Cube comparisons for tasks 1/2/4/5 (p < 0.05), PicSOR for peg transfer (p = 0.017) and grooved pegboard for peg transfer (p = 0.023) and ligating-loop (p = 0.038) tasks. Musical instrument experience demonstrated associations with skill acquisition in peg transfer (p = 0.042) and intracorporeal knot (p = 0.034) while video gaming predicted performance in these tasks (p < 0.05) during the maintenance phase. A sporting background or competitive personality did not influence skill performance. Multiple visuospatial abilities and non-surgical experiences positively influenced FLS performance during skill acquisition and/or maintenance. Further consideration to these individual factors may facilitate selection of more technically adaptable surgical residents.

Multiple systems for motor skill learning.

PubMed

Clark, Dav; Ivry, Richard B

2010-07-01

Motor learning is a ubiquitous feature of human competence. This review focuses on two particular classes of model tasks for studying skill acquisition. The serial reaction time (SRT) task is used to probe how people learn sequences of actions, while adaptation in the context of visuomotor or force field perturbations serves to illustrate how preexisting movements are recalibrated in novel environments. These tasks highlight important issues regarding the representational changes that occur during the course of motor learning. One important theme is that distinct mechanisms vary in their information processing costs during learning and performance. Fast learning processes may require few trials to produce large changes in performance but impose demands on cognitive resources. Slower processes are limited in their ability to integrate complex information but minimally demanding in terms of attention or processing resources. The representations derived from fast systems may be accessible to conscious processing and provide a relatively greater measure of flexibility, while the representations derived from slower systems are more inflexible and automatic in their behavior. In exploring these issues, we focus on how multiple neural systems may interact and compete during the acquisition and consolidation of new behaviors. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Motor Skill and Performance. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effects of different practice conditions on acquisition, retention, and transfer of soccer skills by 9-year-old schoolchildren.

PubMed

Vera, Juan Granda; Alvarez, José Carlos Barbero; Medina, Mariano Montilla

2008-04-01

This study was designed to examine effects of three practice models, blocked, variable, and combined, on the acquisition, retention, and transfer of new motor skills. 67 subjects (M age = 9.5 yr., SD = .3) from the fourth year of primary school (31 boys and 26 girls) were assigned at random to three different practice groups (Blocked = 22, Variable = 23, Combined = 22) to study acquisition of two skills, dribbling a soccer ball and kicking a soccer ball at a stationary target using the dominant foot. All participants received a pretest and posttest, a transfer test, and a retention test 2 wk. later. Analysis showed significant improvement after practice of kicking skills by the three groups but not in the dribbling skills, for which only the combined practice group showed any notable improvement. At the end of acquisition, the combined practice group had significantly better performance on the dribbling task than the other two groups. However, the only differences noted in performance of kicking the ball with the dominant foot were by combined practice and blocked groups.

The effects of intertrial interval and instructional format on skill acquisition and maintenance for children with autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Cariveau, Tom; Kodak, Tiffany; Campbell, Vincent

2016-12-01

We replicated and extended the study by Koegel, Dunlap, and Dyer (1980) by examining the effects of 3 intertrial-interval (ITI) durations on skill acquisition in 2 children with autism spectrum disorders. Specifically, we compared the effect of short (2 s), progressive (2 s to 20 s), and long (20 s) ITIs on participants' mastery of tacts or intraverbals presented in massed-trial and varied-trial instructional formats. We also measured (a) stereotypic and problem behavior during the ITI, (b) maintenance of skills, and (c) responding to novel adults and settings. Results showed that short ITIs in a varied-trial format produced the most efficient acquisition of skills; however, most ITI durations produced more efficient skill acquisition in a varied format compared to a massed format. The trial format and ITI duration associated with the lowest levels of stereotypic and problem behavior during the ITI and responding during maintenance and novel adult and setting probes differed across participants. © 2016 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Effects of Explicit Instruction on the Acquisition of Students' Science Inquiry Skills in Grades 5 and 6 of Primary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kruit, P. M.; Oostdam, R. J.; van den Berg, E.; Schuitema, J. A.

2018-01-01

In most primary science classes, students are taught science inquiry skills by way of learning by doing. Research shows that explicit instruction may be more effective. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of explicit instruction on the acquisition of inquiry skills. Participants included 705 Dutch fifth and sixth graders. Students…

Teaching and assessing procedural skills: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Graduating Internal Medicine residents must possess sufficient skills to perform a variety of medical procedures. Little is known about resident experiences of acquiring procedural skills proficiency, of practicing these techniques, or of being assessed on their proficiency. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively investigate resident 1) experiences of the acquisition of procedural skills and 2) perceptions of procedural skills assessment methods available to them. Methods Focus groups were conducted in the weeks following an assessment of procedural skills incorporated into an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Using fundamental qualitative description, emergent themes were identified and analyzed. Results Residents perceived procedural skills assessment on the OSCE as a useful formative tool for direct observation and immediate feedback. This positive reaction was regularly expressed in conjunction with a frustration with available assessment systems. Participants reported that proficiency was acquired through resident directed learning with no formal mechanism to ensure acquisition or maintenance of skills. Conclusions The acquisition and assessment of procedural skills in Internal Medicine programs should move toward a more structured system of teaching, deliberate practice and objective assessment. We propose that directed, self-guided learning might meet these needs. PMID:23672617

The Computer Book of the Internal Medicine Resident: competence acquisition and achievement of learning objectives.

PubMed

Oristrell, J; Oliva, J C; Casanovas, A; Comet, R; Jordana, R; Navarro, M

2014-01-01

The Computer Book of the Internal Medicine resident (CBIMR) is a computer program that was validated to analyze the acquisition of competences in teams of Internal Medicine residents. To analyze the characteristics of the rotations during the Internal Medicine residency and to identify the variables associated with the acquisition of clinical and communication skills, the achievement of learning objectives and resident satisfaction. All residents of our service (n=20) participated in the study during a period of 40 months. The CBIMR consisted of 22 self-assessment questionnaires specific for each rotation, with items on services (clinical workload, disease protocolization, resident responsibilities, learning environment, service organization and teamwork) and items on educational outcomes (acquisition of clinical and communication skills, achievement of learning objectives, overall satisfaction). Associations between services features and learning outcomes were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate analysis. An intense clinical workload, high resident responsibilities and disease protocolization were associated with the acquisition of clinical skills. High clinical competence and teamwork were both associated with better communication skills. Finally, an adequate learning environment was associated with increased clinical competence, the achievement of educational goals and resident satisfaction. Potentially modifiable variables related with the operation of clinical services had a significant impact on the acquisition of clinical and communication skills, the achievement of educational goals, and resident satisfaction during the specialized training in Internal Medicine. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

From see one do one, to see a good one do a better one: learning physical examination skills through peer observation.

PubMed

St-Onge, Christina; Martineau, Bernard; Harvey, Anne; Bergeron, Linda; Mamede, Silvia; Rikers, Remy

2013-01-01

Learning and mastering the skills required to execute physical exams is of great importance and should be fostered early during medical training. Observing peers has been shown to positively influence the acquisition of psychomotor skills. The current study investigated the influence of peer observation on the acquisition of psychomotor skills required to execute a physical examination. Second-year medical students (N=194) learned the neurological physical examination for low back pain in groups of three. Each student learned and performed the physical examination while the other students observed. Analyses compared the impact of the quantity and the quality of observed performances on students' learning of the physical examination skills. Students benefited from observing peers while they executed their examination. Moreover, observing a high-performing peer increased the acquisition of physical examination skills. Results suggest that group learning activities that allow students to observe their peers during physical examination should be favored.

Feedforward Self-Modeling Enhances Skill Acquisition in Children Learning Trampoline Skills

PubMed Central

Ste-Marie, Diane M.; Vertes, Kelly; Rymal, Amanda M.; Martini, Rose

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research was to examine whether children would benefit from a feedforward self-modeling (FSM) video and to explore possible explanatory mechanisms for the potential benefits, using a self-regulation framework. To this end, children were involved in learning two five-skill trampoline routines. For one of the routines, a FSM video was provided during acquisition, whereas only verbal instructions were provided for the alternate routine. The FSM involved editing video footage such that it showed the learner performing the trampoline routine at a higher skill level than their current capability. Analyses of the data showed that while physical performance benefits were observed for the routine that was learned with the FSM video, no differences were obtained in relation to the self-regulatory measures. Thus, the FSM video enhanced motor skill acquisition, but this could not be explained by changes to the varied self-regulatory processes examined. PMID:21779270

Feedforward self-modeling enhances skill acquisition in children learning trampoline skills.

PubMed

Ste-Marie, Diane M; Vertes, Kelly; Rymal, Amanda M; Martini, Rose

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research was to examine whether children would benefit from a feedforward self-modeling (FSM) video and to explore possible explanatory mechanisms for the potential benefits, using a self-regulation framework. To this end, children were involved in learning two five-skill trampoline routines. For one of the routines, a FSM video was provided during acquisition, whereas only verbal instructions were provided for the alternate routine. The FSM involved editing video footage such that it showed the learner performing the trampoline routine at a higher skill level than their current capability. Analyses of the data showed that while physical performance benefits were observed for the routine that was learned with the FSM video, no differences were obtained in relation to the self-regulatory measures. Thus, the FSM video enhanced motor skill acquisition, but this could not be explained by changes to the varied self-regulatory processes examined.

Relating indices of knowledge structure coherence and accuracy to skill-based performance: Is there utility in using a combination of indices?

PubMed

Schuelke, Matthew J; Day, Eric Anthony; McEntire, Lauren E; Boatman, Jazmine Espejo; Wang, Xiaoqian; Kowollik, Vanessa; Boatman, Paul R

2009-07-01

The authors examined the relative criterion-related validity of knowledge structure coherence and two accuracy-based indices (closeness and correlation) as well as the utility of using a combination of knowledge structure indices in the prediction of skill acquisition and transfer. Findings from an aggregation of 5 independent samples (N = 958) whose participants underwent training on a complex computer simulation indicated that coherence and the accuracy-based indices yielded comparable zero-order predictive validities. Support for the incremental validity of using a combination of indices was mixed; the most, albeit small, gain came in pairing coherence and closeness when predicting transfer. After controlling for baseline skill, general mental ability, and declarative knowledge, only coherence explained a statistically significant amount of unique variance in transfer. Overall, the results suggested that the different indices largely overlap in their representation of knowledge organization, but that coherence better reflects adaptable aspects of knowledge organization important to skill transfer.

Development of social skills in children: neural and behavioral evidence for the elaboration of cognitive models

PubMed Central

Soto-Icaza, Patricia; Aboitiz, Francisco; Billeke, Pablo

2015-01-01

Social skills refer to a wide group of abilities that allow us to interact and communicate with others. Children learn how to solve social situations by predicting and understanding other's behaviors. The way in which humans learn to interact successfully with others encompasses a complex interaction between neural, behavioral, and environmental elements. These have a role in the accomplishment of positive developmental outcomes, including peer acceptance, academic achievement, and mental health. All these social abilities depend on widespread brain networks that are recently being studied by neuroscience. In this paper, we will first review the studies on this topic, aiming to clarify the behavioral and neural mechanisms related to the acquisition of social skills during infancy and their appearance in time. Second, we will briefly describe how developmental diseases like Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can inform about the neurobiological mechanisms of social skills. We finally sketch a general framework for the elaboration of cognitive models in order to facilitate the comprehension of human social development. PMID:26483621

Development of social skills in children: neural and behavioral evidence for the elaboration of cognitive models.

PubMed

Soto-Icaza, Patricia; Aboitiz, Francisco; Billeke, Pablo

2015-01-01

Social skills refer to a wide group of abilities that allow us to interact and communicate with others. Children learn how to solve social situations by predicting and understanding other's behaviors. The way in which humans learn to interact successfully with others encompasses a complex interaction between neural, behavioral, and environmental elements. These have a role in the accomplishment of positive developmental outcomes, including peer acceptance, academic achievement, and mental health. All these social abilities depend on widespread brain networks that are recently being studied by neuroscience. In this paper, we will first review the studies on this topic, aiming to clarify the behavioral and neural mechanisms related to the acquisition of social skills during infancy and their appearance in time. Second, we will briefly describe how developmental diseases like Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can inform about the neurobiological mechanisms of social skills. We finally sketch a general framework for the elaboration of cognitive models in order to facilitate the comprehension of human social development.

EXERGAMES AS A TOOL FOR THE ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT OF MOTOR SKILLS AND ABILITIES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.

PubMed

Medeiros, Pâmella de; Capistrano, Renata; Zequinão, Marcela Almeida; Silva, Siomara Aparecida da; Beltrame, Thais Silva; Cardoso, Fernando Luiz

2017-01-01

To analyze the literature on the effectiveness of exergames in physical education classes and in the acquisition and development of motor skills and abilities. The analyses were carried out by two independent evaluators, limited to English and Portuguese, in four databases: Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus and PubMed, without restrictions related with year. The keywords used were: "Exergames and motor learning and motor skill" and "Exergames and motor skill and physical education". The inclusion criteria were: articles that evaluated the effectiveness of exergames in physical education classes regarding the acquisition and development of motor skills. The following were excluded: books, theses and dissertations; repetitions; articles published in proceedings and conference summaries; and studies with sick children and/or use of the tool for rehabilitation purposes. 96 publications were found, and 8 studies were selected for a final review. The quality of the articles was evaluated using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) scale and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. Evidence was found on the recurring positive effects of exergames in both motor skills acquisition and motor skills development. Exergames, when used in a conscious manner - so as to not completely replace sports and other recreational activities -, incorporate good strategies for parents and physical education teachers in motivating children and adolescents to practice physical exercise.

Learning tactile skills through curious exploration

PubMed Central

Pape, Leo; Oddo, Calogero M.; Controzzi, Marco; Cipriani, Christian; Förster, Alexander; Carrozza, Maria C.; Schmidhuber, Jürgen

2012-01-01

We present curiosity-driven, autonomous acquisition of tactile exploratory skills on a biomimetic robot finger equipped with an array of microelectromechanical touch sensors. Instead of building tailored algorithms for solving a specific tactile task, we employ a more general curiosity-driven reinforcement learning approach that autonomously learns a set of motor skills in absence of an explicit teacher signal. In this approach, the acquisition of skills is driven by the information content of the sensory input signals relative to a learner that aims at representing sensory inputs using fewer and fewer computational resources. We show that, from initially random exploration of its environment, the robotic system autonomously develops a small set of basic motor skills that lead to different kinds of tactile input. Next, the system learns how to exploit the learned motor skills to solve supervised texture classification tasks. Our approach demonstrates the feasibility of autonomous acquisition of tactile skills on physical robotic platforms through curiosity-driven reinforcement learning, overcomes typical difficulties of engineered solutions for active tactile exploration and underactuated control, and provides a basis for studying developmental learning through intrinsic motivation in robots. PMID:22837748

Factors affecting acquisition of psychomotor clinical skills by student nurses and midwives in CHAM Nursing Colleges in Malawi: A qualitative exploratory study.

PubMed

Mwale, Omero Gonekani; Kalawa, Roselyn

2016-01-01

Acquisition of psychomotor clinical skills has been shown to improve the quality of care provided to patients when care providers are competent. The aim of this study was to explore students, nurses and tutors experience on factors affecting acquisition of psychomotor clinical skills. The study employed an exploratory qualitative research design. The population was students, clinical nurses and tutors from a nursing College and mission hospital in the southern region of Malawi. In depth interviews using a semi structured guide was used to collect data. Thematic analysis method was employed to analyze the collected data. Ethical principles of respect of human dignity, beneficence and justice were observed. The findings have shown that acquisition of psychomotor skills is affected by: student motivation, lack of resources, learning environment, knowledge gap between the qualified nurses and tutors, and role modeling. In principle when student nurses have acquired necessary skills the quality of care provided to patients improve. Basing on the findings of this study it is recommended that Student should be well prepared before clinical placement Nurses and tutors should also update their knowledge and clinical teaching skills for them to adequately guide students. The clinical arena should have adequate resources.

Basic cardiac life support education for non-medical hospital employees.

PubMed

Sim, M S; Jo, I J; Song, H G

2009-05-01

The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) recommends that strategies should be implemented that promote cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in the workplace. Non-medical employees at a hospital were therefore trained to conduct basic life support (BLS). Subject background information, test results and survey findings were examined and factors affecting BLS skill acquisition were studied. Of 1432 non-medical employees at a hospital trained to conduct BLS, 880 agreed to participate in the survey. The training course consisted of a single session of 3 h of lectures, practice and testing. Skill acquisition was assessed using a 13-item skill checklist and a 5-point overall competency scale. The effects of age, gender, type of job, educational status, a previous history of CPR training and level of subject-perceived training difficulty were examined. According to total checklist scores, subjects achieved a mean (SD) score of 8.66 (3.57). 22.3% performed all 13 skills. Based on 5-point overall competency ratings, 43.7% of subjects were rated as "competent", "very good" or "outstanding". Age (<40 years and >or=40 years) was the only factor that significantly affected skill acquisition (skill acquisition by those >or=40 years of age was poorer than by those aged <40 years). Traditional BLS training is less effective in individuals aged >or=40 years.

Virtual Reality Compared with Bench-Top Simulation in the Acquisition of Arthroscopic Skill: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Banaszek, Daniel; You, Daniel; Chang, Justues; Pickell, Michael; Hesse, Daniel; Hopman, Wilma M; Borschneck, Daniel; Bardana, Davide

2017-04-05

Work-hour restrictions as set forth by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and other governing bodies have forced training programs to seek out new learning tools to accelerate acquisition of both medical skills and knowledge. As a result, competency-based training has become an important part of residency training. The purpose of this study was to directly compare arthroscopic skill acquisition in both high-fidelity and low-fidelity simulator models and to assess skill transfer from either modality to a cadaveric specimen, simulating intraoperative conditions. Forty surgical novices (pre-clerkship-level medical students) voluntarily participated in this trial. Baseline demographic data, as well as data on arthroscopic knowledge and skill, were collected prior to training. Subjects were randomized to 5-week independent training sessions on a high-fidelity virtual reality arthroscopic simulator or on a bench-top arthroscopic setup, or to an untrained control group. Post-training, subjects were asked to perform a diagnostic arthroscopy on both simulators and in a simulated intraoperative environment on a cadaveric knee. A more difficult surprise task was also incorporated to evaluate skill transfer. Subjects were evaluated using the Global Rating Scale (GRS), the 14-point arthroscopic checklist, and a timer to determine procedural efficiency (time per task). Secondary outcomes focused on objective measures of virtual reality simulator motion analysis. Trainees on both simulators demonstrated a significant improvement (p < 0.05) in arthroscopic skills compared with baseline scores and untrained controls, both in and ex vivo. The virtual reality simulation group consistently outperformed the bench-top model group in the diagnostic arthroscopy crossover tests and in the simulated cadaveric setup. Furthermore, the virtual reality group demonstrated superior skill transfer in the surprise skill transfer task. Both high-fidelity and low-fidelity simulation trainings were effective in arthroscopic skill acquisition. High-fidelity virtual reality simulation was superior to bench-top simulation in the acquisition of arthroscopic skills, both in the laboratory and in vivo. Further clinical investigation is needed to interpret the importance of these results.

Multi-segmental movement patterns reflect juggling complexity and skill level.

PubMed

Zago, Matteo; Pacifici, Ilaria; Lovecchio, Nicola; Galli, Manuela; Federolf, Peter Andreas; Sforza, Chiarella

2017-08-01

The juggling action of six experts and six intermediates jugglers was recorded with a motion capture system and decomposed into its fundamental components through Principal Component Analysis. The aim was to quantify trends in movement dimensionality, multi-segmental patterns and rhythmicity as a function of proficiency level and task complexity. Dimensionality was quantified in terms of Residual Variance, while the Relative Amplitude was introduced to account for individual differences in movement components. We observed that: experience-related modifications in multi-segmental actions exist, such as the progressive reduction of error-correction movements, especially in complex task condition. The systematic identification of motor patterns sensitive to the acquisition of specific experience could accelerate the learning process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Criterion-Referenced Measurement (CRM) in the Initial Acquisition of a Psychomotor Skill with Exceptional Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muhich, Dolores

1976-01-01

Criterion Referenced Measurement (CRM) in the initial acquisition of the psychomotor skill of typewriting demonstrated speed gains from 8 hours of instruction distributed over a 6-week interval for 4 male adolescent underachievers of above- and below-average intelligence. (Author)

Exercise Science Principles and the Vocal Warm-up: Implications for Singing Voice Pedagogy.

PubMed

Hoch, Matthew; Sandage, Mary J

2018-01-01

Principles from exercise science literature were applied to singing warm-up pedagogy as a method for examining parallels between athletic and voice training. Analysis of the use of exercise principles in vocal warm-up should illuminate aspects of voice training that may be further developed in the future. A selected canon of standard voice pedagogy texts and well-regarded warm-up methods were evaluated for use of exercise science principles for skill acquisition and fatigue resistance. Exercises were then categorized according to whether they were used for the purpose of skill acquisition (specificity), training up to tasks (overload), or detraining (reversibility). A preliminary review of well-established voice pedagogy programs reveals a strong bias toward the skill acquisition aspects of vocal warm-up, with little commentary on the fatigue management aspects. Further, the small number of vocalises examined that are not skill-acquisition oriented fall into a third "habilitative" category that likewise does not relate to overload but may play a role in offsetting reversibility. Although a systematic pedagogy for skill acquisition has emerged in the literature and practice of voice pedagogy, a parallel pedagogy for fatigue management has yet to be established. Identification of a systematic pedagogy for training up to specific singing genres and development of a singing maintenance program to avoid detraining may help the singer avoid injury. Copyright © 2018 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Role of learning potential in cognitive remediation: Construct and predictive validity.

PubMed

Davidson, Charlie A; Johannesen, Jason K; Fiszdon, Joanna M

2016-03-01

The construct, convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity of Learning Potential (LP) was evaluated in a trial of cognitive remediation for adults with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. LP utilizes a dynamic assessment approach to prospectively estimate an individual's learning capacity if provided the opportunity for specific related learning. LP was assessed in 75 participants at study entry, of whom 41 completed an eight-week cognitive remediation (CR) intervention, and 22 received treatment-as-usual (TAU). LP was assessed in a "test-train-test" verbal learning paradigm. Incremental predictive validity was assessed as the degree to which LP predicted memory skill acquisition above and beyond prediction by static verbal learning ability. Examination of construct validity confirmed that LP scores reflected use of trained semantic clustering strategy. LP scores correlated with executive functioning and education history, but not other demographics or symptom severity. Following the eight-week active phase, TAU evidenced little substantial change in skill acquisition outcomes, which related to static baseline verbal learning ability but not LP. For the CR group, LP significantly predicted skill acquisition in domains of verbal and visuospatial memory, but not auditory working memory. Furthermore, LP predicted skill acquisition incrementally beyond relevant background characteristics, symptoms, and neurocognitive abilities. Results suggest that LP assessment can significantly improve prediction of specific skill acquisition with cognitive training, particularly for the domain assessed, and thereby may prove useful in individualization of treatment. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The Effect of an Acute Bout of Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Exercise on Motor Learning of a Continuous Tracking Task

PubMed Central

Snow, Nicholas J.; Mang, Cameron S.; Roig, Marc; Boyd, Lara A.

2016-01-01

Introduction There is evidence for beneficial effects of acute and long-term exercise interventions on several forms of memory, including procedural motor learning. In the present study we examined how performing a single bout of continuous moderate intensity aerobic exercise would impact motor skill acquisition and retention in young healthy adults, compared to a period of rest. We hypothesized that exercise would improve motor skill acquisition and retention, compared to motor practice alone. Materials and Methods Sixteen healthy adults completed sessions of aerobic exercise or seated rest that were immediately followed by practice of a novel motor task (practice). Exercise consisted of 30 minutes of continuous cycling at 60% peak O2 uptake. Twenty-four hours after practice, we assessed motor learning with a no-exercise retention test (retention). We also quantified changes in offline motor memory consolidation, which occurred between practice and retention (offline). Tracking error was separated into indices of temporal precision and spatial accuracy. Results There were no differences between conditions in the timing of movements during practice (p = 0.066), at retention (p = 0.761), or offline (p = 0.966). However, the exercise condition enabled participants to maintain spatial accuracy during practice (p = 0.477); whereas, following rest performance diminished (p = 0.050). There were no significant differences between conditions at retention (p = 0.532) or offline (p = 0.246). Discussion An acute bout of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise facilitated the maintenance of motor performance during skill acquisition, but did not influence motor learning. Given past work showing that pairing high intensity exercise with skilled motor practice benefits learning, it seems plausible that intensity is a key modulator of the effects of acute aerobic exercise on changes in complex motor behavior. Further work is necessary to establish a dose-response relationship between aerobic exercise and motor learning. PMID:26901664

Teaching clinical interviewing skills using role-playing: conveying empathy to performing a suicide assessment: a primer for individual role-playing and scripted group role-playing.

PubMed

Shea, Shawn Christopher; Barney, Christine

2015-03-01

This article provides a useful introduction to the art of role-playing in both the individual format and the group format using scripted group role-playing (SGRP). Role-playing can provide powerful learning opportunities, but to do so it must be done well. This article imparts guidance toward this goal. SGRP may greatly enhance the acquisition of critical complex interviewing skills, such as suicide assessment and uncovering domestic violence, in health care providers across all disciplines, an educational goal that has not been achievable to date. Although research is at an early stage of development, the hope represented by SGRP is tangible. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Teaching children with autism to use photographic activity schedules: maintenance and generalization of complex response chains.

PubMed Central

MacDuff, G S; Krantz, P J; McClannahan, L E

1993-01-01

We used a graduated guidance procedure to teach 4 boys with autism to follow photographic activity schedules to increase on-task and on-schedule behavior. The multiple baseline across participants design included baseline, teaching, maintenance, resequencing of photographs, and generalization to novel photographs phases. The results indicated that photographic activity schedules (albums depicting after-school activities) produced sustained engagement, and skills generalized to a new sequence of photographs and to new photographs. The acquisition of schedule-following skills enabled these children with severe developmental disabilities to display lengthy response chains, independently change activities, and change activities in different group home settings in the absence of immediate supervision and prompts from others. PMID:8473261

The 'dark side' and 'bright side' of personality: when too much conscientiousness and too little anxiety are detrimental with respect to the acquisition of medical knowledge and skill.

PubMed

Ferguson, Eamonn; Semper, Heather; Yates, Janet; Fitzgerald, J Edward; Skatova, Anya; James, David

2014-01-01

Theory suggests that personality traits evolved to have costs and benefits, with the effectiveness of a trait dependent on how these costs and benefits relate to the present circumstances. This suggests that traits that are generally viewed as positive can have a 'dark side' and those generally viewed as negative can have a 'bright side' depending on changes in context. We test this in a sample of 220 UK medical students with respect to associations between the Big 5 personality traits and learning outcomes across the 5 years of a medical degree. The medical degree offers a changing learning context from pre-clinical years (where a more methodical approach to learning is needed) to the clinical years (where more flexible learning is needed, in a more stressful context). We argue that while trait conscientiousness should enhance pre-clinical learning, it has a 'dark side' reducing the acquisition of knowledge in the clinical years. We also suggest that anxiety has a 'bright side' enhancing the acquisition of skills in the clinical years. We also explore if intelligence enhances learning across the medical degree. Using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling we show that medical skills and knowledge assessed in the pre-clinical and clinical years are psychometrically distinguishable, forming a learning 'backbone', whereby subsequent learning outcomes are predicted by previous ones. Consistent with our predictions conscientiousness enhanced preclinical knowledge acquisition but reduced the acquisition of clinical knowledge and anxiety enhanced the acquisition of clinical skills. We also identified a curvilinear U shaped association between Surgency (extraversion) and pre-clinical knowledge acquisition. Intelligence predicted initial clinical knowledge, and had a positive total indirect effect on clinical knowledge and clinical skill acquisition. For medical selection, this suggests that selecting students high on conscientiousness may be problematic, as it may be excluding those with some degree of moderate anxiety.

The ‘Dark Side’ and ‘Bright Side’ of Personality: When Too Much Conscientiousness and Too Little Anxiety Are Detrimental with Respect to the Acquisition of Medical Knowledge and Skill

PubMed Central

Ferguson, Eamonn; Semper, Heather; Yates, Janet; Fitzgerald, J. Edward; Skatova, Anya; James, David

2014-01-01

Theory suggests that personality traits evolved to have costs and benefits, with the effectiveness of a trait dependent on how these costs and benefits relate to the present circumstances. This suggests that traits that are generally viewed as positive can have a ‘dark side’ and those generally viewed as negative can have a ‘bright side’ depending on changes in context. We test this in a sample of 220 UK medical students with respect to associations between the Big 5 personality traits and learning outcomes across the 5 years of a medical degree. The medical degree offers a changing learning context from pre-clinical years (where a more methodical approach to learning is needed) to the clinical years (where more flexible learning is needed, in a more stressful context). We argue that while trait conscientiousness should enhance pre-clinical learning, it has a ‘dark side’ reducing the acquisition of knowledge in the clinical years. We also suggest that anxiety has a ‘bright side’ enhancing the acquisition of skills in the clinical years. We also explore if intelligence enhances learning across the medical degree. Using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling we show that medical skills and knowledge assessed in the pre-clinical and clinical years are psychometrically distinguishable, forming a learning ‘backbone’, whereby subsequent learning outcomes are predicted by previous ones. Consistent with our predictions conscientiousness enhanced preclinical knowledge acquisition but reduced the acquisition of clinical knowledge and anxiety enhanced the acquisition of clinical skills. We also identified a curvilinear U shaped association between Surgency (extraversion) and pre-clinical knowledge acquisition. Intelligence predicted initial clinical knowledge, and had a positive total indirect effect on clinical knowledge and clinical skill acquisition. For medical selection, this suggests that selecting students high on conscientiousness may be problematic, as it may be excluding those with some degree of moderate anxiety. PMID:24586353

Effects of Practice and Training on the Acquisition and Transfer of Spatial Skills Two Speed-Accuracy Studies

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-04-25

Other theories emphasize the internalization of an external activity in the development of general spatial skills ( Vygotsky ,1962). These predictions were...board task. On the other hand, internalization theories of skill acquisition (e.g., Vygotsky , 1962; Piaget & Inhelder, 1967) suggest that subjects who...invalidate scores for subjects who have fortuitously or deliberately practiced problems similar to those tested. A central issue for both theory and practice

Faculty Training in Evidence-Based Medicine: Improving Evidence Acquisition and Critical Appraisal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholson, Laura J.; Warde, Carole M.; Boker, John R.

2007-01-01

Introduction: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) integrates published clinical evidence with patient values and clinical expertise, the output of which is informed medical decision making. Key skills for evidence-based practice include acquisition and appraisal of clinical information. Faculty clinicians often lack expertise in these skills and are…

Acquisition of Expository Writing Skills. Technical Report No. 421.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raphael, Taffy E.; And Others

Four studies by the Cognitive Strategy Instruction in Writing project at the Institute for Research on Teaching, Michigan State University, examined the acquisition of expository writing skills in fifth and sixth grade students. The first study examined the effects of teaching sixth grade students about comparison/contrast text structure. Results…

A longitudinal study of higher-order thinking skills: working memory and fluid reasoning in childhood enhance complex problem solving in adolescence.

PubMed

Greiff, Samuel; Wüstenberg, Sascha; Goetz, Thomas; Vainikainen, Mari-Pauliina; Hautamäki, Jarkko; Bornstein, Marc H

2015-01-01

Scientists have studied the development of the human mind for decades and have accumulated an impressive number of empirical studies that have provided ample support for the notion that early cognitive performance during infancy and childhood is an important predictor of later cognitive performance during adulthood. As children move from childhood into adolescence, their mental development increasingly involves higher-order cognitive skills that are crucial for successful planning, decision-making, and problem solving skills. However, few studies have employed higher-order thinking skills such as complex problem solving (CPS) as developmental outcomes in adolescents. To fill this gap, we tested a longitudinal developmental model in a sample of 2,021 Finnish sixth grade students (M = 12.41 years, SD = 0.52; 1,041 female, 978 male, 2 missing sex). We assessed working memory (WM) and fluid reasoning (FR) at age 12 as predictors of two CPS dimensions: knowledge acquisition and knowledge application. We further assessed students' CPS performance 3 years later as a developmental outcome (N = 1696; M = 15.22 years, SD = 0.43; 867 female, 829 male). Missing data partly occurred due to dropout and technical problems during the first days of testing and varied across indicators and time with a mean of 27.2%. Results revealed that FR was a strong predictor of both CPS dimensions, whereas WM exhibited only a small influence on one of the two CPS dimensions. These results provide strong support for the view that CPS involves FR and, to a lesser extent, WM in childhood and from there evolves into an increasingly complex structure of higher-order cognitive skills in adolescence.

A longitudinal study of higher-order thinking skills: working memory and fluid reasoning in childhood enhance complex problem solving in adolescence

PubMed Central

Greiff, Samuel; Wüstenberg, Sascha; Goetz, Thomas; Vainikainen, Mari-Pauliina; Hautamäki, Jarkko; Bornstein, Marc H.

2015-01-01

Scientists have studied the development of the human mind for decades and have accumulated an impressive number of empirical studies that have provided ample support for the notion that early cognitive performance during infancy and childhood is an important predictor of later cognitive performance during adulthood. As children move from childhood into adolescence, their mental development increasingly involves higher-order cognitive skills that are crucial for successful planning, decision-making, and problem solving skills. However, few studies have employed higher-order thinking skills such as complex problem solving (CPS) as developmental outcomes in adolescents. To fill this gap, we tested a longitudinal developmental model in a sample of 2,021 Finnish sixth grade students (M = 12.41 years, SD = 0.52; 1,041 female, 978 male, 2 missing sex). We assessed working memory (WM) and fluid reasoning (FR) at age 12 as predictors of two CPS dimensions: knowledge acquisition and knowledge application. We further assessed students’ CPS performance 3 years later as a developmental outcome (N = 1696; M = 15.22 years, SD = 0.43; 867 female, 829 male). Missing data partly occurred due to dropout and technical problems during the first days of testing and varied across indicators and time with a mean of 27.2%. Results revealed that FR was a strong predictor of both CPS dimensions, whereas WM exhibited only a small influence on one of the two CPS dimensions. These results provide strong support for the view that CPS involves FR and, to a lesser extent, WM in childhood and from there evolves into an increasingly complex structure of higher-order cognitive skills in adolescence. PMID:26283992

Effects of introducing a voluntary virtual patient module to a basic life support with an automated external defibrillator course: a randomised trial

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The concept of virtual patients (VPs) encompasses a great variety of predominantly case-based e-learning modules with different complexity and fidelity levels. Methods for effective placement of VPs in the process of medical education are sought. The aim of this study was to determine whether the introduction of a voluntary virtual patients module into a basic life support with an automated external defibrillator (BLS-AED) course improved the knowledge and skills of students taking the course. Methods Half of the students were randomly assigned to an experimental group and given voluntary access to a virtual patient module consisting of six cases presenting BLS-AED knowledge and skills. Pre- and post-course knowledge tests and skills assessments were performed, as well as a survey of students' satisfaction with the VP usage. In addition, time spent using the virtual patient system, percentage of screen cards viewed and scores in the formative questions in the VP system throughout the course were traced and recorded. Results The study was conducted over a six week period and involved 226 first year medical students. The voluntary module was used by 61 (54%) of the 114 entitled study participants. The group that used VPs demonstrated better results in knowledge acquisition and in some key BLS-AED action skills than the group without access, or those students from the experimental group deliberately not using virtual patients. Most of the students rated the combination of VPs and corresponding teaching events positively. Conclusions The overall positive reaction of students and encouraging results in knowledge and skills acquisition suggest that the usage of virtual patients in a BLS-AED course on a voluntary basis is feasible and should be further investigated. PMID:22709278

Effects of introducing a voluntary virtual patient module to a basic life support with an automated external defibrillator course: a randomised trial.

PubMed

Kononowicz, Andrzej A; Krawczyk, Paweł; Cebula, Grzegorz; Dembkowska, Marta; Drab, Edyta; Frączek, Bartosz; Stachoń, Aleksandra J; Andres, Janusz

2012-06-18

The concept of virtual patients (VPs) encompasses a great variety of predominantly case-based e-learning modules with different complexity and fidelity levels. Methods for effective placement of VPs in the process of medical education are sought. The aim of this study was to determine whether the introduction of a voluntary virtual patients module into a basic life support with an automated external defibrillator (BLS-AED) course improved the knowledge and skills of students taking the course. Half of the students were randomly assigned to an experimental group and given voluntary access to a virtual patient module consisting of six cases presenting BLS-AED knowledge and skills. Pre- and post-course knowledge tests and skills assessments were performed, as well as a survey of students' satisfaction with the VP usage. In addition, time spent using the virtual patient system, percentage of screen cards viewed and scores in the formative questions in the VP system throughout the course were traced and recorded. The study was conducted over a six week period and involved 226 first year medical students. The voluntary module was used by 61 (54%) of the 114 entitled study participants. The group that used VPs demonstrated better results in knowledge acquisition and in some key BLS-AED action skills than the group without access, or those students from the experimental group deliberately not using virtual patients. Most of the students rated the combination of VPs and corresponding teaching events positively. The overall positive reaction of students and encouraging results in knowledge and skills acquisition suggest that the usage of virtual patients in a BLS-AED course on a voluntary basis is feasible and should be further investigated.

Differences in Learning Volitional (Manual) and Non-Volitional (Posture) Aspects of a Complex Motor Skill in Young Adult Dyslexic and Skilled Readers

PubMed Central

Sela, Itamar; Karni, Avi

2012-01-01

The ‘Cerebellar Deficit Theory’ of developmental dyslexia proposes that a subtle developmental cerebellar dysfunction leads to deficits in attaining ‘automatic’ procedures and therefore manifests as subtle motor impairments (e.g., balance control, motor skill learning) in addition to the reading and phonological difficulties. A more recent version of the theory suggests a core deficit in motor skill acquisition. This study was undertaken to compare the time-course and the nature of practice-related changes in volitional (manual) and non-volitional (posture) motor performance in dyslexic and typical readers while learning a new movement sequence. Seventeen dyslexic and 26 skilled young adult readers underwent a three-session training program in which they practiced a novel sequence of manual movements while standing in a quiet stance position. Both groups exhibited robust and well-retained gains in speed, with no loss of accuracy, on the volitional, manual, aspects of the task, with a time-course characteristic of procedural learning. However, the dyslexic readers exhibited a pervasive slowness in the initiation of volitional performance. In addition, while typical readers showed clear and well-retained task-related adaptation of the balance and posture control system, the dyslexic readers had significantly larger sway and variance of sway throughout the three sessions and were less efficient in adapting the posture control system to support the acquisition of the novel movement sequence. These results support the notion of a non-language-related deficit in developmental dyslexia, one related to the recruitment of motor systems for effective task performance rather than to a general motor learning disability. PMID:23049736

Distribution of pre-course BLS/AED manuals does not influence skill acquisition and retention in lay rescuers: a randomised study.

PubMed

Papadimitriou, Lila; Xanthos, Theodoros; Bassiakou, Eleni; Stroumpoulis, Kostantinos; Barouxis, Dimitrios; Iacovidou, Nicolleta

2010-03-01

The present study aims to investigate whether the distribution of the Basic Life Support and Automated External Defibrillation (BLS/AED) manual, 4 weeks prior to the course, has an effect on skill acquisition, theoretical knowledge and skill retention, compared with courses where manuals were not distributed. A total of 303 laypeople were included in the present study. The courses were randomised with sealed envelopes in 12 courses, where manuals were distributed to participants (group A) and in 12 courses, where manuals were not distributed to participants (group B). The participants were formally evaluated at the end of the course, and at 1, 3 and 6 months after each course. The evaluation procedure was the same at all time intervals and consisted of two distinct parts: a written test and a simulated cardiac arrest scenario. No significant difference was observed between the two groups in skill acquisition at the time of initial training. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the groups in performing BLS/AED skills at 1, 3 and 6 months after initial training. Theoretical knowledge in either group at the specified time intervals did not exhibit any significant difference. Significant deterioration of skills was observed in both groups between initial training and at 1 month after the course, as well as between the first and third month after the course. The present study shows that distribution of BLS/AED manuals 1 month prior to the course has no effect on theoretical knowledge, skill acquisition and skill retention in laypeople. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

An intelligent tutoring system for the investigation of high performance skill acquisition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fink, Pamela K.; Herren, L. Tandy; Regian, J. Wesley

1991-01-01

The issue of training high performance skills is of increasing concern. These skills include tasks such as driving a car, playing the piano, and flying an aircraft. Traditionally, the training of high performance skills has been accomplished through the use of expensive, high-fidelity, 3-D simulators, and/or on-the-job training using the actual equipment. Such an approach to training is quite expensive. The design, implementation, and deployment of an intelligent tutoring system developed for the purpose of studying the effectiveness of skill acquisition using lower-cost, lower-physical-fidelity, 2-D simulation. Preliminary experimental results are quite encouraging, indicating that intelligent tutoring systems are a cost-effective means of training high performance skills.

The Effect of Educational Software, Video Modelling and Group Discussion on Social-Skill Acquisition Among Students with Mild Intellectual Disabilities.

PubMed

Hetzroni, Orit E; Banin, Irit

2017-07-01

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often demonstrate difficulties in social skills. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a comprehensive intervention program on the acquisition of social skills among students with mild IDD. Single subject multiple baseline design across situations was used for teaching five school-age children with mild IDD social skills embedded in school-based situations. Results demonstrate that the intervention program that included video modelling and games embedded with group discussions and simulations increased the level and use of adequate social behaviours within the school's natural environment. Results demonstrate the unique attribution of a comprehensive interactive program for acquisition and transfer of participants' social skills such as language pragmatics and social rules within the school environment. Group discussions and simulations were beneficial and enabled both group and personalized instruction through the unique application of the program designed for the study. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Research Communication Continuum: Linking Public Engagement Skills to the Advancement of Cross-Disciplinary Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alpert, Carol Lynn

2016-01-01

This paper theorizes and provides evidence of a "Research Communication Continuum" in which acquisition of skills conducive to communication with broader audiences contributes to greater efficacy in cross-disciplinary discourse and collaboration among scientists and engineers engaged in research; and, vice versa, acquisition of skills…

Evidence for the Utility of a Photovoice Task as an Empathic Skill Acquisition Strategy among Counselors-in-Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lenz, A. Stephen; Sangganjanavanich, Varunee Faii

2013-01-01

An instructional technique derived from photovoice was compared with a didactic approach for empathic skill acquisition among 38 master's-level counselors-in-training. Participants in the photovoice condition demonstrated marked improvements in quality of empathic statements compared with those receiving didactic lecture. Considerations for…

Motor Acquisition Rate in Brazilian Infants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopes, Virlaine Bardella; de Lima, Carolina Daniel; Tudella, Eloisa

2009-01-01

This study used the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) with the aim of characterizing motor acquisition rate in 70 healthy 0-6-month-old Brazilian infants, as well as comparing both emergence (initial age) and establishment (final age) of each skill between the study sample and the AIMS normative data. New motor skills were continuously acquired…

Continuing Medical Education-Driven Skills Acquisition and Impact on Improved Patient Outcomes in Family Practice Setting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bellamy, Nicholas; Goldstein, Laurence D.; Tekanoff, Rory A.

2000-01-01

Family practitioners (n=474) accompanied by their patients were trained in injection techniques to treat osteoarthritis. Pre- and postsession assessments showed that physicians felt comfortable with the new technique, skill acquisition occurred in a supportive setting for physicians and patients, and many patients experienced significant health…

Developing Teaching Expertise in Dental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyon, Lucinda J.

2009-01-01

This exploratory study was designed to develop a baseline model of expertise in dental education utilizing the Dreyfus and Dreyfus continuum of skill acquisition. The goal was the development of a baseline model of expertise, which will contribute to the body of knowledge about dental faculty skill acquisition and may enable dental schools to…

[Specifics of bio-controlled training in directed relaxation].

PubMed

Baranov, V M; Sentiabrev, N N; Solopov, I N

2005-01-01

Studies of personal and general patterns of acquisition of skills in biocontrolled relaxation based on biological feedback (EMG) permitted classification of human subjects by the ability to relax voluntarily muscles. In the process of skill acquisition changes were minimal at the beginning, grew progressively further on and stabilized on completion of the course of training.

Adaptive Search through Constraint Violations

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-01

procedural) knowledge? Different methodologies are used to investigate these questions: Psychological experiments, computer simulations, historical studies...learns control knowledge through adaptive search. Unlike most other psychological models of skill acquisition, HS is a model of analytical, or...Newzll, 1986; VanLehn, in press). Psychological models of skill acquisition employ different problem solving mechanisms (forward search, backward

Computer Skills Acquisition: A Review and Future Directions for Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gattiker, Urs E.

A review of past research on training employees for computer-mediated work leads to the development of theory and propositions concerning the relationship between different variables, such as: (1) individual factors; (2) task and person-computer interface; (3) characteristics of training design for the acquisition of computer skills; and (4) the…

Acquisition of Visual Perceptual Skills from Worked Examples: Learning to Interpret Electrocardiograms (ECGs)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van den Berge, Kees; van Gog, Tamara; Mamede, Silvia; Schmidt, Henk G.; van Saase, Jan L. C. M.; Rikers, Remy M. J. P.

2013-01-01

Research has shown that for acquiring problem-solving skills, instruction consisting of studying worked examples is more effective and efficient for novice learners than instruction consisting of problem-solving. This study investigated whether worked examples would also be a useful instructional format for the acquisition of visual perceptual…

Dual Learning Processes in Interactive Skill Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fu, Wai-Tat; Anderson, John R.

2008-01-01

Acquisition of interactive skills involves the use of internal and external cues. Experiment 1 showed that when actions were interdependent, learning was effective with and without external cues in the single-task condition but was effective only with the presence of external cues in the dual-task condition. In the dual-task condition, actions…

Online Learning and Teacher Education: Knowledge Acquisition, Application Skills, and Reported Confidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

IRIS Center, 2014

2014-01-01

This report presents two studies that demonstrate superior performance of college students after use of free, online instructional Modules, produced by the IRIS Center. When compared to traditional teacher education methods, IRIS Modules yield better outcomes in terms of knowledge acquisition, application skills, and confidence in the use of…

Adaptive Competency Acquisition: Why LPN-to-ADN Career Mobility Education Programs Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coyle-Rogers, Patricia G.

Adaptive competencies are the skills required to effectively complete a particular task and are the congruencies (balance) between personal skills and task demands. The differences between the adaptive competency acquisition of students in licensed practical nurse (LPN) programs and associate degree nurse (ADN) programs were examined in a…

Logical Thinking Abilities among Form 4 Students in the Interior Division of Sabah, Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fah, Lay Yoon

2009-01-01

The science curriculum in Malaysia emphasizes the acquisition of scientific skills, thinking skills, and the inculcation of scientific attitudes and noble values. Besides that, the acquisition of scientific and technological knowledge and its application to the natural phenomena and students' daily experiences are also equally emphasized. The…

THE INFLUENCE OF MATCHING AND MOTOR-IMITATION ABILITIES ON RAPID ACQUISITION OF MANUAL SIGNS AND EXCHANGE-BASED COMMUNICATIVE RESPONSES

PubMed Central

Gregory, Meagan K; DeLeon, Iser G; Richman, David M

2009-01-01

Establishing a relation between existing skills and acquisition of communicative responses may be useful in guiding selection of alternative communication systems. Matching and motor-imitation skills were assessed for 6 children with developmental disabilities, followed by training to request the same set of preferred items using exchange-based communication and manual signs. Three participants displayed both skills and rapidly acquired both communicative response forms. Three others displayed neither skill; 1 mastered exchange-based responses but not manual signs, and neither of the other 2 easily acquired either response form. PMID:19949531

Interest level in 2-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder predicts rate of verbal, nonverbal, and adaptive skill acquisition.

PubMed

Klintwall, Lars; Macari, Suzanne; Eikeseth, Svein; Chawarska, Katarzyna

2015-11-01

Recent studies have suggested that skill acquisition rates for children with autism spectrum disorders receiving early interventions can be predicted by child motivation. We examined whether level of interest during an Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule assessment at 2 years predicts subsequent rates of verbal, nonverbal, and adaptive skill acquisition to the age of 3 years. A total of 70 toddlers with autism spectrum disorder, mean age of 21.9 months, were scored using Interest Level Scoring for Autism, quantifying toddlers' interest in toys, social routines, and activities that could serve as reinforcers in an intervention. Adaptive level and mental age were measured concurrently (Time 1) and again after a mean of 16.3 months of treatment (Time 2). Interest Level Scoring for Autism score, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule score, adaptive age equivalent, verbal and nonverbal mental age, and intensity of intervention were entered into regression models to predict rates of skill acquisition. Interest level at Time 1 predicted subsequent acquisition rate of adaptive skills (R(2) = 0.36) and verbal mental age (R(2) = 0.30), above and beyond the effects of Time 1 verbal and nonverbal mental ages and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule scores. Interest level at Time 1 also contributed (R(2) = 0.30), with treatment intensity, to variance in development of nonverbal mental age. © The Author(s) 2014.

Educational Outcomes of Small-Group Discussion Versus Traditional Lecture Format in Dental Students' Learning and Skills Acquisition.

PubMed

Arias, Ana; Scott, Raymond; Peters, Ove A; McClain, Elizabeth; Gluskin, Alan H

2016-04-01

The aim of this prospective quantitative study was to compare the effect of different instructional formats on dental students' skills and knowledge acquisition for access cavity preparation. All first-year dental students were invited to participate in this study conducted during the four consecutive two-week endodontic rotation courses at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in spring semester 2015. Four alphabetically distributed intact groups of students were randomly allocated to two groups (n=70 each) that participated in either small-group discussion or a traditional lecture on access preparation. The first outcome measure was skill acquisition, measured by the quality of access cavities prepared in extracted teeth at the conclusion of the session. Two blinded raters scored direct observations on a continuous scale. Knowledge, the second outcome measure, was scored with a multiple-choice and open-ended question test at the end of each two-week session. Data were obtained for 134 of the 140 students, for a 96% response rate. The results showed that students in the small-group discussion groups scored significantly higher than those in the lecture groups when skill performance was tested (p=8.9 × 10(-7)). However, no significant differences were found in the acquisition of knowledge between the two groups on the written test. Active student participation was significantly related to improved manual skill acquisition, but the format of the session does not seem to have had a direct influence on acquired knowledge.

BCI Use and Its Relation to Adaptation in Cortical Networks.

PubMed

Casimo, Kaitlyn; Weaver, Kurt E; Wander, Jeremiah; Ojemann, Jeffrey G

2017-10-01

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) carry great potential in the treatment of motor impairments. As a new motor output, BCIs interface with the native motor system, but acquisition of BCI proficiency requires a degree of learning to integrate this new function. In this review, we discuss how BCI designs often take advantage of the brain's motor system infrastructure as sources of command signals. We highlight a growing body of literature examining how this approach leads to changes in activity across cortex, including beyond motor regions, as a result of learning the new skill of BCI control. We discuss the previous research identifying patterns of neural activity associated with BCI skill acquisition and use that closely resembles those associated with learning traditional native motor tasks. We then discuss recent work in animals probing changes in connectivity of the BCI control site, which were linked to BCI skill acquisition, and use this as a foundation for our original work in humans. We present our novel work showing changes in resting state connectivity across cortex following the BCI learning process. We find substantial, heterogeneous changes in connectivity across regions and frequencies, including interactions that do not involve the BCI control site. We conclude from our review and original work that BCI skill acquisition may potentially lead to significant changes in evoked and resting state connectivity across multiple cortical regions. We recommend that future studies of BCIs look beyond motor regions to fully describe the cortical networks involved and long-term adaptations resulting from BCI skill acquisition.

Identification of green skills acquisition in Indonesian TVET curricula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, Agus

2017-09-01

Recently, many countries have put the focus on green growth which specifically aims at achieving a resilient, low-carbon, and resource-efficient economy model that leads to higher quality of life. Environmental pollution and climate change are negatively affecting the sustainability of various economical activities across the world, with Indonesia being one of them. To mitigate the environmental problems, the existing economy should be shifted to a greener economy model which will create green jobs and greening the existing occupation in the industries. Green jobs require workers with green skills. Therefore, development of green skills in TVET institutions is urgently needed. By referencing the existing green skills frame work, green skills acquisition has not been clearly integrated into the existing Indonesian TVET curriculum. However, approach to integrate green skills into TVET curriculum can be carried out through the development of hard skills and soft skills in the domain of knowledge, abilities, and attitudes where green skills is an imparting of both hard skills and soft skills.

Cross-linguistic transfer in bilinguals reading in two alphabetic orthographies: The grain size accommodation hypothesis.

PubMed

Lallier, Marie; Carreiras, Manuel

2018-02-01

Reading acquisition is one of the most complex and demanding learning processes faced by children in their first years of schooling. If reading acquisition is challenging in one language, how is it when reading is acquired simultaneously in two languages? What is the impact of bilingualism on the development of literacy? We review behavioral and neuroimaging evidence from alphabetic writing systems suggesting that early bilingualism modulates reading development. Particularly, we show that cross-linguistic variations and cross-linguistic transfer affect bilingual reading strategies as well as their cognitive underpinnings. We stress the fact that the impact of bilingualism on literacy acquisition depends on the specific combination of languages learned and does not manifest itself similarly across bilingual populations. We argue that these differences can be explained by variations due to orthographic depth in the grain sizes used to perform reading and reading-related tasks. Overall, we propose novel hypotheses to shed light on the behavioral and neural variability observed in reading skills among bilinguals.

Experimental research control software system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohn, I. A.; Kovalenko, A. G.; Vystavkin, A. N.

2014-05-01

A software system, intended for automation of a small scale research, has been developed. The software allows one to control equipment, acquire and process data by means of simple scripts. The main purpose of that development is to increase experiment automation easiness, thus significantly reducing experimental setup automation efforts. In particular, minimal programming skills are required and supervisors have no reviewing troubles. Interactions between scripts and equipment are managed automatically, thus allowing to run multiple scripts simultaneously. Unlike well-known data acquisition commercial software systems, the control is performed by an imperative scripting language. This approach eases complex control and data acquisition algorithms implementation. A modular interface library performs interaction with external interfaces. While most widely used interfaces are already implemented, a simple framework is developed for fast implementations of new software and hardware interfaces. While the software is in continuous development with new features being implemented, it is already used in our laboratory for automation of a helium-3 cryostat control and data acquisition. The software is open source and distributed under Gnu Public License.

Getting Skills Right: France

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2017

2017-01-01

This report identifies effective strategies to tackle skills imbalances in France. It provides an assessment of practices and policies in the following areas: the collection and use of information on skill needs to foster a better alignment of skills acquisitions with labour market needs; policies stimulating skills demand and skills use; policies…

Complex learning: the role of knowledge, intelligence, motivation and learning strategies.

PubMed

Castejón, Juan L; Gilar, Raquel; Pérez, Antonio M

2006-11-01

This work presents the main theories and models formulated with the purpose of offering a global overview on the acquisition of knowledge and skills involved in the initial development of expert competence. Setting from this background, we developed an empirical work whose main purpose is to define those factors in a complex learning situation such as chapter-sized in a knowledge-rich domain. The results obtained in a sample of Master students reveal that the several variables intervening, such as the qualitative organization of knowledge, intellectual ability, motivation, the deliberate use of strategies, and a rich learning environment, contribute in an independent way to provide an explanation for the acquired knowledge.

Does the Acquisition of Spatial Skill Involve a Shift from Algorithm to Memory Retrieval?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frank, David J.; Macnamara, Brooke N.

2017-01-01

Performance on verbal and mathematical tasks is enhanced when participants shift from using algorithms to retrieving information directly from memory (Siegler, 1988a). However, it is unknown whether a shift to retrieval is involved in dynamic spatial skill acquisition. For example, do athletes mentally extrapolate the trajectory of the ball, or do…

Interest Level in 2-Year-Olds with Autism Spectrum Disorder Predicts Rate of Verbal, Nonverbal, and Adaptive Skill Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klintwall, Lars; Macari, Suzanne; Eikeseth, Svein; Chawarska, Katarzyna

2015-01-01

Recent studies have suggested that skill acquisition rates for children with autism spectrum disorders receiving early interventions can be predicted by child motivation. We examined whether level of interest during an Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule assessment at 2?years predicts subsequent rates of verbal, nonverbal, and adaptive skill…

The GRID[subscript C] Project: Developing Students' Thinking Skills in a Data-Rich Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeLuca, V. William; Lari, Nasim

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of using renewable energy data, obtained from a comprehensive data acquisition system, on improving students' learning and developing their higher-order learning skills. This study used renewable energy data available through a data acquisition system installed and tested by the Green Research…

The Use of Cognitive Strategies To Enhance Motor Skill Acquisition and Retention in the Elderly.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anshel, Mark H.

It has been hypothesized that the use of techniques to enhance motor skill acquisition and retention in the elderly may retard the onset of retirement, result in the continuation of a productive professional career, allow continued participation in recreational activities, and possibly slow the decline in physiological functions that normally…

The Effects of Live Music as the Discriminative Stimulus and Reinforcer on the Skill Acquisition of Learners with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harms, Melanie D.

2013-01-01

Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders are challenged with memory and language deficits that impact their skills acquisition (Martin, Klusek, Estigarriba, & Roberts, 2009; Turner & Alborz, 2003). The value of music when applied as an antecedent and a reinforcer has long been established to address such memory and language deficits…

Technological Supports for Onsite and Distance Education and Students' Perceptions of Acquisition of Thinking and Team-Building Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Jennifer D. E.; Morin, Danielle

2010-01-01

This paper compares students' perceptions of support provided in the acquisition of various thinking and team-building skills, resulting from the various activities, resources and technologies (ART) integrated into an upper level Distributed Computing (DC) course. The findings indicate that students perceived strong support for their acquisition…

Prosodic Awareness Skills and Literacy Acquisition in Spanish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Defior, Sylvia; Gutierrez-Palma, Nicolas; Cano-Marin, Maria Jose

2012-01-01

There has been very little research in Spanish on the potential role of prosodic skills in reading and spelling acquisition, which is the subject of the present study. A total of 85 children in 5th year of Primary Education (mean age 10 years and 9 months) performed tests assessing memory, stress awareness, phonological awareness, reading and…

The Effects of Word Box Instruction on Acquisition, Generalization, and Maintenance of Decoding and Spelling Skills for First Graders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alber-Morgan, Sheila R.; Joseph, Laurice M.; Kanotz, Brittany; Rouse, Christina A.; Sawyer, Mary R.

2016-01-01

This study examined the effects of implementing word boxes as a supplemental instruction method on the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of word identification and spelling. Word box intervention consists of using manipulatives to learn phonological decoding skills. The participants were three African-American urban first graders…

Perception of Teachers and Administrators on the Teaching Methods That Influence the Acquisition of Generic Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Audu, R.; Bin Kamin, Yusri; Bin Musta'amal, Aede Hatib; Bin Saud, Muhammad Sukri; Hamid, Mohd. Zolkifli Abd.

2014-01-01

This study is designed to identify the most significant teaching methods that influence the acquisition of generic skills of mechanical engineering trades students at technical college level. Descriptive survey research design was utilized in carrying out the study. One hundred and ninety (190) respondents comprised of mechanical engineering…

Strategy Selection for Cognitive Skill Acquisition Depends on Task Demands and Working Memory Capacity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinze, Scott R.; Bunting, Michael F; Pellegrino, James W.

2009-01-01

The involvement of working memory capacity (WMC) in ruled-based cognitive skill acquisition is well-established, but the duration of its involvement and its role in learning strategy selection are less certain. Participants (N=610) learned four logic rules, their corresponding symbols, or logic gates, and the appropriate input-output combinations…

A deficit in optimizing task solution but robust and well-retained speed and accuracy gains in complex skill acquisition in Parkinson׳s disease: multi-session training on the Tower of Hanoi Puzzle.

PubMed

Vakil, Eli; Hassin-Baer, Sharon; Karni, Avi

2014-05-01

There are inconsistent results in the research literature relating to whether a procedural memory dysfunction exists as a core deficit in Parkinson׳s disease (PD). To address this issue, we examined the acquisition and long-term retention of a cognitive skill in patients with moderately severe PD. To this end, we used a computerized version of the Tower of Hanoi Puzzle. Sixteen patients with PD (11 males, age 60.9±10.26 years, education 13.8±3.5 years, disease duration 8.6±4.7 years, UPDRS III "On" score 16±5.3) were compared with 20 healthy individuals matched for age, gender, education and MMSE scores. The patients were assessed while taking their anti-Parkinsonian medication. All participants underwent three consecutive practice sessions, 24-48h apart, and a retention-test session six months later. A computerized version of the Tower of Hanoi Puzzle, with four disks, was used for training. Participants completed the task 18 times in each session. Number of moves (Nom) to solution, and time per move (Tpm), were used as measures of acquisition and retention of the learned skill. Robust learning, a significant reduction in Nom and a concurrent decrease in Tpm, were found across all three training sessions, in both groups. Moreover, both patients and controls showed significant savings for both measures at six months post-training. However, while their Tpm was no slower than that of controls, patients with PD required more Nom (in 3rd and 4th sessions) and tended to stabilize on less-than-optimal solutions. The results do not support the notion of a core deficit in gaining speed (fluency) or generating procedural memory in PD. However, PD patients settled on less-than-optimal solutions of the task, i.e., less efficient task solving process. The results are consistent with animal studies of the effects of dopamine depletion on task exploration. Thus, patients with PD may have a problem in exploring for optimal task solution rather than in skill acquisition and retention per se. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Developing language in a developing body: the relationship between motor development and language development.

PubMed

Iverson, Jana M

2010-03-01

ABSTRACTDuring the first eighteen months of life, infants acquire and refine a whole set of new motor skills that significantly change the ways in which the body moves in and interacts with the environment. In this review article, I argue that motor acquisitions provide infants with an opportunity to practice skills relevant to language acquisition before they are needed for that purpose; and that the emergence of new motor skills changes infants' experience with objects and people in ways that are relevant for both general communicative development and the acquisition of language. Implications of this perspective for current views of co-occurring language and motor impairments and for methodology in the field of child language research are also considered.

Developing language in a developing body: the relationship between motor development and language development*

PubMed Central

Iverson, Jana M.

2010-01-01

During the first eighteen months of life, infants acquire and refine a whole set of new motor skills that significantly change the ways in which the body moves in and interacts with the environment. In this review article, I argue that motor acquisitions provide infants with an opportunity to practice skills relevant to language acquisition before they are needed for that purpose; and that the emergence of new motor skills changes infants’ experience with objects and people in ways that are relevant for both general communicative development and the acquisition of language. Implications of this perspective for current views of co-occurring language and motor impairments and for methodology in the field of child language research are also considered. PMID:20096145

Cognitive learning strategies: their effectiveness in acquiring racquetball skill.

PubMed

Tennant, L M

2000-06-01

Racquetball players were compared to assess whether a Self-directed strategy (self-monitoring), a Task-oriented strategy (attentional focusing), or a Combined use of both strategies would be beneficial in acquisition of racquetball skills. According to skill (Beginning, Advanced), players (N=80) were assigned into treatment groups. After treatment, participants executed diagonal lob serves and rallies for Acquisition and Retention phases (Session 1). During Session 2, subjects competed in a modified play setting (Transfer phase). Analysis of variance with repeated measures showed differences by skill during the basic tests favored Advanced players. During modified play, the Task-oriented group won significantly more points and games compared to the Self-directed and Control groups, regardless of skill. Results are discussed relative to skill and the literature on learning strategies.

Feedback Techniques to Target Functional Deficits Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Implications for Motor Control and Reduction of Second Injury Risk

PubMed Central

Benjaminse, Anne; Hewett, Timothy E.; Paterno, Mark V.; Ford, Kevin R.; Otten, Egbert; Myer, Gregory D.

2014-01-01

Primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury prevention training has been shown to reduce the risk of injury. Less is known about the effect of prevention on second injury after ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Given recent findings that second injury rates exceed 20 % in only the first year following the return to sport, it is imperative that rehabilitation after ACLR is scrutinized so that second injury preventative strategies can be optimized. A potential limitation of current rehabilitative processes following ACLR could be a deficiency in the transition from conscious awareness achieved during rehabilitation sessions to unexpected and automatic movements required for athletic activities on the field. Learning strategies with an internally directed focus have traditionally been utilized but may be less suitable for acquisition of control of complex motor skills required for sport reintegration. Conversely, an externally focused rehabilitation strategy may enhance skill acquisition more efficiently and increase the potential to transfer to competitive sport. This article presents new insights gained from the motor learning domain that may improve neuromuscular training programmes via increased retention from improved techniques and may ultimately reduce the incidence of second ACL injuries. PMID:24062274

Continuous monitoring of brain dynamics with functional near infrared spectroscopy as a tool for neuroergonomic research: empirical examples and a technological development

PubMed Central

Ayaz, Hasan; Onaral, Banu; Izzetoglu, Kurtulus; Shewokis, Patricia A.; McKendrick, Ryan; Parasuraman, Raja

2013-01-01

Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive, safe, and portable optical neuroimaging method that can be used to assess brain dynamics during skill acquisition and performance of complex work and everyday tasks. In this paper we describe neuroergonomic studies that illustrate the use of fNIRS in the examination of training-related brain dynamics and human performance assessment. We describe results of studies investigating cognitive workload in air traffic controllers, acquisition of dual verbal-spatial working memory skill, and development of expertise in piloting unmanned vehicles. These studies used conventional fNIRS devices in which the participants were tethered to the device while seated at a workstation. Consistent with the aims of mobile brain imaging (MoBI), we also describe a compact and battery-operated wireless fNIRS system that performs with similar accuracy as other established fNIRS devices. Our results indicate that both wired and wireless fNIRS systems allow for the examination of brain function in naturalistic settings, and thus are suitable for reliable human performance monitoring and training assessment. PMID:24385959

Computer Simulation and Digital Resources for Plastic Surgery Psychomotor Education.

PubMed

Diaz-Siso, J Rodrigo; Plana, Natalie M; Stranix, John T; Cutting, Court B; McCarthy, Joseph G; Flores, Roberto L

2016-10-01

Contemporary plastic surgery residents are increasingly challenged to learn a greater number of complex surgical techniques within a limited period. Surgical simulation and digital education resources have the potential to address some limitations of the traditional training model, and have been shown to accelerate knowledge and skills acquisition. Although animal, cadaver, and bench models are widely used for skills and procedure-specific training, digital simulation has not been fully embraced within plastic surgery. Digital educational resources may play a future role in a multistage strategy for skills and procedures training. The authors present two virtual surgical simulators addressing procedural cognition for cleft repair and craniofacial surgery. Furthermore, the authors describe how partnerships among surgical educators, industry, and philanthropy can be a successful strategy for the development and maintenance of digital simulators and educational resources relevant to plastic surgery training. It is our responsibility as surgical educators not only to create these resources, but to demonstrate their utility for enhanced trainee knowledge and technical skills development. Currently available digital resources should be evaluated in partnership with plastic surgery educational societies to guide trainees and practitioners toward effective digital content.

Seeing wholes: The concept of systems thinking and its implementation in school leadership

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaked, Haim; Schechter, Chen

2013-12-01

Systems thinking (ST) is an approach advocating thinking about any given issue as a whole, emphasising the interrelationships between its components rather than the components themselves. This article aims to link ST and school leadership, claiming that ST may enable school principals to develop highly performing schools that can cope successfully with current challenges, which are more complex than ever before in today's era of accountability and high expectations. The article presents the concept of ST - its definition, components, history and applications. Thereafter, its connection to education and its contribution to school management are described. The article concludes by discussing practical processes including screening for ST-skilled principal candidates and developing ST skills among prospective and currently performing school principals, pinpointing three opportunities for skills acquisition: during preparatory programmes; during their first years on the job, supported by veteran school principals as mentors; and throughout their entire career. Such opportunities may not only provide school principals with ST skills but also improve their functioning throughout the aforementioned stages of professional development.

Early Precursor of Reading: Acquisition of Phonological Awareness Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turan, Figen; Gul, Gozde

2008-01-01

Phonological awareness skills begin to develop at preschool ages and support reading skills during school ages. Studies on phonological awareness show great relationship with reading skills development. Since literacy talents such as phonological awareness and vocabulary represent future success in reading, assisting literacy skills during…

Women match men when learning a spatial skill.

PubMed

Spence, Ian; Yu, Jingjie Jessica; Feng, Jing; Marshman, Jeff

2009-07-01

Meta-analytic studies have concluded that although training improves spatial cognition in both sexes, the male advantage generally persists. However, because some studies run counter to this pattern, a closer examination of the anomaly is warranted. The authors investigated the acquisition of a basic skill (spatial selective attention) using a matched-pair two-wave longitudinal design. Participants were screened with the use of an attentional visual field task, with the objective of selecting and matching 10 male-female pairs, over a wide range (30% to 57% correct). Subsequently, 20 participants 17-23 years of age (selected from 43 screened) were trained for 10 hr (distributed over several sessions) by playing a first-person shooter video game. This genre is known to be highly effective in enhancing spatial skills. All 20 participants improved, with matched members of the male-female pairs achieving very similar gains, independent of starting level. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the learning trajectory of women is not inferior to that of men when acquiring a basic spatial skill. Training methods that develop basic spatial skills may be essential to achieve gender parity in both basic and complex spatial tasks.

Nonlinear pedagogy: an effective approach to cater for individual differences in learning a sports skill.

PubMed

Lee, Miriam Chang Yi; Chow, Jia Yi; Komar, John; Tan, Clara Wee Keat; Button, Chris

2014-01-01

Learning a sports skill is a complex process in which practitioners are challenged to cater for individual differences. The main purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of a Nonlinear Pedagogy approach for learning a sports skill. Twenty-four 10-year-old females participated in a 4-week intervention involving either a Nonlinear Pedagogy (i.e.,manipulation of task constraints including equipment and rules) or a Linear Pedagogy (i.e., prescriptive, repetitive drills) approach to learn a tennis forehand stroke. Performance accuracy scores, movement criterion scores and kinematic data were measured during pre-intervention, post-intervention and retention tests. While both groups showed improvements in performance accuracy scores over time, the Nonlinear Pedagogy group displayed a greater number of movement clusters at post-test indicating the presence of degeneracy (i.e., many ways to achieve the same outcome). The results suggest that degeneracy is effective for learning a sports skill facilitated by a Nonlinear Pedagogy approach. These findings challenge the common misconception that there must be only one ideal movement solution for a task and thus have implications for coaches and educators when designing instructions for skill acquisition.

Nonlinear Pedagogy: An Effective Approach to Cater for Individual Differences in Learning a Sports Skill

PubMed Central

Lee, Miriam Chang Yi; Chow, Jia Yi; Komar, John; Tan, Clara Wee Keat; Button, Chris

2014-01-01

Learning a sports skill is a complex process in which practitioners are challenged to cater for individual differences. The main purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of a Nonlinear Pedagogy approach for learning a sports skill. Twenty-four 10-year-old females participated in a 4-week intervention involving either a Nonlinear Pedagogy (i.e.,manipulation of task constraints including equipment and rules) or a Linear Pedagogy (i.e., prescriptive, repetitive drills) approach to learn a tennis forehand stroke. Performance accuracy scores, movement criterion scores and kinematic data were measured during pre-intervention, post-intervention and retention tests. While both groups showed improvements in performance accuracy scores over time, the Nonlinear Pedagogy group displayed a greater number of movement clusters at post-test indicating the presence of degeneracy (i.e., many ways to achieve the same outcome). The results suggest that degeneracy is effective for learning a sports skill facilitated by a Nonlinear Pedagogy approach. These findings challenge the common misconception that there must be only one ideal movement solution for a task and thus have implications for coaches and educators when designing instructions for skill acquisition. PMID:25140822

THE IMPACT OF LATE-LIFE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ON COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY AND COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING SKILL ACQUISITION.

PubMed

Johnco, Carly; Wuthrich, Viviana M; Rapee, Ronald M

2015-10-01

Studies examining treatment moderators and mediators in late-life anxiety and depression are sparse. Executive functioning skills decrease with age, and are poorer in the context of anxiety and depression. One of the key cognitive behavioral therapy techniques for anxiety and depression is cognitive restructuring (CR), which teaches people to identify and dispute maladaptive thoughts. There is evidence that cognitive flexibility (CF), one aspect of executive functioning, has a negative impact on CR skill acquisition in nonclinical older adults, and this warrants extension in a clinical sample. This study assessed CR skill acquisition in a clinical sample of 47 older adults with anxiety and depression and 53 nonclinical controls during an experimental paradigm, and investigated the influence of CF on this relationship. A battery of neuropsychological tests assessing CF were administered and CR was learned during a brief intervention. The clinical sample showed poorer CF on some measures, as well as poorer CR quality and efficacy (reduction in subjective distress). CF partially mediated the relationship between clinical status and CR quality, and between clinical status and CR efficacy. These results provide preliminary evidence that older adults with anxiety and depression are worse at learning and benefiting from CR with a brief intervention and this is partially due to having poorer CF skills. These findings warrant further examination in a treatment context to assess whether CR skill acquisition improves over treatment. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Machining Skills Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

This document of skill standards for the machining skills cluster serves as a guide to workforce preparation program providers in defining content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. These 67 occupational skill standards describe what people should know and be able to do in an…

Acquisition of Picture Exchange-Based vs. Signed Mands and Implications to Teach Functional Communication Skills to Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nam, Sang S.; Hwang, Young S.

2016-01-01

A literature review was conducted to describe important concepts involved in functional analysis of verbal behavior as well as to evaluate empirical research findings on acquisition of picture exchange-based vs. signed mands to suggest instructional implications for teachers and therapists to teach functional communication skills to children with…

Effects of Teaching Gardening on Science Students' Attitudes toward Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition in Jos South, Plateau State, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charity, Dimlong; Ozoji, Bernadette Ebele; Osasebor, Florence Osaze; Ibn Umar, Suleiman

2017-01-01

This study investigated the effects of teaching gardening on science students' attitudes toward entrepreneurial skills acquisition in Jos South, Plateau State, Nigeria. The study employed the non-randomized pre-test post-test non-equivalent control group design. A sample of 75 senior secondary school students from two intact classes, randomly…

The Effect of Concept Mapping with Different Levels of Generativity and Learners' Self-Regulated Learning Skills on Knowledge Acquisition and Representation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Kyu Yon

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of concept mapping strategies with different levels of generativity in terms of knowledge acquisition and knowledge representation. Also, it examined whether or not learners' self-regulated learning (SRL) skills influenced the effectiveness of concept mapping strategies with different…

Developing Language in a Developing Body: The Relationship between Motor Development and Language Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iverson, Jana M.

2010-01-01

During the first eighteen months of life, infants acquire and refine a whole set of new motor skills that significantly change the ways in which the body moves in and interacts with the environment. In this review article, I argue that motor acquisitions provide infants with an opportunity to practice skills relevant to language acquisition before…

Guidance Oriented Acquisition of Learning Skills (Project GOALS). Final Evaluation Report, 1992-93. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musante, Patricia

Guidance Oriented Acquisition of Learning Skills (Project GOALS) was a federally-funded project in three Brooklyn (New York) high schools in its fourth year of operation in 1992-93. It served 312 limited-English-proficient and 57 English-proficient students through instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), native language arts (NLA) in…

Delayed Motor Skill Acquisition in Kindergarten Children with Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adi-Japha, Esther; Strulovich-Schwartz, Orli; Julius, Mona

2011-01-01

The acquisition and consolidation of a new grapho-motor symbol into long-term memory was studied in 5-year-old children with language impairment (LI) and peers matched for age and visual-motor integration skills. The children practiced the production of a new symbol and were tested 24 h and two weeks post-practice day. Differences in performance…

Working Memory Capacity in Preschool Children Contributes to the Acquisition of School Relevant Precursor Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pressler, Anna-Lena; Krajewski, Kristin; Hasselhorn, Marcus

2013-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether preschool children with limitations in the visual or phonological working memory are disadvantaged in the acquisition of school relevant precursor skills at school entry. A sample of 92 children was divided into three subgroups depending on their performance in visual and phonological working…

The Effect of Emphasizing Mathematical Structure in the Acquisition of Whole Number Computation Skills (Addition and Subtraction) By Seven- and Eight-Year Olds: A Clinical Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uprichard, A. Edward; Collura, Carolyn

This investigation sought to determine the effect of emphasizing mathematical structure in the acquisition of computational skills by seven- and eight-year-olds. The meaningful development-of-structure approach emphasized closure, commutativity, associativity, and the identity element of addition; the inverse relationship between addition and…

The Impact of One-to-One Technology Programs on Student Acquisition of 21st-Century Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDowell, Joshua A.

2017-01-01

This qualitative phenomenological study was designed to gain an in-depth understanding of the perceptions of secondary public-school teachers of the impact that one-to-one technology programs have on student acquisition of 21st-century skills. 20 certified public school teachers were targeted using a purposeful sampling method, in 4 public school…

A Longitudinal Study of Handwriting Skills in Pre-Schoolers: The Acquisition of Syllable Oriented Programming Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soler Vilageliu, Olga; Kandel, Sonia

2012-01-01

Previous studies have shown the relevance of the syllable as a programming unit in handwriting production, both in adults and elementary school children. This longitudinal study focuses on the acquisition of writing skills in a group of preschoolers. It examines how and when the syllable structure of the word starts regulating motor programming in…

Attendance, Performance and the Acquisition of Early Literacy Skills: A Comparison of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ehrich, John; Wolgemuth, Jennifer R.; Helmer, Janet; Oteng, Georges; Lea, Tess; Bartlett, Claire; Smith, Heather; Emmett, Sue

2010-01-01

As part of an evaluation of a web-based early literacy intervention, ABRACADABRA, a small exploratory study was conducted over one term in three primary schools in the Northern Territory. Of particular concern was the relationship between attendance and the acquisition of early literacy skills of Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. Using the…

Insights from Skill Acquisition Theory for Grammar Activity Sequencing and Design in Foreign Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Criado, Raquel

2016-01-01

This article presents a framework for the elaboration of Foreign Language Teaching (FLT) grammar materials for adults based on the application to SLA of Skill Acquisition Theory (SAT). This theory is argued to compensate for the major drawbacks of FLT settings in comparison with second language contexts (lack of classroom learning time and limited…

The Acquisition of Key Executive Skills and Attitudes Required for International Business in the Third Millennium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Satterlee, Brian

This study used a multimethod research technique to examine the acquisition of key executive skills and attitudes required for success in the international business arena. Following a review of the literature, the report presents the results of responses by a panel of 36 international business experts from Canada, Mexico, and the United States to…

Simulation for transthoracic echocardiography of aortic valve

PubMed Central

Nanda, Navin C.; Kapur, K. K.; Kapoor, Poonam Malhotra

2016-01-01

Simulation allows interactive transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) learning using a virtual three-dimensional model of the heart and may aid in the acquisition of the cognitive and technical skills needed to perform TTE. The ability to link probe manipulation, cardiac anatomy, and echocardiographic images using a simulator has been shown to be an effective model for training anesthesiology residents in transesophageal echocardiography. A proposed alternative to real-time reality patient-based learning is simulation-based training that allows anesthesiologists to learn complex concepts and procedures, especially for specific structures such as aortic valve. PMID:27397455

Sensorimotor Skills and Language Comprehension in Autistic Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sigman, Marian; Ungerer, Judy

1981-01-01

The fact that the autistic children were so impaired in language even with fairly good sensorimotor skills suggests that these skills, particularly object permanence, play a minor role in their language acquisition. (Author)

Predicting future learning from baseline network architecture.

PubMed

Mattar, Marcelo G; Wymbs, Nicholas F; Bock, Andrew S; Aguirre, Geoffrey K; Grafton, Scott T; Bassett, Danielle S

2018-05-15

Human behavior and cognition result from a complex pattern of interactions between brain regions. The flexible reconfiguration of these patterns enables behavioral adaptation, such as the acquisition of a new motor skill. Yet, the degree to which these reconfigurations depend on the brain's baseline sensorimotor integration is far from understood. Here, we asked whether spontaneous fluctuations in sensorimotor networks at baseline were predictive of individual differences in future learning. We analyzed functional MRI data from 19 participants prior to six weeks of training on a new motor skill. We found that visual-motor connectivity was inversely related to learning rate: sensorimotor autonomy at baseline corresponded to faster learning in the future. Using three additional scans, we found that visual-motor connectivity at baseline is a relatively stable individual trait. These results suggest that individual differences in motor skill learning can be predicted from sensorimotor autonomy at baseline prior to task execution. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Critical elements of culturally competent communication in the medical encounter: a review and model.

PubMed

Teal, Cayla R; Street, Richard L

2009-02-01

Increasing the cultural competence of physicians is one means of responding to demographic changes in the USA, as well as reducing health disparities. However, in spite of the development and implementation of cultural competence training programs, little is known about the ways cultural competence manifests itself in medical encounters. This paper will present a model of culturally competent communication that offers a framework of studying cultural competence 'in action.' First, we describe four critical elements of culturally competent communication in the medical encounter--communication repertoire, situational awareness, adaptability, and knowledge about core cultural issues. We present a model of culturally competent physician communication that integrates existing frameworks for cultural competence in patient care with models of effective patient-centered communication. The culturally competent communication model includes five communication skills that are depicted as elements of a set in which acquisition of more skills corresponds to increasing complexity and culturally competent communication. The culturally competent communication model utilizes each of the four critical elements to fully develop each skill and apply increasingly sophisticated, contextually appropriate communication behaviors to engage with culturally different patients in complex interactions. It is designed to foster maximum physician sensitivity to cultural variation in patients as the foundation of physician-communication competence in interacting with patients.

Parietotemporal Stimulation Affects Acquisition of Novel Grapheme-Phoneme Mappings in Adult Readers

PubMed Central

Younger, Jessica W.; Booth, James R.

2018-01-01

Neuroimaging work from developmental and reading intervention research has suggested a cause of reading failure may be lack of engagement of parietotemporal cortex during initial acquisition of grapheme-phoneme (letter-sound) mappings. Parietotemporal activation increases following grapheme-phoneme learning and successful reading intervention. Further, stimulation of parietotemporal cortex improves reading skill in lower ability adults. However, it is unclear whether these improvements following stimulation are due to enhanced grapheme-phoneme mapping abilities. To test this hypothesis, we used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to manipulate parietotemporal function in adult readers as they learned a novel artificial orthography with new grapheme-phoneme mappings. Participants received real or sham stimulation to the left inferior parietal lobe (L IPL) for 20 min before training. They received explicit training over the course of 3 days on 10 novel words each day. Learning of the artificial orthography was assessed at a pre-training baseline session, the end of each of the three training sessions, an immediate post-training session and a delayed post-training session about 4 weeks after training. Stimulation interacted with baseline reading skill to affect learning of trained words and transfer to untrained words. Lower skill readers showed better acquisition, whereas higher skill readers showed worse acquisition, when training was paired with real stimulation, as compared to readers who received sham stimulation. However, readers of all skill levels showed better maintenance of trained material following parietotemporal stimulation, indicating a differential effect of stimulation on initial learning and consolidation. Overall, these results indicate that parietotemporal stimulation can enhance learning of new grapheme-phoneme relationships in readers with lower reading skill. Yet, while parietotemporal function is critical to new learning, its role in continued reading improvement likely changes as readers progress in skill. PMID:29628882

Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Training on Clinical Psychology Trainee Stress, Therapist Skills and Attributes, and ACT Processes.

PubMed

Pakenham, Kenneth I

2015-01-01

Despite the increasing uptake of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) by mental health practitioners, few studies have investigated the effects of ACT training on trainees. Clinical psychology trainees (CPTs) are susceptible to high stress such that their training represents a teachable moment for personal application of the therapy skills they learn for clinical practice. This study investigates the effects of ACT training on stress, therapist skills and attributes, and the personal acquisition of ACT strategies in CPTs. Thirty-two CPTs completed questionnaires before and after university-based ACT training that consisted of 12 2-h weekly workshops. Pairwise t-tests showed that CPTs reported improvements from before to after training on measures of counselling self-efficacy, client-therapist alliance, self-kindness, acceptance, defusion, mindfulness and values, and a marginally significant improvement on somatic symptoms, despite a trend towards increased work-related stress. As predicted, each of the ACT process variables was related to one or more of the therapist stress, skill and attribute variables, such that greater levels of mindfulness, values and acceptance, and less thought suppression were related to better trainee outcomes. This study provides preliminary data on therapist skill development and personal benefits for CPTs related to receiving ACT training that interweaves instruction in competencies acquisition with self-care. This study provides preliminary data on therapist skill development and personal benefits for clinical psychology trainees related to receiving ACT training that integrates training in competencies acquisition with self-care. The ACT training offers a framework for integrating the acquisition of clinical competencies and self-care skills and positive therapist attributes in trainees. Findings support a strong positive union between the ACT processes and better trainee personal and professional outcomes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Show and Tell: Video Modeling and Instruction Without Feedback Improves Performance but Is Not Sufficient for Retention of a Complex Voice Motor Skill.

PubMed

Look, Clarisse; McCabe, Patricia; Heard, Robert; Madill, Catherine J

2018-02-02

Modeling and instruction are frequent components of both traditional and technology-assisted voice therapy. This study investigated the value of video modeling and instruction in the early acquisition and short-term retention of a complex voice task without external feedback. Thirty participants were randomized to two conditions and trained to produce a vocal siren over 40 trials. One group received a model and verbal instructions, the other group received a model only. Sirens were analyzed for phonation time, vocal intensity, cepstral peak prominence, peak-to-peak time, and root-mean-square error at five time points. The model and instruction group showed significant improvement on more outcome measures than the model-only group. There was an interaction effect for vocal intensity, which showed that instructions facilitated greater improvement when they were first introduced. However, neither group reproduced the model's siren performance across all parameters or retained the skill 1 day later. Providing verbal instruction with a model appears more beneficial than providing a model only in the prepractice phase of acquiring a complex voice skill. Improved performance was observed; however, the higher level of performance was not retained after 40 trials in both conditions. Other prepractice variables may need to be considered. Findings have implications for traditional and technology-assisted voice therapy. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Recontextualizing Dance Skills: Overcoming Impediments to Motor Learning and Expressivity in Ballet Dancers

PubMed Central

Karin, Janet

2016-01-01

The process of transmitting ballet’s complex technique to young dancers can interfere with the innate processes that give rise to efficient, expressive and harmonious movement. With the intention of identifying possible solutions, this article draws on research across the fields of neurology, psychology, motor learning, and education, and considers their relevance to ballet as an art form, a technique, and a training methodology. The integration of dancers’ technique and expressivity is a core theme throughout the paper. A brief outline of the historical development of ballet’s aesthetics and training methods leads into factors that influence dancers’ performance. An exploration of the role of the neuromotor system in motor learning and the acquisition of expert skills reveals the roles of sensory awareness, imagery, and intention in cuing efficient, expressive movement. It also indicates potentially detrimental effects of conscious muscle control, explicit learning and persistent naïve beliefs. Finally, the paper presents a new theory regarding the acquisition of ballet skills. Recontextualization theory proposes that placing a problematic task within a new context may engender a new conceptual approach and/or sensory intention, and hence the genesis of new motor programs; and that these new programs may lead to performance that is more efficient, more rewarding for the dancer, more pleasing aesthetically, and more expressive. From an anecdotal point of view, this theory appears to be supported by the progress of many dancers at various stages of their dancing lives. PMID:27047437

Recontextualizing Dance Skills: Overcoming Impediments to Motor Learning and Expressivity in Ballet Dancers.

PubMed

Karin, Janet

2016-01-01

The process of transmitting ballet's complex technique to young dancers can interfere with the innate processes that give rise to efficient, expressive and harmonious movement. With the intention of identifying possible solutions, this article draws on research across the fields of neurology, psychology, motor learning, and education, and considers their relevance to ballet as an art form, a technique, and a training methodology. The integration of dancers' technique and expressivity is a core theme throughout the paper. A brief outline of the historical development of ballet's aesthetics and training methods leads into factors that influence dancers' performance. An exploration of the role of the neuromotor system in motor learning and the acquisition of expert skills reveals the roles of sensory awareness, imagery, and intention in cuing efficient, expressive movement. It also indicates potentially detrimental effects of conscious muscle control, explicit learning and persistent naïve beliefs. Finally, the paper presents a new theory regarding the acquisition of ballet skills. Recontextualization theory proposes that placing a problematic task within a new context may engender a new conceptual approach and/or sensory intention, and hence the genesis of new motor programs; and that these new programs may lead to performance that is more efficient, more rewarding for the dancer, more pleasing aesthetically, and more expressive. From an anecdotal point of view, this theory appears to be supported by the progress of many dancers at various stages of their dancing lives.

Working Memory and Language: Skill-Specific or Domain-General Relations to Mathematics?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purpura, David J.; Ganley, Colleen M.

2014-01-01

Children's early mathematics skills develop in a cumulative fashion; foundational skills form a basis for the acquisition of later skills. However, non-mathematical factors such as working memory and language skills have also been linked to mathematical development at a broad level. Unfortunately, little research has been conducted to evaluate the…

Changes in the Nature and Structure of Work: Implications for Skill Requirements and Skill Formation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Thomas

Changes in the economy and the workplace are changing job skill requirements and the process of skill acquisition. A study analyzed occupational trends and projections, performed case studies of four industry sectors (apparel and textile, accounting, management consulting, and software development), and reviewed research on changing skill demands…

Reduced asymmetry in motor skill learning in left-handed compared to right-handed individuals.

PubMed

McGrath, Robert L; Kantak, Shailesh S

2016-02-01

Hemispheric specialization for motor control influences how individuals perform and adapt to goal-directed movements. In contrast to adaptation, motor skill learning involves a process wherein one learns to synthesize novel movement capabilities in absence of perturbation such that they are performed with greater accuracy, consistency and efficiency. Here, we investigated manual asymmetry in acquisition and retention of a complex motor skill that requires speed and accuracy for optimal performance in right-handed and left-handed individuals. We further determined if degree of handedness influences motor skill learning. Ten right-handed (RH) and 10 left-handed (LH) adults practiced two distinct motor skills with their dominant or nondominant arms during separate sessions two-four weeks apart. Learning was quantified by changes in the speed-accuracy tradeoff function measured at baseline and one-day retention. Manual asymmetry was evident in the RH group but not the LH group. RH group demonstrated significantly greater skill improvement for their dominant-right hand than their nondominant-left hand. In contrast, for the LH group, both dominant and nondominant hands demonstrated comparable learning. Less strongly-LH individuals (lower EHI scores) exhibited more learning of their dominant hand. These results suggest that while hemispheric specialization influences motor skill learning, these effects may be influenced by handedness. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison Studies of Reading Readiness Skills Acquisition by Different Methods: Formal Reading Readiness Program, Informal Reading Readiness Program, and a Kindergarten Science Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quorn, Kerry Charles; Yore, Larry Dean

1978-01-01

Evaluates the effectiveness of two dissimilar programs, SAPA and the First Talking Alphabet (FTA), upon the acquisition of reading readiness skills of kindergarten pupils. Compares the effects of four different programs (SAPA, FTA, an informal language development program, and a control) on the reading readiness of kindergarten pupils. (GA)

Ecological Factors in Social Skill Acquisition: High School Students with Emotional and/or Behavioral Disorders in the United States and Norway

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Sarah K.

2010-01-01

The purpose of my study was to develop a grounded theory of the underlying social processes and/or other ecological factors that impact the effectiveness of skill acquisition for students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBD) in "sister" cities located in the United States (Site One) and in Norway (Site Two). Theory…

The Role of Executive Attention in the Acquisition of Mathematical Skills for Children in Grades 2 through 4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LeFevre, Jo-Anne; Berrigan, Lindsay; Vendetti, Corrie; Kamawar, Deepthi; Bisanz, Jeffrey; Skwarchuk, Sheri-Lynn; Smith-Chant, Brenda L.

2013-01-01

We examined the role of executive attention, which encompasses the common aspects of executive function and executive working memory, in children's acquisition of two aspects of mathematical skill: (a) knowledge of the number system (e.g., place value) and of arithmetic procedures (e.g., multi-digit addition) and (b) arithmetic fluency (i.e.,…

Aptitude Level and the Acquisition of Skills and Knowledges in a Variety of Military Training Tasks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Wayne L.; And Others

To assess the effects of wide aptitude differences on the acquisition of military knowledges and skills, a sample of 183 Army recruits was divided into three maximally distant aptitude groups on the basis of Armed Forces Qualifying Test (AFQT) scores: high aptitude (AFQT 90-99); middle aptitude (AFQT 45-55); low aptitude (AFQT 10-21). Recruits…

Effectiveness of Interactive Multimedia Environment on Language Acquisition Skills of 6th Grade Students in the United Arab Emirates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almekhlafi, Abdurrahman Ghaleb

2006-01-01

This study investigated the effect of interactive multimedia (IMM) program on students' acquisition of some English as a second language (ESL) skills. An interactive multimedia CD-ROM was used with ninety 6th grade ESL students in Al-Ain Model School 2, United Arab Emirates. Students were selected and divided into experimental and control groups…

Competency Capacity Building Needs of Agricultural Science Teachers in Utilization of School Farm for Skill Acquisition among Secondary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawal, O. I.; Onipede, Omoleye; Oketoobo, E. A.; Famiwole, Remigius O.

2014-01-01

This study sought to identify the competency capacity building needs of teachers of agricultural science in the utilization of school farm for skill acquisition among secondary school students in Ondo State, Nigeria). Four research questions guided the study. The study adopted the survey research design. The population used was 422, made up of…

A Formative Study Investigating the Acquisition of Early Reading Skills among High School English Language Learners Beginning to Read English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Athene Cooper

2012-01-01

A formative design experiment methodology was employed to investigate the acquisition of early reading skills for high school English language learners (ELLs) beginning to read English. A fundamental challenge facing high school ELLs entering schools in the United States for the first time is learning how to read. While there is considerable…

Training self-feeding skills in children who are deaf and blind.

PubMed

Luiselli, J K

1993-10-01

There are very few studies that describe programs to train self-feeding skills in young children who are deaf and blind. This research reports two single-case studies on the acquisition of self-feeding in children with developmental disabilities and combined visual and auditory impairments. Study 1 included the use of prompting, prompt-fading, and contingent sensory reinforcement procedures to train independent self-feeding in a 7-year-old girl. Study 2 incorporated social reinforcement and response interruption to refine the self-feeding skills of a 6-year-old boy. Both studies were conducted by direct-care providers within an educational setting and reported maintenance of skill acquisition at 4 and 8 months posttraining.

How useful are skills acquired at adult non-formal education and training centres for finding employment in South Africa?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayombe, Celestin; Lombard, Antoinette

2015-10-01

Non-formal adult education and training (NFET) in South Africa is instrumental in breaking the high level of poverty and decreasing the social inequality the country continues to face as a post-apartheid democracy. Public and private NFET centres in South Africa aim to meet the training needs of adults who have been deprived of formal education with courses which foster access to opportunities for skills acquisition and employment and bring about social and economic inclusion. However, many adults who were facing long-term unemployment due to a lack of marketable skills remain unemployed after completing NFET programmes. This paper reports on a study which investigated what constitutes favourable conditions ("internal enabling environments") for skills acquisition inside NFET centres leading to employment and how they can be improved to contribute to coordinated efforts of increasing NFET graduates' paid and/or self-employment capacities. The authors found that centres focusing on activities suitable for self-employment during training were more likely to create internal enabling environments for skills acquisition and income generation than centres offering courses designed for entering paid employment. The authors conclude that there appears to be a significant correlation between NFET centres' training programme objectives, financial resources, trainee selection criteria, the process of training needs assessment, and skills acquisition for successful employment outcomes of NFET graduates. Without these internal enabling factors, adult trainees are likely to continue finding it difficult to integrate into the labour market or participate in economic activities and hence break the cycle of poverty and social exclusion.

Learner-Controlled Self-Observation is Advantageous for Motor Skill Acquisition

PubMed Central

Ste-Marie, Diane M.; Vertes, Kelly A.; Law, Barbi; Rymal, Amanda M.

2013-01-01

There were two main objectives of this research. First, we wanted to examine whether video feedback of the self (self-observation) was more effective for motor skill learning when the choice to view the video was provided to the learner (learner-controlled, LC) as opposed to an experimenter-controlled (EC) delivery. Secondly, we explored whether there were differences in the self-regulatory processes of self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation, as well as perceived choice between the LC and EC conditions. Two groups (LC and EC) of children (M age of 11.2 years; SD = 1.89) attempted to learn a progression of trampoline skills during a 2-day acquisition phase in which video self-observation was available. The second acquisition day was followed by a no self-observation retention test 1 day later. It was hypothesized that, during retention, the LC group would be more self-efficacious about their ability to progress through the trampoline skills, show greater intrinsic motivation and perceived choice, and go further in skill progression than the EC group. Analysis of the acquisition data showed the LC group had greater increases in self-efficacy as compared to the EC group. Results of the retention test showed that the participants in the LC group obtained higher scores on the intrinsic motivation and perceived choice measures and had higher skill progression scores as compared to the EC group. Regression analysis showed that group assignment and self-efficacy were significant predictors of the physical performance benefits noted in retention. These findings are discussed within Zimmerman’s (2004) self-regulation of learning model. PMID:23355826

E-learning optimization: the relative and combined effects of mental practice and modeling on enhanced podcast-based learning-a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Alam, Fahad; Boet, Sylvain; Piquette, Dominique; Lai, Anita; Perkes, Christopher P; LeBlanc, Vicki R

2016-10-01

Enhanced podcasts increase learning, but evidence is lacking on how they should be designed to optimize their effectiveness. This study assessed the impact two learning instructional design methods (mental practice and modeling), either on their own or in combination, for teaching complex cognitive medical content when incorporated into enhanced podcasts. Sixty-three medical students were randomised to one of four versions of an airway management enhanced podcast: (1) control: narrated presentation; (2) modeling: narration with video demonstration of skills; (3) mental practice: narrated presentation with guided mental practice; (4) combined: modeling and mental practice. One week later, students managed a manikin-based simulated airway crisis. Knowledge acquisition was assessed by baseline and retention multiple-choice quizzes. Two blinded raters assessed all videos obtained from simulated crises to measure the students' skills using a key-elements scale, critical error checklist, and the Ottawa global rating scale (GRS). Baseline knowledge was not different between all four groups (p = 0.65). One week later, knowledge retention was significantly higher for (1) both the mental practice and modeling group than the control group (p = 0.01; p = 0.01, respectively) and (2) the combined mental practice and modeling group compared to all other groups (all ps = 0.01). Regarding skills acquisition, the control group significantly under-performed in comparison to all other groups on the key-events scale (all ps ≤ 0.05), the critical error checklist (all ps ≤ 0.05), and the Ottawa GRS (all ps ≤ 0.05). The combination of mental practice and modeling led to greater improvement on the key events checklist (p = 0.01) compared to either strategy alone. However, the combination of the two strategies did not result in any further learning gains on the two other measures of clinical performance (all ps > 0.05). The effectiveness of enhanced podcasts for knowledge retention and clinical skill acquisition is increased with either mental practice or modeling. The combination of mental practice and modeling had synergistic effects on knowledge retention, but conveyed less clear advantages in its application through clinical skills.

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Nursing Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These skill standards, developed through a consortium of educational and industry partners in Illinois, serve as guides to workforce preparation program providers to define content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition and performance. The skill standards include the following…

Education and age affect skill acquisition and retention in lay rescuers after a European Resuscitation Council CPR/AED course.

PubMed

Papalexopoulou, Konstantina; Chalkias, Athanasios; Dontas, Ioannis; Pliatsika, Paraskevi; Giannakakos, Charalampos; Papapanagiotou, Panagiotis; Aggelina, Afroditi; Moumouris, Theodoros; Papadopoulos, Georgios; Xanthos, Theodoros

2014-01-01

To examine whether education and age affect skill acquisition and retention in lay rescuers after a European Resuscitation Council (ERC) CPR/AED course. Because of the importance of bystander CPR/AED skills in the setting of cardiac arrest, acquisition and retention of resuscitation skills has gained a great amount of interest. The ERC CPR/AED course format for written and practical evaluation was used. Eighty lay people were trained and evaluated at the end of the course, as well as at one, three, and six months. Retention of CPR/AED skills improved over time, recording the lowest practical scores at one month after initial training and the lowest written scores at initial training. In practical evaluation scores, when examined longitudinally, age presented a significant adverse effect and higher background education presented a non-significant positive effect. Moreover, regarding written evaluation scores, when examined longitudinally, education presented a significant positive effect while age did not significantly correlate with written scores. Education and age affected retention of CPR/AED skills in lay rescuers. Also, our results suggest that the ERC CPR/AED course format may be poorly designed to discriminate between participants with different levels of practical and written resuscitation skills and merit a thorough investigation in future studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Continuing medical education-driven skills acquisition and impact on improved patient outcomes in family practice setting.

PubMed

Bellamy, N; Goldstein, L D; Tekanoff, R A

2000-01-01

An abundance of educational theory, design, and delivery of continuing medical education (CME) learning interventions, including their impact on learners, are described in the health and social sciences literature. However, establishing a direct correlation between the acquisition of new skills by learners and patient outcomes as a result of a planned CME learning intervention has been difficult to demonstrate. The learning intervention described here tested the impact of an injection skills-acquisition program for family physicians treating osteoarthritis of the knee by measuring patient outcomes using the pain and function subscales of the Western Ontario and McMaster (WOMAC) 3.0 osteoarthritis index, a standardized and fully validated patient-centered outcome measurement. It was hypothesized that patients of family physicians who participated in this skills-acquisition CME program would benefit from treatment administered by their physician during the time between injection skills acquisition to 6 weeks post-injection. Inclusion of a validated health status measure administered pre- and post-injection in addition to more traditional faculty and participant program evaluations was deemed necessary to test this hypothesis. Rheumatology, orthopedic surgery, and family medicine specialists from across Canada were invited to contribute to the planning, curriculum elaboration, and delivery of the viscosupplement injector preceptorship (VIP) program. Thirty-nine orthopedic and rheumatology specialists agreed to serve as expert faculty and participated in training 474 Canadian family and general practitioners over 8 months. The learning intervention involved a review of pertinent literature by a local preceptor and a summary of recommendations of the planning committee, followed by demonstration of injector skills and then supervised practice with patients, who received hylan G-F 20 (Synvisc, Ridgefield, NJ) usually in the offices of the family physicians. The pain and function subscales of the WOMAC 3.0 questionnaire were self-administered to each patient in their physician's office, prior to receiving their joint injection and again at or near 6-weeks post-injection. Data were analyzed in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at The University of Western Ontario, London, ON. Clinically important statistically significant improvements in pain and physical function were noted in patients who received viscosupplementation treatment from family physicians who had recently acquired the necessary injection skills. Approximately three-quarters of the patients experienced a reduction in pain and an improvement in physical function of at least 20%. These results suggest a positive relationship between acquisition of a new skill by learners and improved patient outcomes as a result of this planned CME learning intervention.

Socio-emotional skills, behavior problems, and Spanish competence predict the acquisition of English among English language learners in poverty.

PubMed

Winsler, Adam; Kim, Yoon Kyong; Richard, Erin R

2014-09-01

This article analyzes the role that individual differences in children's cognitive, Spanish competence, and socio-emotional and behavioral skills play in predicting the concurrent and longitudinal acquisition of English among a large sample of ethnically diverse, low-income, Hispanic preschool children. Participants assessed at age 4 for language, cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral skills were followed through kindergarten. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that Spanish-speaking preschoolers with greater initiative, self-control, and attachment and fewer behavior problems at age 4 were more successful in obtaining English proficiency by the end of kindergarten compared to those initially weaker in these skills, even after controlling for cognitive/language skills and demographic variables. Also, greater facility in Spanish at age 4 predicted the attainment of English proficiency. Social and behavioral skills and proficiency in Spanish are valuable resources for low-income English language learners during their transition to school.

Acquisition of Fire Safety Knowledge and Skills With Virtual Reality Simulation.

PubMed

Rossler, Kelly L; Sankaranarayanan, Ganesh; Duvall, Adrianne

2018-05-25

Prelicensure nursing students seeking to enter perioperative nursing need preparatory fire safety knowledge and skills training to participate as a member of an operating room (OR) team. This pilot study examined the effectiveness of the Virtual Electrosurgery Skill Trainer (VEST) on OR fire safety skills among prelicensure nursing students. An experimental pretest-posttest design was used in this study. Twenty nursing students were randomized to a control or an intervention group. Knowledge and skills acquisition of OR fire safety were assessed. There were no statistically significant findings in knowledge for either group. Fisher exact test demonstrated significant relationships between the skills performance criteria of following emergency procedures for a fire and demonstrating PASS (pull-aim-squeeze-sweep) technique (P = .001). Academic and hospital educators may consider incorporating virtual reality simulation to teach fire safety education or reinforce general fire safety practices to nursing students and novice nurses.

[Relationship between the motor development of the body and the acquisition of oral skills].

PubMed

Telles, Mariângela Silva; Macedo, Célia Sperandeo

2008-01-01

the literature points to the influence of body posture on the oral skills of children which sensorimotor deficits. Only a few studies with normal children exist on this subject. to study the relationship between motor skills and oral motor skills in children, from the first day of life to 24 months of age. 42 children were video recorded at the first day of life, and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12 and 24 months of age. Recordings were made in the following postures: supine, prone, seated, standing and during breast and bottle feeding (until 5 months), using spoon (purée: 3 - 12 months); cup (water or juice: 6 - 24 months) and eating solid food (6 -24 months). Quantitative scores for body motor development and oral skills were established; and for the statistical analysis the Pearson Correlation Coefficient Test was used with a significance level of 5%. the results of motor development point to similar data between supine, prone, seated and standing positions; for the oral motor skills (during feeding/ breastfeeding, using spoon, cup and chewing). A similarity was observed in the acquisition of motor abilities related to the lips, tongue and jaw in each of the feeding situations. There was an association between the motor and the oral motor skills; the results indicate that the motor development (motor skills) occurred prior to the development of the oral skills from the 5th to 24 months and that the skills related to the jaw when using a cup and spoon occurred prior to the development of the skills related to the lips and tongue. there was a growing increase in the acquisition of motor and oral skills along the ages, as well as a variability of skills in the ages between the 3rd and 24 months and a significant association between the motor and oral skills.

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Physical Therapist Assistant Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These skill standards, developed through a consortium of educational and industry partners in Illinois, serve as guides to workforce preparation program providers to define content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition and performance. The skill standards include the following…

Spatial Visualization Ability and Laparoscopic Skills in Novice Learners: Evaluating Stereoscopic versus Monoscopic Visualizations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roach, Victoria A.; Mistry, Manisha R.; Wilson, Timothy D.

2014-01-01

Elevated spatial visualization ability (Vz) is thought to influence surgical skill acquisition and performance. Current research suggests that stereo visualization technology and its association with skill performance may confer perceptual advantages. This is of particular interest in laparoscopic skill training, where stereo visualization may…

Getting Skills Right: Italy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2017

2017-01-01

This report identifies effective strategies to tackle skills imbalances in Italy. It provides an assessment of practices and policies in the following areas: the collection and use of information on skill needs to foster a better alignment of skills acquisitions with labour market needs; the design of education and training systems and their…

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Medical Office Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These skill standards, developed through a consortium of educational and industry partners in Illinois, serve as guides to workforce preparation program providers to define content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition and performance. The skill standards include the following…

Educational Television as Mediated Literacy Environments for Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jennings, Nancy A.; Hooker, Steven D.; Linebarger, Deborah L.

2009-01-01

Research on children's television suggests that preschool programs can facilitate literacy and language development. In 1998 Whitehurst and Lonigan described two interdependent sets of skills involved in literacy acquisition: "outside-in" or oral language skills and "inside-out" or code-related skills. Outside-in skills support children's…

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Press Operations Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These skill standards, developed through a consortium of educational and industry partners in Illinois, serve as guides to workforce preparation program providers to define content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition and performance. The skill standards include the following…

Getting Skills Right: South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2017

2017-01-01

This report identifies effective strategies to tackle skills imbalances in South Africa. It provides an assessment of practices and policies in the following areas: the collection and use of information on skill needs to foster a better alignment of skills acquisitions with labour market needs; education and training policies targeting skills…

Getting Skills Right: United Kingdom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2017

2017-01-01

This report identifies effective strategies to tackle skills imbalances in the United Kingdom. It provides an assessment of practices and policies in the following areas: the collection and use of information on skill needs to foster a better alignment between skills acquisition and labour market needs; education and training policies targeting…

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Retail Garden Center Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These skill standards, developed through a consortium of educational and industry partners in Illinois, serve as guides to workforce preparation program providers to define content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition and performance. The skill standards include the following…

Acute Exercise Improves Motor Memory Consolidation in Preadolescent Children

PubMed Central

Lundbye-Jensen, Jesper; Skriver, Kasper; Nielsen, Jens B.; Roig, Marc

2017-01-01

Objective: The ability to acquire new motor skills is essential both during childhood and later in life. Recent studies have demonstrated that an acute bout of exercise can improve motor memory consolidation in adults. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether acute exercise protocols following motor skill practice in a school setting can also improve long-term retention of motor memory in preadolescent children. Methods: Seventy-seven pre-adolescent children (age 10.5 ± 0.75 (SD)) participated in the study. Prior to the main experiment age, BMI, fitness status and general physical activity level was assessed in all children and they were then randomly allocated to three groups. All children practiced a visuomotor tracking task followed by 20 min of rest (CON), high intensity intermittent floorball (FLB) or running (RUN) with comparable exercise intensity and duration for exercise groups. Delayed retention of motor memory was assessed 1 h, 24 h and 7 days after motor skill acquisition. Results: During skill acquisition, motor performance improved significantly to the immediate retention test with no differences between groups. One hour following skill acquisition, motor performance decreased significantly for RUN. Twenty-four hours following skill acquisition there was a tendency towards improved performance for FLB but no significant effects. Seven days after motor practice however, both FLB and RUN performed better when compared to their immediate retention test indicating significant offline gains. This effect was not observed for CON. In contrast, 7 days after motor practice, retention of motor memory was significantly better for FLB and RUN compared to CON. No differences were observed when comparing FLB and RUN. Conclusions: Acute intense intermittent exercise performed immediately after motor skill acquisition facilitates long-term motor memory in pre-adolescent children, presumably by promoting memory consolidation. The results also demonstrate that the effects can be accomplished in a school setting. The positive effect of both a team game (i.e., FLB) and running indicates that the observed memory improvements are determined to a larger extent by physiological factors rather than the types of movements performed during the exercise protocol. PMID:28473761

Technical skills acquisition in surgery-bound senior medical students: an evaluation of student assertiveness.

PubMed

Talbott, Vanessa A; Marks, Joshua A; Bodzin, Adam S; Comeau, Jason A; Maxwell, Pinckney J; Isenberg, Gerald A; Martin, Niels D

2012-01-01

To prepare students pursuing surgical careers, we devised a senior subinternship curriculum supplement that focused on the acquisition of technical skills required of surgical residents. We hypothesized that more assertive students, those that accomplished more of the curriculum, would perform better on a technical skills Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Senior medical students rotating on their first general surgery subinternship were administered a 6-station OSCE on the first day of their subinternship and again during the final week of the month-long rotation. A self-directed, 38-task "scavenger hunt" representing common intern level clinical skills, procedures, and patient care activities was provided to each student. The study was performed at Jefferson Medical College, a large, private medical school in Philadelphia, PA. Forty-nine senior students completed surgical subinternships between July 2009 and September 2010, and participated both in the pre-/post-OSCEs and the scavenger hunt. Students performed significantly better on the post-rotation OSCE than on the pre-rotation OSCE; 70.2% ± 8.1% vs. 60.4% ± 12.0%, p < 0.0001. Assertiveness scores from the "scavenger hunt" did not correlate with final OSCE scores (r = -0.328, p = 0.25), and were negatively correlated with the change between pre- and post-OSCE scores (r = -0.573, p < 0.04). Individual student assertiveness scores were determined by the number of tasks completed over the course of the rotation. As surgical education becomes more streamlined with evolving work hour restrictions, medical school education is playing an increasingly pivotal role in preparing students for internship. In our study, individual assertiveness in completing structured self-directed learning tasks did not directly predict the acquisition of proficiency in technical skills. We feel assertiveness is overshadowed by other factors that may carry more weight in terms of technical skills acquisition. Further studies are required to delineate these factors and ultimately enhance technical skills acquisition during medical school. Copyright © 2012 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Expanding the base for teaching of percutaneous coronary interventions: the explicit approach.

PubMed

Lanzer, Peter; Prechelt, Lutz

2011-02-15

Accelerate and improve the training and learning process of operators performing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Operator cognitive, in particular decision-making skills and technical skills are a major factor for the success of coronary interventions. Currently, cognitive skills are commonly developed by three methods: (1) Cognitive learning of rules for which statistical evidence is available. This is very incomprehensive and isolates cognitive learning from skill acquisition. (2) Informal tutoring received from experienced operators, and (3) personal experience by trial-and-error are both very slow. We propose in this concept article a conceptual framework to elicit, capture, and transfer expert PCI skills to complement the current approach. This includes the development of an in-depth understanding of the nature of PCI skills, terminology, and nomenclature needed to streamline communication, propensity of reproducible performance assessment, and in particular an explication of intervention planning and intra-intervention decision-making. We illustrate the impact of improved decision-making by simulation results based on a stochastic model of intervention risk. We identify several key concepts that form the basis of this conceptual framework, in particular different risk types and the notions of strategy, interventional module, and tactic. The increasing complexity of cases have brought PCI to the point where the decision-making skills of master operators need to be made explicit to make them systematically learnable such that the skills of beginner and intermediate operators can be improved much faster than is currently possible. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

List Models of Procedure Learning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matessa, Michael P.; Polson, Peter G.

2005-01-01

This paper presents a new theory of the initial stages of skill acquisition and then employs the theory to model current and future training programs for fight management systems (FMSs) in modern commercial airliners like the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A320. The theoretical foundations for the theory are a new synthesis of the literature on human memory and the latest version of the ACT-R theory of skill acquisition.

The Relationship between Acquisition Rate for Words and Working Memory, Short-Term Memory, and Reading Skills: Aptitude-by-Treatment or Skill-by-Treatment Interaction?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Matthew K.; Davidson, Katherine; Zaslofsky, Anne F.; Parker, David C.; Maki, Kathrin E.

2018-01-01

The amount of information that students successfully learn and later recall from each intervention session is limited and is called the acquisition rate (AR). Research has consistently supported the effects of modifying intervention set sizes with AR data, but research with AR is in its infancy. The current study compared the relationship between…

Comparison of the Effects of Video Modeling with Narration vs. Video Modeling on the Functional Skill Acquisition of Adolescents with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Molly; Ayres, Kevin; Mechling, Linda; Smith, Katie

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two forms of video modeling: video modeling that includes narration (VMN) and video models without narration (VM) on skill acquisition of four adolescent boys with a primary diagnosis of autism enrolled in an Extended School Year (ESY) summer program. An adapted alternating treatment design…

The Effects of Intertrial Interval and Instructional Format on Skill Acquisition and Maintenance for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cariveau, Tom; Kodak, Tiffany; Campbell, Vincent

2016-01-01

We replicated and extended the study by Koegel, Dunlap, and Dyer (1980) by examining the effects of 3 intertrial-interval (ITI) durations on skill acquisition in 2 children with autism spectrum disorders. Specifically, we compared the effect of short (2 s), progressive (2 s to 20 s), and long (20 s) ITIs on participants' mastery of tacts or…

Stress training improves performance during a stressful flight.

PubMed

McClernon, Christopher K; McCauley, Michael E; O'Connor, Paul E; Warm, Joel S

2011-06-01

This study investigated whether stress training introduced during the acquisition of simulator-based flight skills enhances pilot performance during subsequent stressful flight operations in an actual aircraft. Despite knowledge that preconditions to aircraft accidents can be strongly influenced by pilot stress, little is known about the effectiveness of stress training and how it transfers to operational flight settings. For this study, 30 participants with no flying experience were assigned at random to a stress-trained treatment group or a control group. Stress training consisted of systematic pairing of skill acquisition in a flight simulator with stress coping mechanisms in the presence of a cold pressor. Control participants received identical flight skill acquisition training but without stress training. Participants then performed a stressful flying task in a Piper Archer aircraft. Stress-trained research participants flew the aircraft more smoothly, as recorded by aircraft telemetry data, and generally better, as recorded by flight instructor evaluations, than did control participants. Introducing stress coping mechanisms during flight training improved performance in a stressful flying task. The results of this study indicate that stress training during the acquisition of flight skills may serve to enhance pilot performance in stressful operational flight and, therefore, might mitigate the contribution of pilot stress to aircraft mishaps.

Targeting Alertness to Improve Cognition in Older Adults: A Preliminary Report of Benefits in Executive Function and Skill Acquisition

PubMed Central

Van Vleet, Thomas M.; DeGutis, Joseph M.; Merzenich, Michael M.; Simpson, Gregory V.; Zomet, Ativ; Dabit, Sawsan

2016-01-01

Efficient self-regulation of alertness declines with age exacerbating normal declines in performance across multiple cognitive domains, including learning and skill acquisition. Previous cognitive intervention studies have shown that it is possible to enhance alertness in patients with acquired brain injury and marked attention impairments, and that this benefit generalizes to improvements in more global cognitive functions. In the current preliminary studies, we sought to test whether this approach, that targets both tonic (over a period of minutes) and phasic (moment-to-moment) alertness, can improve key executive functioning declines in older adults, and enhance the rate of skill acquisition. The results of both experiments 1 and 2 demonstrate that, compared to active control training, alertness training significantly enhanced performance in several validated executive function measures. In experiment 2, alertness training significantly improved skill acquisition compared to active control training in a well-characterized speed of processing task, with the largest benefits shown in the most challenging speed of processing blocks. The results of the current study suggest that targeting intrinsic alertness in cognitive training provides a novel approach to improve executive functions in older adults and may be a useful adjunct treatment to enhance benefits gained in other clinically validated treatments. PMID:27372902

Improving the quality of cognitive behaviour therapy case conceptualization: the role of self-practice/self-reflection.

PubMed

Haarhoff, Beverly; Gibson, Kerry; Flett, Ross

2011-05-01

CBT case conceptualization is considered to be a key competency. Prior to the publication in 2009 of Kuyken, Padesky and Dudley's book, little has been documented concerning methods for training conceptualization skills and the conceptualization process is usually perceived as predominantly an intellectual process. In this paper, the Declarative-Procedural-Reflective model of therapist skill acquisition provides a route to understanding how different kinds of knowledge systems can be integrated to enhance therapist skill acquisition. Sixteen recent graduates of a postgraduate diploma in cognitive behaviour therapy worked independently through a self-practice/self-reflection workbook designed to lead them through a series of CBT interventions commonly used to elicit the information required for a CBT conceptualization. The participants' self-reflections were thematically analyzed and uncovered the following inter-related themes: increased theoretical understanding of the CBT model, self-awareness, empathy, conceptualization of the therapeutic relationship, and adaptation of clinical interventions and practice. A tentative conclusion reached, based on the self-reflections of the participants, was that targeted self-practice/self-reflection enhanced case conceptualization skill by consolidating the Declarative, Procedural and Reflective systems important in therapist skill acquisition. © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2011

On Supporting Physical Skill Discovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furukawa, Koichi; Suwa, Masaki; Kato, Takaaki

One of the main difficulties in motor skill acquisition is attributed to body control based on wrong mental models. This is true to various domains such as playing sports and playing musical instruments. In order to acquire adequate motor skill by modifying false belief, we need to help people find appropriate key points in achieving a body control and integrate them. In this paper, we investigate three approaches to realize such support. The first one is to encourage exploration of the relations among key points constituting a motor skill, using a technique of meta-cognitive verbalization. The second one is to represent a motor skill by appropriate mechanical models. The third one is to integrate rules for component tasks in achieving a compound task. These three approaches, we argue, help people build an integrated mental model consisting of multiple relations among various key points, one that seems to be indispensable for acquisition of motor skills. These ideas suggest the possibility to create new skill rules to perform difficult tasks automatically.

48 CFR 801.690-1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Acquisition Continuing Education Program, a program to provide VA's acquisition workforce with classroom knowledge to further develop their acquisition skills. The program supports VA personnel in the GS 1102... Certification (see OFPP Policy Letter 05-01, paragraph 8) means a certification program developed by the Federal...

Child Language Acquisition: Contrasting Theoretical Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ambridge, Ben; Lieven, Elena V. M.

2011-01-01

Is children's language acquisition based on innate linguistic structures or built from cognitive and communicative skills? This book summarises the major theoretical debates in all of the core domains of child language acquisition research (phonology, word-learning, inflectional morphology, syntax and binding) and includes a complete introduction…

48 CFR 217.171 - Multiyear contracts for services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Multiyear contracts for services. 217.171 Section 217.171 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS... instructor skills (e.g., training for pilots and aircrew members or foreign language training); (4) Base...

48 CFR 217.171 - Multiyear contracts for services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Multiyear contracts for services. 217.171 Section 217.171 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS... instructor skills (e.g., training for pilots and aircrew members or foreign language training); (4) Base...

Preparing for the workplace: fostering generic attributes in allied health education programs.

PubMed

Higgs, J; Hunt, A

1999-01-01

Allied health curricula need to extend beyond the learning of discipline-specific skills to encompass broader learning goals. In particular, the acquisition of generic skills is necessary to enable graduates to function more competently and confidently within their rapidly changing work, professional, and societal environments. In health sciences education particularly, the rate of change in practice and education is rapid and unprecedented. If educators focus on components of the curriculum rather than the entire learning experience, they are likely to significantly limit the students' acquisition of such generic skills. To achieve the desired generic skills outcomes, an overarching, integrated, and consistently applied curriculum strategy is advocated. This article considers a number of such strategies relevant to allied health education.

Patients with Parkinson's disease learn to control complex systems-an indication for intact implicit cognitive skill learning.

PubMed

Witt, Karsten; Daniels, Christine; Daniel, Victoria; Schmitt-Eliassen, Julia; Volkmann, Jens; Deuschl, Günther

2006-01-01

Implicit memory and learning mechanisms are composed of multiple processes and systems. Previous studies demonstrated a basal ganglia involvement in purely cognitive tasks that form stimulus response habits by reinforcement learning such as implicit classification learning. We will test the basal ganglia influence on two cognitive implicit tasks previously described by Berry and Broadbent, the sugar production task and the personal interaction task. Furthermore, we will investigate the relationship between certain aspects of an executive dysfunction and implicit learning. To this end, we have tested 22 Parkinsonian patients and 22 age-matched controls on two implicit cognitive tasks, in which participants learned to control a complex system. They interacted with the system by choosing an input value and obtaining an output that was related in a complex manner to the input. The objective was to reach and maintain a specific target value across trials (dynamic system learning). The two tasks followed the same underlying complex rule but had different surface appearances. Subsequently, participants performed an executive test battery including the Stroop test, verbal fluency and the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST). The results demonstrate intact implicit learning in patients, despite an executive dysfunction in the Parkinsonian group. They lead to the conclusion that the basal ganglia system affected in Parkinson's disease does not contribute to the implicit acquisition of a new cognitive skill. Furthermore, the Parkinsonian patients were able to reach a specific goal in an implicit learning context despite impaired goal directed behaviour in the WCST, a classic test of executive functions. These results demonstrate a functional independence of implicit cognitive skill learning and certain aspects of executive functions.

Evaluating STORM skills training for managing people at risk of suicide.

PubMed

Gask, Linda; Dixon, Clare; Morriss, Richard; Appleby, Louis; Green, Gillian

2006-06-01

This paper reports a study evaluating the Skills Training On Risk Management (STORM) training initiative in three mental health services in the North-West of England, UK. Training for health workers has been widely advocated as a key route to suicide prevention. However, reports of evaluations are scarce in the literature. In previous research, we have demonstrated that the STORM intervention results in acquisition of new skills and can be disseminated in a community setting. The training was delivered during a 6-month period in 2002 by three mental health nurses who were seconded part-time to the project. The quantitative evaluation, which assessed change in attitudes, confidence, acquisition of skills and satisfaction, used a pretest/post-test design, with participants acting as their own controls. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 16 participants to explore the impact on clinical practice, and with the three trainers at the end of the study. Data from 458 staff members were collected during a 6-month period. Positive changes in attitudes and confidence were shown, but previous evidence of skill acquisition was not replicated. Qualitative interviews revealed important insights into changes in clinical practice, particularly for less experienced or unqualified nursing staff, but also concerns about the lack of an educational culture to foster and support such interventions in practice within the organizations. STORM training for the assessment and management of suicide risk is both feasible and acceptable in mental health trusts. However, we remain uncertain of its longer-term impact, given the lack of engagement of senior staff in the enterprise and the absence of linked supervision and support from the organizational management to reinforce skill acquisition and development. We consider that regular supervision that links STORM training to actual clinical experience would be the ideal.

Performance Assessment of Counseling Skills Based on Specific Theories: Acquisition, Retention and Transfer to Actual Counseling Sessions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaefle, Scott; Smaby, Marlowe H.; Packman, Jill; Maddux, Cleborne D.

2007-01-01

The purposes of the present study were to determine if (a) students trained to demonstrate specific skills learn these skills and transfer them to actual counseling sessions; (b) mastery of counseling skills differs by students' adherence to one of four general counseling theories; (c) mastery of counseling skills is related to counseling goal…

Social and behavioral skills and the gender gap in early educational achievement.

PubMed

Diprete, Thomas A; Jennings, Jennifer L

2012-01-01

Though many studies have suggested that social and behavioral skills play a central role in gender stratification processes, we know little about the extent to which these skills affect gender gaps in academic achievement. Analyzing data from the Early Child Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort, we demonstrate that social and behavioral skills have substantively important effects on academic outcomes from kindergarten through fifth grade. Gender differences in the acquisition of these skills, moreover, explain a considerable fraction of the gender gap in academic outcomes during early elementary school. Boys get roughly the same academic return to social and behavioral skills as their female peers, but girls begin school with more advanced social and behavioral skills and their skill advantage grows over time. While part of the effect may reflect an evaluation process that rewards students who better conform to school norms, our results imply that the acquisition of social and behavioral skills enhances learning as well. Our results call for a reconsideration of the family and school-level processes that produce gender gaps in social and behavioral skills and the advantages they confer for academic and later success. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The LapSim virtual reality simulator: promising but not yet proven.

PubMed

Fairhurst, Katherine; Strickland, Andrew; Maddern, Guy

2011-02-01

The acquisition of technical skills using surgical simulators is an area of active research and rapidly evolving technology. The LapSim is a virtual reality simulator that currently allows practice of basic laparoscopic skills and some procedures. To date, no reviews have been published with reference to a single virtual reality simulator. A PubMed search was performed using the keyword "LapSim," with further papers identified from the citations of original search articles. Use of the LapSim to develop surgical skills has yielded overall results, although inconsistencies exist. Data regarding the transferability of learned skills to the operative environment are encouraging as is the validation work, particularly the use of a combination of measured parameters to produce an overall comparative performance score. Although the LapSim currently does not have any proven significant advantages over video trainers in terms of basic skills instruction and although the results of validation studies are variable, the potential for such technology to have a huge impact on surgical training is apparent. Work to determine standardized learning curves and proficiency criteria for different levels of trainees is incomplete. Moreover, defining which performance parameters measured by the LapSim accurately determine laparoscopic skill is complex. Further technological advances will undoubtedly improve the efficacy of the LapSim, and the results of large multicenter trials are anticipated.

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Lodging Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

This document of skill standards for the lodging cluster serves as a guide to workforce preparation program providers in defining content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. These 28 occupational skill standards describe what people should know and be able to do in an…

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Greenhouse/Nursery Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

This document of skill standards for the greenhouse/nursery cluster serves as a guide to workforce preparation program providers in defining content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. These 23 occupational skill standards describe what people should know and be able to do in an…

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Landscape Technician Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

This document of skill standards for the landscape technician cluster serves as a guide to workforce preparation program providers in defining content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. These 19 occupational skill standards describe what people should know and be able to do in…

The Effects of Three Styles of Teaching on the Psychomotor Performance and Social Skill Development of Fifth Grade Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldberger, Michael; And Others

1982-01-01

The effectiveness of three teaching styles in promoting motor skill acquisition and social skill development were examined in 96 fifth-grade students. Styles B, C, and E from Mosston's "Spectrum of Teaching Styles" appeared to be beneficial in helping students learn motor skills. (CJ)

Aural Dictation Affects High Achievement in Sight Singing, Performance and Composition Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Melissa

2013-01-01

The nature of skill acquisition has long been of interest to music educators. This study considers the research context for relationships between aural dictation, sight singing, performance and composition skills. Then, relationships between these skill areas are quantitatively investigated using data from the Australian New South Wales Music 2…

Development of Object Permanence in Visually Impaired Infants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, S. J.; Puchalski, C. B.

1988-01-01

Development of object permanence skills was examined longitudinally in 20 visually impaired infants (ages 4-25 months). Order of skill acquisition and span of time required to master skills paralleled that of sighted infants, but the visually impaired subjects were 8-12 months older than sighted counterparts when similar skills were acquired.…

Pattern of Acquisition of ICT-Based Skills by Student-Teachers: Implications for Teacher Education in Nigeria in This Era of Digitalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emesini, Nnenna Orieoma

2015-01-01

The study examined the pattern of acquisition of ICT-based skills by student-teachers and its implications for teacher education in Nigeria in this era of digitalization. The study was a survey research type with two research questions guiding it. The population for the study was 1,570, made up of 3rd and 4th year Faculty of Education students of…

From the big bang to the brain.

PubMed

Boliek, C A; Lohmeier, H

1999-01-01

Current research on the capacities of the infant has lead to a better understanding of developmental processes underlying cognition and motor skill acquisition. ASHA's Eighth Annual Research Symposium on Infant-Toddler Development, in November 1998, included a presentation on developmental cognitive science by Dr. Andrew Meltzoff and a presentation on motor skill acquisition by Dr. Esther Thelen. The theoretical constructs and data presented served to broaden our current perspectives on infant abilities. The data reported by Meltzoff and Thelen challenged several long-standing theories of infant cognition and motor development. Alternative theoretical models were used to describe skill acquisition during the first several years of life. Our response will include a brief summary of each investigator's presentation, discuss their findings with respect to research in the area of infant speech physiology and production, and provide possible future directions and challenges for individuals conducting developmental research.

Music Perception Influences Language Acquisition: Melodic and Rhythmic-Melodic Perception in Children with Specific Language Impairment.

PubMed

Sallat, Stephan; Jentschke, Sebastian

2015-01-01

Language and music share many properties, with a particularly strong overlap for prosody. Prosodic cues are generally regarded as crucial for language acquisition. Previous research has indicated that children with SLI fail to make use of these cues. As processing of prosodic information involves similar skills to those required in music perception, we compared music perception skills (melodic and rhythmic-melodic perception and melody recognition) in a group of children with SLI (N = 29, five-year-olds) to two groups of controls, either of comparable age (N = 39, five-year-olds) or of age closer to the children with SLI in their language skills and about one year younger (N = 13, four-year-olds). Children with SLI performed in most tasks below their age level, closer matching the performance level of younger controls with similar language skills. These data strengthen the view of a strong relation between language acquisition and music processing. This might open a perspective for the possible use of musical material in early diagnosis of SLI and of music in SLI therapy.

Music Perception Influences Language Acquisition: Melodic and Rhythmic-Melodic Perception in Children with Specific Language Impairment

PubMed Central

Sallat, Stephan; Jentschke, Sebastian

2015-01-01

Language and music share many properties, with a particularly strong overlap for prosody. Prosodic cues are generally regarded as crucial for language acquisition. Previous research has indicated that children with SLI fail to make use of these cues. As processing of prosodic information involves similar skills to those required in music perception, we compared music perception skills (melodic and rhythmic-melodic perception and melody recognition) in a group of children with SLI (N = 29, five-year-olds) to two groups of controls, either of comparable age (N = 39, five-year-olds) or of age closer to the children with SLI in their language skills and about one year younger (N = 13, four-year-olds). Children with SLI performed in most tasks below their age level, closer matching the performance level of younger controls with similar language skills. These data strengthen the view of a strong relation between language acquisition and music processing. This might open a perspective for the possible use of musical material in early diagnosis of SLI and of music in SLI therapy. PMID:26508812

Current state of virtual reality simulation in robotic surgery training: a review.

PubMed

Bric, Justin D; Lumbard, Derek C; Frelich, Matthew J; Gould, Jon C

2016-06-01

Worldwide, the annual number of robotic surgical procedures continues to increase. Robotic surgical skills are unique from those used in either open or laparoscopic surgery. The acquisition of a basic robotic surgical skill set may be best accomplished in the simulation laboratory. We sought to review the current literature pertaining to the use of virtual reality (VR) simulation in the acquisition of robotic surgical skills on the da Vinci Surgical System. A PubMed search was conducted between December 2014 and January 2015 utilizing the following keywords: virtual reality, robotic surgery, da Vinci, da Vinci skills simulator, SimSurgery Educational Platform, Mimic dV-Trainer, and Robotic Surgery Simulator. Articles were included if they were published between 2007 and 2015, utilized VR simulation for the da Vinci Surgical System, and utilized a commercially available VR platform. The initial search criteria returned 227 published articles. After all inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, a total of 47 peer-reviewed manuscripts were included in the final review. There are many benefits to utilizing VR simulation for robotic skills acquisition. Four commercially available simulators have been demonstrated to be capable of assessing robotic skill. Three of the four simulators demonstrate the ability of a VR training curriculum to improve basic robotic skills, with proficiency-based training being the most effective training style. The skills obtained on a VR training curriculum are comparable with those obtained on dry laboratory simulation. The future of VR simulation includes utilization in assessment for re-credentialing purposes, advanced procedural-based training, and as a warm-up tool prior to surgery.

Locomotor play drives motor skill acquisition at the expense of growth: A life history trade-off

PubMed Central

Berghänel, Andreas; Schülke, Oliver; Ostner, Julia

2015-01-01

The developmental costs and benefits of early locomotor play are a puzzling topic in biology, psychology, and health sciences. Evolutionary theory predicts that energy-intensive behavior such as play can only evolve if there are considerable benefits. Prominent theories propose that locomotor play is (i) low cost, using surplus energy remaining after growth and maintenance, and (ii) beneficial because it trains motor skills. However, both theories are largely untested. Studying wild Assamese macaques, we combined behavioral observations of locomotor play and motor skill acquisition with quantitative measures of natural food availability and individual growth rates measured noninvasively via photogrammetry. Our results show that investments in locomotor play were indeed beneficial by accelerating motor skill acquisition but carried sizable costs in terms of reduced growth. Even under moderate natural energy restriction, investment in locomotor play accounted for up to 50% of variance in growth, which strongly contradicts the current theory that locomotor play only uses surplus energy remaining after growth and maintenance. Male immatures played more, acquired motor skills faster, and grew less than female immatures, leading to persisting size differences until the age of female maturity. Hence, depending on skill requirements, investment in play can take ontogenetic priority over physical development unconstrained by costs of play with consequences for life history, which strongly highlights the ontogenetic and evolutionary importance of play. PMID:26601237

Locomotor play drives motor skill acquisition at the expense of growth: A life history trade-off.

PubMed

Berghänel, Andreas; Schülke, Oliver; Ostner, Julia

2015-08-01

The developmental costs and benefits of early locomotor play are a puzzling topic in biology, psychology, and health sciences. Evolutionary theory predicts that energy-intensive behavior such as play can only evolve if there are considerable benefits. Prominent theories propose that locomotor play is (i) low cost, using surplus energy remaining after growth and maintenance, and (ii) beneficial because it trains motor skills. However, both theories are largely untested. Studying wild Assamese macaques, we combined behavioral observations of locomotor play and motor skill acquisition with quantitative measures of natural food availability and individual growth rates measured noninvasively via photogrammetry. Our results show that investments in locomotor play were indeed beneficial by accelerating motor skill acquisition but carried sizable costs in terms of reduced growth. Even under moderate natural energy restriction, investment in locomotor play accounted for up to 50% of variance in growth, which strongly contradicts the current theory that locomotor play only uses surplus energy remaining after growth and maintenance. Male immatures played more, acquired motor skills faster, and grew less than female immatures, leading to persisting size differences until the age of female maturity. Hence, depending on skill requirements, investment in play can take ontogenetic priority over physical development unconstrained by costs of play with consequences for life history, which strongly highlights the ontogenetic and evolutionary importance of play.

[A new low-cost webcam-based laparoscopic training model].

PubMed

Langeron, A; Mercier, G; Lima, S; Chauleur, C; Golfier, F; Seffert, P; Chêne, G

2012-01-01

To validate a new laparoscopy home training model (GYN Trainer®) in order to practise and learn basic laparoscopic surgery. Ten junior surgical residents and six experienced operators were timed and assessed during six laparoscopic exercises performed on the home training model. Acquisition of skill was 35%. All the novices significantly improved performance in surgical skills despite an 8% partial loss of acquisition between two training sessions. Qualitative evaluation of the system was good (3.8/5). This low-cost personal laparoscopic model seems to be a useful tool to assist surgical novices in learning basic laparoscopic skills. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Learning with Technology: Video Modeling with Concrete-Representational-Abstract Sequencing for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Yakubova, Gulnoza; Hughes, Elizabeth M; Shinaberry, Megan

2016-07-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a video modeling intervention with concrete-representational-abstract instructional sequence in teaching mathematics concepts to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A multiple baseline across skills design of single-case experimental methodology was used to determine the effectiveness of the intervention on the acquisition and maintenance of addition, subtraction, and number comparison skills for four elementary school students with ASD. Findings supported the effectiveness of the intervention in improving skill acquisition and maintenance at a 3-week follow-up. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Twelve tips for postgraduate or undergraduate medics building a basic microsurgery simulation training course.

PubMed

Mason, Katrina A; Theodorakopoulou, Evgenia; Pafitanis, Georgios; Ghanem, Ali M; Myers, Simon R

2016-09-01

Microsurgery is used in a variety of surgical specialties, including Plastic Surgery, Maxillofacial Surgery, Ophthalmic Surgery, Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery. It is considered one of the most technically challenging fields of surgery. Microsurgical skills demand fine, precise and controlled movements, and microsurgical skill acquisition has a steep initial learning curve. Microsurgical simulation provides a safe environment for skill acquisition before operating clinically. The traditional starting point for anyone wanting to pursue microsurgery is a basic simulation training course. We present twelve tips for postgraduate and undergraduate medics on how to set up and run a basic ex-vivo microsurgery simulation training course suitable for their peers.

Virtual Reality Training System for Anytime/Anywhere Acquisition of Surgical Skills: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Zahiri, Mohsen; Booton, Ryan; Nelson, Carl A; Oleynikov, Dmitry; Siu, Ka-Chun

2018-03-01

This article presents a hardware/software simulation environment suitable for anytime/anywhere surgical skills training. It blends the advantages of physical hardware and task analogs with the flexibility of virtual environments. This is further enhanced by a web-based implementation of training feedback accessible to both trainees and trainers. Our training system provides a self-paced and interactive means to attain proficiency in basic tasks that could potentially be applied across a spectrum of trainees from first responder field medical personnel to physicians. This results in a powerful training tool for surgical skills acquisition relevant to helping injured warfighters.

The Rat Model in Microsurgery Education: Classical Exercises and New Horizons

PubMed Central

Shurey, Sandra; Akelina, Yelena; Legagneux, Josette; Malzone, Gerardo; Jiga, Lucian

2014-01-01

Microsurgery is a precise surgical skill that requires an extensive training period and the supervision of expert instructors. The classical training schemes in microsurgery have started with multiday experimental courses on the rat model. These courses have offered a low threat supervised high fidelity laboratory setting in which students can steadily and rapidly progress. This simulated environment allows students to make and recognise mistakes in microsurgery techniques and thus shifts any related risks of the early training period from the operating room to the lab. To achieve a high level of skill acquisition before beginning clinical practice, students are trained on a comprehensive set of exercises the rat model can uniquely provide, with progressive complexity as competency improves. This paper presents the utility of the classical rat model in three of the earliest microsurgery training centres and the new prospects that this versatile and expansive training model offers. PMID:24883268

Cognitive procedural learning among children and adolescents with or without spastic cerebral palsy: the differential effect of age.

PubMed

Gofer-Levi, M; Silberg, T; Brezner, A; Vakil, E

2014-09-01

Children learn to engage their surroundings skillfully, adopting implicit knowledge of complex regularities and associations. Probabilistic classification learning (PCL) is a type of cognitive procedural learning in which different cues are probabilistically associated with specific outcomes. Little is known about the effects of developmental disorders on cognitive skill acquisition. Twenty-four children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) were compared to 24 typically developing (TD) youth in their ability to learn probabilistic associations. Performance was examined in relation to general cognitive abilities, level of motor impairment and age. Improvement in PCL was observed for all participants, with no relation to IQ. An age effect was found only among TD children. Learning curves of children with CP on a cognitive procedural learning task differ from those of TD peers and do not appear to be age sensitive. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The transitional journey through the graduate year: a focus group study.

PubMed

Newton, Jennifer M; McKenna, Lisa

2007-09-01

Becoming a new graduate nurse is both a complex and stressful transition. Graduates must socialise into the context of nursing practice, become accountable for patient care and ward activities, interact with other health professionals and develop their own clinical expertise. In Australia, many hospitals provide Graduate Year Programmes to assist new graduates to assimilate into their new roles and environments. This paper describes a study that explored how graduate nurses develop their knowledge and skills during their graduate programmes, as well as identifies factors assisting or hindering knowledge and skill acquisition. Employing a qualitative approach, this study used a series of focus groups and anecdotes to collect data from 25 participants recruited from four different hospitals in Victoria, Australia. Focus groups were conducted between 4 and 6 months, 11 and 12 months into, and 4-6 following completion of the graduate programme. Interview transcripts were analysed allowing feedback to be provided to participants. Six themes emerged from the focus groups analysis that described graduates' knowledge and skill acquisition and reflected their development at the different stages. These were: 'gliding through' during undergraduate studies, 'surviving', 'beginning to understand', and 'sheltering under the umbrella' in the first interview, 'knowing how to', and 'we've come a long way' by the end of their programme. The year following graduation is one of immense personal and professional development. Despite nurse education being in tertiary settings for many years, preparation of undergraduate students still appears unable to reduce reality shock and ease transition for graduates into their working lives.

Measuring the Acquisition of Media-Literacy Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hobbs, Renee; Frost, Richard

2003-01-01

Explains that students who participated in a Grade 11 English media/communication course that incorporated extensive critical media analysis were compared with students who received no such instruction. Notes that the students' reading comprehension, writing skills, critical reading, critical listening, and critical viewing skills for nonfiction…

Using constructive alignment theory to develop nursing skills curricula.

PubMed

Joseph, Sundari; Juwah, Charles

2012-01-01

Constructive alignment theory has been used to underpin the development of curricula in higher education for some time (Biggs and Tang, 2007), however, its use to inform and determine skills curricula in nursing is less well documented. This paper explores the use of constructive alignment theory within a study of undergraduate student nurses undertaking clinical skill acquisition in the final year of a BSc (Hons) Nursing course. Students were followed up as newly qualified nurses (NQN) (n = 58) to ascertain the impact of skill acquisition in this way. Comparisons were made with newly qualified nurses who did not participate in a constructively aligned curriculum. This mixed methods study reported skill identification within the immediate post-registration period and evaluated the constructively aligned curriculum as having positive benefits for NQNs in terms of confidence to practice. This was supported by preceptors' views. The study recommends two process models for nursing skills curriculum development and reports that constructive alignment is a useful theoretical framework for nurse educators. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acquisition and improvement of human motor skills: Learning through observation and practice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iba, Wayne

1991-01-01

Skilled movement is an integral part of the human existence. A better understanding of motor skills and their development is a prerequisite to the construction of truly flexible intelligent agents. We present MAEANDER, a computational model of human motor behavior, that uniformly addresses both the acquisition of skills through observation and the improvement of skills through practice. MAEANDER consists of a sensory-effector interface, a memory of movements, and a set of performance and learning mechanisms that let it recognize and generate motor skills. The system initially acquires such skills by observing movements performed by another agent and constructing a concept hierarchy. Given a stored motor skill in memory, MAEANDER will cause an effector to behave appropriately. All learning involves changing the hierarchical memory of skill concepts to more closely correspond to either observed experience or to desired behaviors. We evaluated MAEANDER empirically with respect to how well it acquires and improves both artificial movement types and handwritten script letters from the alphabet. We also evaluate MAEANDER as a psychological model by comparing its behavior to robust phenomena in humans and by considering the richness of the predictions it makes.

Participation and social networks of school-age children with complex communication needs: a descriptive study.

PubMed

Thirumanickam, Abirami; Raghavendra, Parimala; Olsson, Catherine

2011-09-01

Social participation becomes particularly important in middle childhood, as it contributes towards the acquisition and development of critical life skills such as developing friendships and a sense of belonging. However, only limited literature is available on the impact of communication difficulties on social participation in middle childhood. This study compared the participation patterns of school-age children with and without physical disabilities and complex communication needs in extracurricular activities. Participants included five children between 6-9 years of age with moderate-severe physical disability and complex communication needs, and five matched peers. Findings showed that children with physical disability and complex communication needs engaged in activities with reduced variety, lower frequency, fewer partners and in limited venues, but reported higher levels of enjoyment and preference for activity participation, than their matched peers. These children also had fewer same-aged friends, but more paid workers in their social circle. This small-scale descriptive study provides some preliminary evidence about the impact of severe communication difficulties on participation and socialization.

Use of rhythm in acquisition of a computer-generated tracking task.

PubMed

Fulop, A C; Kirby, R H; Coates, G D

1992-08-01

This research assessed whether rhythm aids acquisition of motor skills by providing cues for the timing of those skills. Rhythms were presented to participants visually or visually with auditory cues. It was hypothesized that the auditory cues would facilitate recognition and learning of the rhythms. The three timing principles of rhythms were also explored. It was hypothesized that rhythms that satisfied all three timing principles would be more beneficial in learning a skill than rhythms that did not satisfy the principles. Three groups learned three different rhythms by practicing a tracking task. After training, participants attempted to reproduce the tracks from memory. Results suggest that rhythms do help in learning motor skills but different sets of timing principles explain perception of rhythm in different modalities.

Short-term cognitive behavioral partial hospital treatment: a pilot study.

PubMed

Neuhaus, Edmund C; Christopher, Michael; Jacob, Karen; Guillaumot, Julien; Burns, James P

2007-09-01

Brief, cost-contained, and effective psychiatric treatments benefit patients and public health. This naturalistic pilot study examined the effectiveness of a 2-week, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) oriented partial hospital program. Study participants were 57 patients with mood, anxiety, and/or personality disorders receiving treatment in a private psychiatric partial hospital (PH) setting. A flexible treatment model was used that adapts evidence-based CBT treatment interventions to the PH context with emphases on psychoeducation and skills training. Participants completed self-report measures at admission and after 1 and 2 weeks, to assess stabilization and functional improvements, with added attention to the acquisition of cognitive and behavioral skills. The data were analyzed using repeated measures analyses of variance and correlation. Participants reported a decrease in symptoms and negative thought patterns, improved satisfaction with life, and acquisition and use of cognitive and behavioral skills. Skill acquisition was correlated with symptom reduction, reduced negative thought patterns, and improved satisfaction with life. Results of this pilot study suggest that a 2-week PH program can be effective for a heterogeneous patient population with mood, anxiety, and/or personality disorders. These findings are promising given the prevalence of treatments of such brief duration in private sector PH programs subject to the managed care marketplace. Future studies are planned to test this flexible PH treatment model, with particular attention to the effectiveness of the CBT approach for the treatment of different disorders and to whether effectiveness is sustained at follow-up. Further study should also examine whether skill acquisition is a mechanism of change for symptom reduction and functional improvements.

USMC Contingency Contracting Force: An Analysis of Transient Officers in a Rapidly Changing Acquisition Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

and skills needed to manage the department’s acquisition system” (2008, p. 268). Relating back to the CCF, an overpopulation of lieutenant colonels...an individual task. Officers should subsequently be deployed in real world operations based upon the levels of technical competency they have...therefore, officers that transfer to the ECP need to be engaged in real- world operations as soon as possible to retain the skills obtained during

Appreciative Inquiry and Video Self Modeling Leadership Program: Achieving Skill or Behavior Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bilodeau, Bethany Jewell

2013-01-01

A leadership program was created for students to gain skills and/or change their behavior using Appreciative Inquiry and Video Self Modeling, VSM. In 2011a youth that experiences a disability had been unable to achieve a skill utilizing traditional methods of skill acquisition. He employed the Appreciative Inquiry and VSM leadership program and…

Generalization of Literacy Skills through Portable Technology for Students with Severe Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spooner, Fred; Kemp-Inman, Amy; Ahlgrim-Delzell, Lynn; Wood, Leah; Ley Davis, Luann

2015-01-01

Literacy is an important skill for accessing all academic content areas, and there has been an increased focus on using a variety of assistive technology (AT) to support the acquisition of literacy skills for students with severe disabilities. Literacy also provides these students with skills to increase community participation, with independence,…

Skill Acquisition in Ski Instruction and the Skill Model's Application to Treating Anorexia Nervosa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duesund, Liv; Jespersen, Ejgil

2004-01-01

The Dreyfus skill model has a wide range of applications to various domains, including sport, nursing, engineering, flying, and so forth. In this article, the authors discuss the skill model in connection with two different research projects concerning ski instruction and treating anorexia nervosa. The latter project has been published but not in…

Does Practice Make Perfect? The Relationship Between Self-Reported Treatment Homework Completion and Parental Skill Acquisition and Child Behaviors.

PubMed

Stokes, Jocelyn O; Jent, Jason F; Weinstein, Allison; Davis, Eileen M; Brown, Tasha M; Cruz, Laura; Wavering, Hannah

2016-07-01

The purpose of the current study was to examine whether the rate and type of parent-reported homework completion is associated with parent-report of child behavior outcomes, number of sessions to master parental skills as measured by therapist observation, and length of treatment in Parent-child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Sixty-two parent-child dyads (primary caregiver: Mage=36.35years, female 95.20%, 81.60% White, 59.57% Hispanic; child Mage=4.22years; child gender male 64.50%) who completed PCIT were included in the study. A within-subjects hierarchical regression statistical design was used to examine the impact of parent report of homework completion on treatment processes and outcomes. A higher rate of self-reported homework completion was predictive of parental mastery of skill acquisition in fewer sessions and treatment completion in fewer sessions. Parent report of homework completion rate was not related to changes in child disruptive behavior after controlling for child behavior at baseline. Current study findings reinforce the importance of having parents regularly practice PCIT skills outside of session in order to decrease treatment length and facilitate the acquisition of parenting skills, which may reduce family burdens associated with attending a weekly treatment. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

What surgeons can learn from athletes: mental practice in sports and surgery.

PubMed

Cocks, Margaret; Moulton, Carol-Anne; Luu, Shelly; Cil, Tulin

2014-01-01

Mental practice has been successfully applied in professional sports for skills acquisition and performance enhancement. The goals of this review are to describe the literature on mental practice within sport psychology and surgery and to explore how the specific principles of mental practice can be applied to the improvement of surgical performance-both in novice and expert surgeons. The authors reviewed the sports psychology, education, and surgery literatures through Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase. In sports, mental practice is a valuable tool for optimizing existing motor skill sets once core competencies have been mastered. These techniques have been shown to be more advantageous when used by elite athletes. Within surgery, mental practice studies have focused on skill acquisition among novices with little study of how expert surgeons use it to optimize surgical preparation. We propose that performance optimization and skills acquisition should be viewed as 2 separate domains of mental practice. Further understanding of this phenomenon has implications for changing how we teach and train not only novice surgeons but also how experienced surgeons continue to maintain their skills, acquire new ones, and excel in surgery. Copyright © 2014 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Relative Impact of Sleep and Circadian Drive on Motor Skill Acquisition and Memory Consolidation.

PubMed

Tucker, Matthew A; Morris, Christopher J; Morgan, Alexandra; Yang, Jessica; Myers, Samantha; Pierce, Joanna Garcia; Stickgold, Robert; Scheer, Frank A J L

2017-04-01

Sleep during the biological night facilitates memory consolidation. Here we determined the impact of sleep and wake on motor skill learning (acquisition) and subsequent off-line skill improvement (memory consolidation), independent of circadian phase, and compared this to the impact of the endogenous circadian system, independent of whether sleep occurred during the biological night or day. Participants completed two 8-day sleep laboratory visits, adhering on one visit to a circadian aligned ("normal") sleep schedule for the full duration of the protocol, and on the other to a circadian misaligned (12-hour inverted) schedule, with alignment during the first 3 days, a 12-hour 'slam shift' on Day 4, followed by circadian misalignment during the last 4 days of the protocol. Participants were repeatedly trained and tested on different versions of the finger-tapping motor sequence task across each visit. Sleep facilitated offline memory consolidation regardless of whether it occurred during the biological day or night, while circadian phase had no significant impact. These sleep-related benefits remained after accounting for general motor speed, measured in the absence of learning. In addition, motor skill acquisition was facilitated when the training session followed shortly after sleep, without significant impact of circadian phase (biological morning vs. evening). This effect was largely driven by heightened acquisition in participants who slept during the day and were trained shortly thereafter, that is, when acquisition occurred during the biological evening. These benefits were also retained after controlling for general motor speed. Sleep benefits both the acquisition and consolidation of motor skill regardless of whether they occur during the biological day or night. After controlling for general motor speed, a critical adjustment that few studies perform, these sleep benefits remain intact. Our findings have clear implications for night shift workers who obtain their sleep during the day. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Preschool Life Skills: Recent Advancements and Future Directions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fahmie, Tara A.; Luczynski, Kevin C.

2018-01-01

Over the past decade, researchers have replicated and extended research on the preschool life skills (PLS) program developed by Hanley, Heal, Tiger, and Ingvarsson (2007). This review summarizes recent research with respect to maximizing skill acquisition, improving generality, evaluating feasibility and acceptability, and testing predictions of…

Acquisition of Skill Proficiency Over Multiple Sessions of a Novel Rover Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dean, S. L.; DeDios,Y. E.; MacDougall, H. G.; Moore, S. T.; Wood, S. J.

2011-01-01

Following long-duration exploration transits, adaptive changes in sensorimotor function may impair the crew's ability to safely perform manual control tasks such as operating pressurized rovers. Postflight performance will also be influenced by the level of preflight skill proficiency they have attained. The purpose of this study was to characterize the acquisition of skills in a motion-based rover simulation over multiple sessions, and to investigate the effects of varying the simulation scenarios. METHODS: Twenty healthy subjects were tested in 5 sessions, with 1-3 days between sessions. Each session consisted of a serial presentation of 8 discrete tasks to be completed as quickly and accurately as possible. Each task consisted of 1) perspective-taking, using a map that defined a docking target, 2) navigation toward the target around a Martian outpost, and 3) docking a side hatch of the rover to a visually guided target. The simulator utilized a Stewart-type motion base (CKAS, Australia), single-seat cabin with triple scene projection covering 150 deg horizontal by 50 deg vertical, and joystick controller. Subjects were randomly assigned to a control group (tasks identical in the first 4 sessions) or a varied-practice group. The dependent variables for each task included accuracy toward the target and time to completion. RESULTS: The greatest improvements in time to completion occurred during the docking phase. The varied-practice group showed more improvement in perspective-taking accuracy. Perspective-taking accuracy was also affected by the relative orientation of the rover to the docking target. Skill acquisition was correlated with self-ratings of previous gaming experience. DISCUSSION: Varying task selection and difficulty will optimize the preflight acquisition of skills when performing novel operational tasks. Simulation of operational manual control will provide functionally relevant evidence regarding the impact of sensorimotor adaptation on early surface operations and what countermeasures are needed. Learning Objective: The use of a motion-based simulation to investigate decrements in the proficiency to operate pressurized rovers during early surface operations of space exploration missions, along with the acquisition of skill proficiency needed during the preflight phase of the mission.

Specific Cognitive Antecedents of Structures and Functions Involved in Language Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moerk, Ernst L.

1973-01-01

The antecedents of verbal behavior, together with the teaching skills of the adult linguistic community, probably constitute all the necessary bases for language acquisition. As they seemed to be sufficient for the explanation of all the known phenomena, an assumption of an innate linguistic language acquisition device was rejected as superfluous.…

A Single Bout of Moderate Aerobic Exercise Improves Motor Skill Acquisition.

PubMed

Statton, Matthew A; Encarnacion, Marysol; Celnik, Pablo; Bastian, Amy J

2015-01-01

Long-term exercise is associated with improved performance on a variety of cognitive tasks including attention, executive function, and long-term memory. Remarkably, recent studies have shown that even a single bout of aerobic exercise can lead to immediate improvements in declarative learning and memory, but less is known about the effect of exercise on motor learning. Here we sought to determine the effect of a single bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on motor skill learning. In experiment 1, we investigated the effect of moderate aerobic exercise on motor acquisition. 24 young, healthy adults performed a motor learning task either immediately after 30 minutes of moderate intensity running, after running followed by a long rest period, or after slow walking. Motor skill was assessed via a speed-accuracy tradeoff function to determine how exercise might differentially affect two distinct components of motor learning performance: movement speed and accuracy. In experiment 2, we investigated both acquisition and retention of motor skill across multiple days of training. 20 additional participants performed either a bout of running or slow walking immediately before motor learning on three consecutive days, and only motor learning (no exercise) on a fourth day. We found that moderate intensity running led to an immediate improvement in motor acquisition for both a single session and on multiple sessions across subsequent days, but had no effect on between-day retention. This effect was driven by improved movement accuracy, as opposed to speed. However, the benefit of exercise was dependent upon motor learning occurring immediately after exercise-resting for a period of one hour after exercise diminished the effect. These results demonstrate that moderate intensity exercise can prime the nervous system for the acquisition of new motor skills, and suggest that similar exercise protocols may be effective in improving the outcomes of movement rehabilitation programs.

A Single Bout of Moderate Aerobic Exercise Improves Motor Skill Acquisition

PubMed Central

Statton, Matthew A.; Encarnacion, Marysol; Celnik, Pablo; Bastian, Amy J.

2015-01-01

Long-term exercise is associated with improved performance on a variety of cognitive tasks including attention, executive function, and long-term memory. Remarkably, recent studies have shown that even a single bout of aerobic exercise can lead to immediate improvements in declarative learning and memory, but less is known about the effect of exercise on motor learning. Here we sought to determine the effect of a single bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on motor skill learning. In experiment 1, we investigated the effect of moderate aerobic exercise on motor acquisition. 24 young, healthy adults performed a motor learning task either immediately after 30 minutes of moderate intensity running, after running followed by a long rest period, or after slow walking. Motor skill was assessed via a speed-accuracy tradeoff function to determine how exercise might differentially affect two distinct components of motor learning performance: movement speed and accuracy. In experiment 2, we investigated both acquisition and retention of motor skill across multiple days of training. 20 additional participants performed either a bout of running or slow walking immediately before motor learning on three consecutive days, and only motor learning (no exercise) on a fourth day. We found that moderate intensity running led to an immediate improvement in motor acquisition for both a single session and on multiple sessions across subsequent days, but had no effect on between-day retention. This effect was driven by improved movement accuracy, as opposed to speed. However, the benefit of exercise was dependent upon motor learning occurring immediately after exercise–resting for a period of one hour after exercise diminished the effect. These results demonstrate that moderate intensity exercise can prime the nervous system for the acquisition of new motor skills, and suggest that similar exercise protocols may be effective in improving the outcomes of movement rehabilitation programs. PMID:26506413

Acquisition of a Memory Skill.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-05-01

MONICA, CA 90406 1 Dr. Robert Sternberg 1 Dr. Walt W . Tornow Dept. of Psychology Control Data Corporation Yale University Corporate Personnel Research...AD-AGBV 7514 CARNEGIE-MELLON UNIV PITTSBURGH PA DEPT OF PSYCHOLOGY F/G 5/10 ACQUISITION OF A MEMORY SKILL.(U) MAY 80 W 6 CHASE, K A ERICSSON, S...of Mental Health. We thank J.R. Anderson, M.T.H. Chi, W . Jones, M. W . Schustack, and H.A. Simon for their valuable comments. Avasa Bei On For specia

Ultrasound-based motor control training for the pelvic floor pre- and post-prostatectomy: Scoring reliability and skill acquisition.

PubMed

Doorbar-Baptist, Stuart; Adams, Roger; Rebbeck, Trudy

2017-04-01

This study documents a protocol designed to evaluate pelvic floor motor control in men with prostate cancer. It also aims to evaluate the reliability of therapists in rating motor control of pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) using real time ultrasound imaging (RUSI) video clips. We further determine predictors of acquiring motor control. Ninety-one men diagnosed with prostate cancer attending a physiotherapy clinic for pelvic floor exercises were taught detailed pelvic floor motor control exercises by a physiotherapist using trans-abdominal RUSI for biofeedback. A new protocol to rate motor control skill acquisition was developed. Three independent physiotherapists assessed motor control skill attainment by viewing RUSI videos of the contractions. Inter-rater reliability was evaluated using intra-class correlation coefficients. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors of successful skill attainment. Acquisition of the skill was compared between pre- and post-operative participants using an independent-group t-test. There was good reliability for rating the RUSI video clips (ICC 0.73 (95%CI 0.59-0.82)) for experienced therapists. Having low BMI and being seen pre-operatively predicted motor skill attainment, accounting for 46.3% of the variance. Significantly more patients trained pre-operatively acquired the skill of pelvic floor control compared with patients initially seen post-operatively (OR 11.87, 95%CI 1.4 to 99.5, p = 0.02). A new protocol to evaluate attainment of pelvic floor control in men with prostate cancer can be assessed reliably from RUSI images, and is most effectively delivered pre-operatively.

A systematic review of evidence for education and training interventions in microsurgery.

PubMed

Ghanem, Ali M; Hachach-Haram, Nadine; Leung, Clement Chi Ming; Myers, Simon Richard

2013-07-01

Over the past decade, driven by advances in educational theory and pressures for efficiency in the clinical environment, there has been a shift in surgical education and training towards enhanced simulation training. Microsurgery is a technical skill with a steep competency learning curve on which the clinical outcome greatly depends. This paper investigates the evidence for educational and training interventions of traditional microsurgical skills courses in order to establish the best evidence practice in education and training and curriculum design. A systematic review of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PubMed databases was performed to identify randomized control trials looking at educational and training interventions that objectively improved microsurgical skill acquisition, and these were critically appraised using the BestBETs group methodology. The databases search yielded 1,148, 1,460, and 2,277 citations respectively. These were then further limited to randomized controlled trials from which abstract reviews reduced the number to 5 relevant randomised controlled clinical trials. The best evidence supported a laboratory based low fidelity model microsurgical skills curriculum. There was strong evidence that technical skills acquired on low fidelity models transfers to improved performance on higher fidelity human cadaver models and that self directed practice leads to improved technical performance. Although there is significant paucity in the literature to support current microsurgical education and training practices, simulated training on low fidelity models in microsurgery is an effective intervention that leads to acquisition of transferable skills and improved technical performance. Further research to identify educational interventions associated with accelerated skill acquisition is required.

Assessing Learning with Logo: A Pilot Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horton, Jane; Ryba, Ken

1986-01-01

This study used the Model for Assessing Learning with Logo (Nolan and Ryba) to examine effects of Logo programming on junior high school students' thinking skills. The model addresses both student acquisition of Logo-related thinking skills and the extent to which they transfer skills to noncomputer problem solving tasks. (MBR)

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Information Technology End User Applications Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These skill standards for the information technology end user applications cluster are intended to be a guide to workforce preparation program providers in defining content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. An introduction provides the Illinois perspective; Illinois…

Development of Employable Skills in Vocational Education by the Utilization of Instructional Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owoh, Titus M.

2016-01-01

The acquisition of practical and applied skills as well as the basic scientific knowledge that would facilitate efficient occupational training requires good manipulation of skills oriented instructional facilities in a conducive learning situation. Thus, the provision and effective utilization of functional instructional materials are essential…

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Dental Assistant.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These Illinois skill standards for dental assistant are intended to serve as a guide to workforce preparation program providers as they define content for their programs and to employers as the establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. They could also serve as a mechanism for communication among education, business,…

Constraints of Motor Skill Acquisition: Implications for Teaching and Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Michelle L.; Pankey, Robert; Kinnunen, David

This article presents various solutions to possible problems associated with providing skill-based instruction in physical education. It explores and applies Newell's (1986) constraints model to the analysis and teaching of motor skills in physical education, describing the role of individual, task, and environmental constraints in physical…

European Geography Higher Education Fieldwork and the Skills Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wall, Glenda P.; Speake, Janet

2012-01-01

The Bologna Declaration focuses on skill acquisition as a means of improving student employability and fieldwork is considered to be a pivotal teaching method for geography students to obtain such skills. This paper presents results from a major substantive survey of European geography academics and students which investigated their perspectives…

The Acquisition of Generic Skills of Culturally-Diverse Student Cohorts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keneley, Monica; Jackling, Beverley

2011-01-01

The changing nature of higher education and the structure of graduate labour markets have increased emphasis on employability and graduate outcomes. Universities have responded to this changed environment by embedding generic skills in the curriculum. This paper examines the generic skills that students perceived they acquired in their accounting…

Spectral Bayesian Knowledge Tracing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Falakmasir, Mohammad; Yudelson, Michael; Ritter, Steve; Koedinger, Ken

2015-01-01

Bayesian Knowledge Tracing (BKT) has been in wide use for modeling student skill acquisition in Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS). BKT tracks and updates student's latent mastery of a skill as a probability distribution of a binary variable. BKT does so by accounting for observed student successes in applying the skill correctly, where success is…

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Industrial Maintenance General Maintenance Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These skill standards for the industrial maintenance general maintenance cluster are intended to be a guide to workforce preparation program providers in defining content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. An introduction provides the Illinois perspective; Illinois Occupational…

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Dental Hygienist.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These Illinois skill standards for dental hygienists are intended to serve as a guide to workforce preparation program providers as they define content for their programs and to employers as they establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. They could also serve as a mechanism for communication among education, business,…

Brain-Behavior Relationships in Reading Acquisition Are Modulated by Socioeconomic Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noble, Kimberly G.; Wolmetz, Michael E.; Ochs, Lisa G.; Farah, Martha J.; McCandliss, Bruce D.

2006-01-01

Functional neuroimaging may provide insights into the achievement gap in reading skill commonly observed across socioeconomic status (SES). Brain activation during reading tasks is known to be associated with individual differences in children's phonological language skills. By selecting children of equivalent phonological skill, yet diverse…

Teaching Observational Learning to Children Diagnosed with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacDonald, Jacquelyn

2014-01-01

Observational learning is a critical skill needed for the acquisition of social skills and is likely an important skill for learning within traditional educational settings. Although several varying definitions of observational learning have been posited, for the purpose of the present study, observational learning (OL) was defined as differential…

Increasing Parent Involvement among Head Start Families: A Randomized Control Group Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeLoatche, Kendall Jeffries; Bradley-Klug, Kathy L.; Ogg, Julia; Kromrey, Jeffrey D.; Sundman-Wheat, Ashley N.

2015-01-01

Parent involvement (PI) during preschool has been linked with strong pre-literacy skills, acquisition of mathematical skills, well-developed social skills, and positive attitudes toward school. Parents' active involvement in their children's learning is a recommended strategy in engaging families in children's education experiences. The purpose of…

Whole body heat stress increases motor cortical excitability and skill acquisition in humans

PubMed Central

Littmann, Andrew E.; Shields, Richard K.

2015-01-01

Objective Vigorous systemic exercise stimulates a cascade of molecular and cellular processes that enhance central nervous system (CNS) plasticity and performance. The influence of heat stress on CNS performance and learning is novel. We designed two experiments to determine whether passive heat stress 1) facilitated motor cortex excitability and 2) improved motor task acquisition compared to no heat stress. Methods Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) from the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) were collected before and after 30 minutes of heat stress at 73° C. A second cohort of subjects performed a motor learning task using the FDI either following heat or the no heat condition. Results Heat stress increased heart rate to 65% of age-predicted maximum. After heat, mean resting MEP amplitude increased 48% (P < 0.05). MEP stimulus-response amplitudes did not differ according to stimulus intensity. In the second experiment, heat stress caused a significant decrease in absolute and variable error (p < 0.05) during a novel movement task using the FDI. Conclusions Passive environmental heat stress 1) increases motor cortical excitability, and 2) enhances performance in a motor skill acquisition task. Significance Controlled heat stress may prime the CNS to enhance motor skill acquisition during rehabilitation. PMID:26616546

Trait-based cue Utilization and initial skill acquisition: implications for models of the progression to expertise

PubMed Central

Wiggins, Mark W.; Brouwers, Sue; Davies, Joel; Loveday, Thomas

2014-01-01

The primary aim of this study was to examine the role of cue utilization in the initial acquisition of psycho-motor skills. Two experiments were undertaken, the first of which examined the relationship between cue utilization typologies and levels of accuracy following four simulated, power-off landing trials in a light aircraft simulator. The results indicated that higher levels of cue utilization were associated with a greater level of landing accuracy following training exposure. In the second study, participants’ levels of cue utilization were assessed prior to two 15 min periods during which they practiced take-offs and landings using a simulated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Consistent with Study 1, the outcomes of Study 2 revealed a statistically significant relationship among levels of cue utilization and the number of trials to criterion on the take-off task, and the proportion of successful trials during both take-off and landing. In combination, the results suggest that the capacity for the acquisition and the subsequent utilization of cues is an important predictor of skill acquisition, particularly during the initial stages of the process. The implications for theory and applied practice are discussed. PMID:24917844

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Skill Deficit: The Role of Open Distance Learning (ODL)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Srivastava, Mamta; Jena, S. S.

2015-01-01

Skills acquisition is vital for any economic growth, particularly in an era of economic and technological changes. The need for skill development is a vital challenge, foremost for a developing nation, such as India. Therefore, vocational education and training (VET) is a direct means of providing workers with skills more relevant to their…

Overcoming Hurdles Implementing Multi-skilling Policies

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-26

skilled workforce? Chapter II will communicate important concepts found in the literature on skill proficiency topics. These topics include skill...training methods that might improve learning and retention during the acquisition phase. 10 The active interlock modeling (AIM) protocol is a dyadic ...retention, as found in 43 Chapter 2. These techniques include dyadic training methods, overlearning, feedback, peer support, and managerial support

Implications of Domain-General "Psychological Support Skills" for Transfer of Skill and Acquisition of Expertise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eccles, David W.; Feltovich, Paul J.

2008-01-01

The article proposes that individuals who acquire certain psychological support skills may experience accelerated learning and enhanced performance in many domains. In support of this proposal, we present evidence that these skills enhance learning and performance, that they are domain-general in that they can be applied in a variety of domains,…

Use of the "Intervention Selection Profile-Social Skills" to Identify Social Skill Acquisition Deficits: A Preliminary Validation Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilgus, Stephen P.; von der Embse, Nathaniel P.; Scott, Katherine; Paxton, Sara

2015-01-01

The purpose of this investigation was to develop and initially validate the "Intervention Selection Profile-Social Skills" (ISP-SS), a novel brief social skills assessment method intended for use at Tier 2. Participants included 54 elementary school teachers and their 243 randomly selected students. Teachers rated students on two rating…

Residents' perceived barriers to communication skills learning: comparing two medical working contexts in postgraduate training.

PubMed

van den Eertwegh, Valerie; van Dalen, Jan; van Dulmen, Sandra; van der Vleuten, Cees; Scherpbier, Albert

2014-04-01

Contextual factors are known to influence the acquisition and application of communication skills in clinical settings. Little is known about residents' perceptions of these factors. This article aims to explore residents' perceptions of contextual factors affecting the acquisition and application of communication skills in the medical workplace. We conducted an exploratory study comprising seven focus groups with residents in two different specialities: general practice (n=23) and surgery (n=18). Residents perceive the use of summative assessment checklists that reduce communication skills to behavioural components as impeding the learning of their communication skills. Residents perceive encouragement to deliberately practise in an environment in which the value of communication skills is recognised and support is institutionalised with appropriate feedback from role models as the most important enhancing factors in communication skills learning. To gradually realise a clinical working environment in which the above results are incorporated, we propose to use transformative learning theory to guide further studies. Provided it is used continuously, an approach that combines self-directed learning with observation and discussion of resident-patient consultations seems an effective method for transformative learning of communication skills. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nurse educators' perceptions of critical thinking in developing countries: Ghana as a case study.

PubMed

Boso, Christian Makafui; Gross, Janet J

2015-01-01

The ability to critically evaluate information for the purpose of rendering health care is a prerequisite for modern nurses in a complex and ever-changing health care environment. The nurse educators' perceptions influence the utilization of critical thinking strategies in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to assess nursing faculty's perceptions of critical thinking. Using a questionnaire 106 nurse educators from two types of nursing educational program self-reported their perceptions. Data were collected from November 2013 to March 2014. Results were presented using frequencies, percentages, and t-test. The findings revealed that majority (95.3%) of nurse educators could not provide definitions that captured both affective and cognitive aspects of critical thinking. However, the majority of nurse educators had positive perceptions of critical thinking. Nurse educators in universities had more positive perceptions of critical thinking than those in the nurses' training colleges (P=0.007). The results suggested that the current nursing programs are not preparing nurses with the necessary critical thinking skills for the complex health care environment. Professional development programs in critical thinking should be instituted for nurse educators to assist them in developing appropriate teaching strategies to foster students' acquisition of critical thinking skills.

Skills training versus health education to prevent STDs/HIV in heterosexual women: a randomized controlled trial utilizing biological outcomes.

PubMed

Baker, Sharon A; Beadnell, Blair; Stoner, Susan; Morrison, Diane M; Gordon, Judith; Collier, Cheza; Knox, Kay; Wickizer, Lauren; Stielstra, Sorrel

2003-02-01

We compared the effectiveness of two different 16-session group interventions for reducing new STD infection among heterosexual women. Two hundred twenty-nine at-risk heterosexual women were randomly assigned to skills training (ST) based on the relapse prevention model or health education (HE). Participants were monitored during the year following intervention for STD acquisition, self-reports of sexual behavior, and risk reduction skills. Participants in the ST intervention were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with a STD in the year following intervention and demonstrated superior risk reduction skills at 12-month follow-up. Both conditions showed statistically significant reductions in self reports of risky sexual behavior following intervention and at 12-month follow-up. In this sample, the ST intervention was superior to HE for reducing STD acquisition.

Exploring the use of mobile technologies for the acquisition of clinical skills.

PubMed

Clay, Collette A

2011-08-01

Mobile learning has the potential to supplement information communication technology (ICT), online learning and the traditional teaching and learning methods to educate practitioners in the clinical practice area. Following the development of several Post Graduate modules of learning for the theory and clinical skills required to undertake the Newborn Infant Physical Examination (NIPE), a small research study was undertaken to combine mobile learning and NIPE. The research study explored the hypothesis that mobile devices could be used in pedagogically effective ways to support and enhance the learning and acquisition of clinical skills in the clinical arena. Participants in the study each received a handheld mobile device (iPod) that had been loaded with several Reusable Learning Objects (RLO) outlining each aspect of the physical examination to be performed. At the end of the module (12 weeks in duration), each participant completed an evaluation questionnaire. Participants confirmed that mobile learning afforded flexibility in time and place of learning and captured their interest in the learning material. This study reports that the use of mobile technology for skill acquisition is creative and innovative, placing learning firmly in the hands of the learner. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Infusing Motor Learning Research Into Neurorehabilitation Practice: A Historical Perspective With Case Exemplar From the Accelerated Skill Acquisition Program

PubMed Central

Winstein, Carolee; Lewthwaite, Rebecca; Blanton, Sarah R.; Wolf, Lois B.; Wishart, Laurie

2016-01-01

This special interest article provides a historical framework with a contemporary case example that traces the infusion of the science of motor learning into neurorehabilitation practice. The revolution in neuroscience provided the first evidence for learning-dependent neuroplasticity and presaged the role of motor learning as critical for restorative therapies after stroke. The scientific underpinnings of motor learning have continued to evolve from a dominance of cognitive or information processing perspectives to a blend with neural science and contemporary social-cognitive psychological science. Furthermore, advances in the science of behavior change have contributed insights into influences on sustainable and generalizable gains in motor skills and associated behaviors, including physical activity and other recovery-promoting habits. For neurorehabilitation, these insights have tremendous relevance for the therapist–patient interactions and relationships. We describe a principle-based intervention for neurorehabilitation termed the Accelerated Skill Acquisition Program that we developed. This approach emphasizes integration from a broad set of scientific lines of inquiry including the contemporary fields of motor learning, neuroscience, and the psychological science of behavior change. Three overlapping essential elements—skill acquisition, impairment mitigation, and motivational enhancements—are integrated. PMID:24828523

Neural correlates of skill acquisition: decreased cortical activity during a serial interception sequence learning task.

PubMed

Gobel, Eric W; Parrish, Todd B; Reber, Paul J

2011-10-15

Learning of complex motor skills requires learning of component movements as well as the sequential structure of their order and timing. Using a Serial Interception Sequence Learning (SISL) task, participants learned a sequence of precisely timed interception responses through training with a repeating sequence. Following initial implicit learning of the repeating sequence, functional MRI data were collected during performance of that known sequence and compared with activity evoked during novel sequences of actions, novel timing patterns, or both. Reduced activity was observed during the practiced sequence in a distributed bilateral network including extrastriate occipital, parietal, and premotor cortical regions. These reductions in evoked activity likely reflect improved efficiency in visuospatial processing, spatio-motor integration, motor planning, and motor execution for the trained sequence, which is likely supported by nondeclarative skill learning. In addition, the practiced sequence evoked increased activity in the left ventral striatum and medial prefrontal cortex, while the posterior cingulate was more active during periods of better performance. Many prior studies of perceptual-motor skill learning have found increased activity in motor areas of the frontal cortex (e.g., motor and premotor cortex, SMA) and striatal areas (e.g., the putamen). The change in activity observed here (i.e., decreased activity across a cortical network) may reflect skill learning that is predominantly expressed through more accurate performance rather than decreased reaction time. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neural Correlates of Skill Acquisition: Decreased Cortical Activity During a Serial Interception Sequence Learning Task

PubMed Central

Gobel, Eric W.; Parrish, Todd B.; Reber, Paul J.

2011-01-01

Learning of complex motor skills requires learning of component movements as well as the sequential structure of their order and timing. Using a Serial Interception Sequence Learning (SISL) task, participants learned a sequence of precisely timed interception responses through training with a repeating sequence. Following initial implicit learning of the repeating sequence, functional MRI data were collected during performance of that known sequence and compared with activity evoked during novel sequences of actions, novel timing patterns, or both. Reduced activity was observed during the practiced sequence in a distributed bilateral network including extrastriate occipital, parietal, and premotor cortical regions. These reductions in evoked activity likely reflect improved efficiency in visuospatial processing, spatio-motor integration, motor planning, and motor execution for the trained sequence, which is likely supported by nondeclarative skill learning. In addition, the practiced sequence evoked increased activity in the left ventral striatum and medial prefrontal cortex, while the posterior cingulate was more active during periods of better performance. Many prior studies of perceptual-motor skill learning have found increased activity in motor areas of frontal cortex (e.g., motor and premotor cortex, SMA) and striatal areas (e.g., the putamen). The change in activity observed here (i.e., decreased activity across a cortical network) may reflect skill learning that is predominantly expressed through more accurate performance rather than decreased reaction time. PMID:21771663

Exploring Cross-Linguistic Vocabulary Effects on Brain Structures Using Voxel-Based Morphometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, David W.; Crinion, Jenny; Price, Cathy J.

2007-01-01

Given that there are neural markers for the acquisition of a non-verbal skill, we review evidence of neural markers for the acquisition of vocabulary. Acquiring vocabulary is critical to learning one's native language and to learning other languages. Acquisition requires the ability to link an object concept (meaning) to sound. Is there a region…

Adult Bronchoscopy Training

PubMed Central

Wahidi, Momen M.; Read, Charles A.; Buckley, John D.; Addrizzo-Harris, Doreen J.; Shah, Pallav L.; Herth, Felix J. F.; de Hoyos Parra, Alberto; Ornelas, Joseph; Yarmus, Lonny; Silvestri, Gerard A.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: The determination of competency of trainees in programs performing bronchoscopy is quite variable. Some programs provide didactic lectures with hands-on supervision, other programs incorporate advanced simulation centers, whereas others have a checklist approach. Although no single method has been proven best, the variability alone suggests that outcomes are variable. Program directors and certifying bodies need guidance to create standards for training programs. Little well-developed literature on the topic exists. METHODS: To provide credible and trustworthy guidance, rigorous methodology has been applied to create this bronchoscopy consensus training statement. All panelists were vetted and approved by the CHEST Guidelines Oversight Committee. Each topic group drafted questions in a PICO (population, intervention, comparator, outcome) format. MEDLINE data through PubMed and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched. Manual searches also supplemented the searches. All gathered references were screened for consideration based on inclusion criteria, and all statements were designated as an Ungraded Consensus-Based Statement. RESULTS: We suggest that professional societies move from a volume-based certification system to skill acquisition and knowledge-based competency assessment for trainees. Bronchoscopy training programs should incorporate multiple tools, including simulation. We suggest that ongoing quality and process improvement systems be introduced and that certifying agencies move from a volume-based certification system to skill acquisition and knowledge-based competency assessment for trainees. We also suggest that assessment of skill maintenance and improvement in practice be evaluated regularly with ongoing quality and process improvement systems after initial skill acquisition. CONCLUSIONS: The current methods used for bronchoscopy competency in training programs are variable. We suggest that professional societies and certifying agencies move from a volume- based certification system to a standardized skill acquisition and knowledge-based competency assessment for pulmonary and thoracic surgery trainees. PMID:25674901

Evidence-based dentistry skill acquisition by second-year dental students.

PubMed

Marshall, T A; McKernan, S C; Straub-Morarend, C L; Guzman-Armstrong, S; Marchini, L; Handoo, N Q; Cunningham, M A

2018-05-22

Identification and assessment of Evidence-based dentistry (EBD) outcomes have been elusive. Our objective was to describe EBD skill acquisition during the second (D2) year of pre-doctoral dental education and student competency at the end of the year. The first and fourth (final) curricular-required EBD Exercises (ie, application of the first 4 steps of the 5-Step evidence-based practice process applied to a real or hypothetical situation) completed by D2 students (n = 151) during 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 were evaluated to measure skill acquisition through use of a novel rubric with measures of performance from novice to expert. Exercises were evaluated on the performance for each step, identification of manuscript details and reflective commentary on manuscript components. Changes in performance were evaluated using the chi-square test for trend and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Seventy-eight per cent of students scored competent or higher on the Ask step at the beginning of the D2 year; scores improved with 58% scoring proficient or expert on the fourth Exercise (P < .001). Most students were advanced beginners or higher in the Acquire, Appraise and Apply steps at the beginning of the D2 year, with minimal growth observed during the year. Identification of manuscript details improved between the first and fourth Exercises (P = .015); however, depth of commentary skills did not change. Unlike previous investigations evaluating EBD knowledge or behaviour in a testing situation, we evaluated skill acquisition using applied Exercises. Consistent with their clinical and scientific maturity, D2 students minimally performed as advanced beginners at the end of their D2 year. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A study of the effects of English language proficiency and scientific reasoning skills on the acquisition of science content knowledge of Hispanic English language learners and native English language-speaking students participating in grade 10 science classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres, Hector Neftali, Sr.

2000-11-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of English language proficiency and levels of scientific reasoning skills of Hispanic English language learners and native English language speaking students on their acquisition of science content knowledge as measured by a state-wide standardized science test. The researcher studied a group of high school Hispanic English language learners and native English language speaking students participating in Grade 10 science classes. The language proficiency of the students was to be measured through the use of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) instrument. A Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning developed by Lawson (1978) was administered in either English or Spanish to the group of Hispanic English language learners and in English to the group of native English language-speaking students in order to determine their levels of scientific reasoning skills. The students' acquisition of science content knowledge was measured through the use of statewide-standardized science test developed by the State's Department of Education. This study suggests that the levels of English language proficiency appear to influence the acquisition of science content knowledge of Hispanic English language learners in the study. The results of the study also suggest that with regards to scientific reasoning skills, students that showed high levels or reflective reasoning skills for the most part performed better on the statewide-standardized science test than students with intuitive or transitional reasoning skills. This assertion was supported by the studies conducted by Lawson and his colleagues, which showed that high levels of reasoning or reflective reasoning skills are prerequisite for most high school science courses. The findings in this study imply that high order English language proficiency combined with high levels of reasoning skills enhances students' abilities to learn science content subject matter. This lends support to Cummins' theoretical framework, which indicates that learning science content subject matter requires cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). The study also indicates that CALP maybe the combination of high order English language proficiency and high levels of reasoning skills. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Pairing students in clinical assignments to develop collaboration and communication skills.

PubMed

Bartges, Mali

2012-01-01

Skillful collaboration and communication among healthcare team members are associated with favorable patient outcomes. Student nurses need opportunities for supervised development of these crucial and intertwined skills. The author describes the implementation of a practice-change project for simultaneously developing collaboration and communication skills by pairing prelicensure student nurses in clinical assignments. This easily adapted strategy increases options for faculty looking to stimulate student acquisition of these professional skills.

A decade of imaging surgeons' brain function (part II): A systematic review of applications for technical and nontechnical skills assessment.

PubMed

Modi, Hemel Narendra; Singh, Harsimrat; Yang, Guang-Zhong; Darzi, Ara; Leff, Daniel Richard

2017-11-01

Functional neuroimaging technologies enable assessment of operator brain function and can deepen our understanding of skills learning, ergonomic optima, and cognitive processes in surgeons. Although there has been a critical mass of data detailing surgeons' brain function, this literature has not been reviewed systematically. A systematic search of original neuroimaging studies assessing surgeons' brain function and published up until November 2016 was conducted using Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO databases. Twenty-seven studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, including 3 feasibility studies, 14 studies exploring the neural correlates of technical skill acquisition, and the remainder investigating brain function in the context of intraoperative decision-making (n = 1), neurofeedback training (n = 1), robot-assisted technology (n = 5), and surgical teaching (n = 3). Early stages of learning open surgical tasks (knot-tying) are characterized by prefrontal cortical activation, which subsequently attenuates with deliberate practice. However, with complex laparoscopic skills (intracorporeal suturing), prefrontal cortical engagement requires substantial training, and attenuation occurs over a longer time course, after years of refinement. Neurofeedback and interventions that improve neural efficiency may enhance technical performance and skills learning. Imaging surgeons' brain function has identified neural signatures of expertise that might help inform objective assessment and selection processes. Interventions that improve neural efficiency may target skill-specific brain regions and augment surgical performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Setting Up a Veterinary Medicine Skills Lab in Germany

PubMed Central

Dilly, Marc; Tipold, Andrea; Schaper, Elisabeth; Ehlers, Jan P.

2014-01-01

The amendments introduced to the current Veterinary Licensing Ordinance (TAppV) by the Veterinary Licensing Regulation (TAppO) have brought a high degree of skills orientation to fill the gap between academic study and preparing for a wide range of professional skills. In order to improve the veterinary skills of students while conveying fundamental methods in a structured and reproducible way, the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, has set up the first central veterinary skills lab in Germany. Practical training is provided by means of a three-tier delivery approach. This involves around 40 simulators on an area of approx. 800 m² under the guidance of 6-8 staff members, along with supplementary resources such as posters, text instructions and YouTube videos. Since it opened in March 2013, there have been 769 visits to the skills lab and 30,734 hits on YouTube. Initial results show that the skills lab helps to maintain student motivation by teaching them practical skills at an early stage of the basic study-based acquisition of knowledge, whilst reinforcing skills acquisition per se in competence-based teaching. It enables veterinary students to prepare for their first examinations and treatments of live patients in a manner compliant with animal welfare. PMID:24872855

Attitudes and anxiety levels of medical students towards the acquisition of competencies in communication skills.

PubMed

Loureiro, Elizabete M; Severo, Milton; Bettencourt, Paulo; Ferreira, Maria A

2011-12-01

Results of third year medical students' attitudes and stress levels towards the acquisition of communication skills before and after a Communication and Clinical Skills Course (CCSC) at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP), Portugal, are presented. 115 students attending third-year CCSC completed a demographic questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Communication Skills Attitudes Scale and Interpersonal Behavior Survey. Significant negative correlation was found between anxiety levels and attitudes towards learning communication skills in general as well as the teaching and learning process. At the end of the Course students reported that when compared to the start, their communication skills are less sufficient. At the end of this CCSC at FMUP, students recognized its major importance and how they need to invest and improve communication skills. However, it seems important to monitor the attitudes and anxiety levels of students towards patient care and communication during the medical course and to identify ways of overcoming barriers towards learning communication skills. It is recommended that there should be a complete (transversal and vertical) integration of communication skills, including effective teaching methods, assessments, and examinations in order to be valued by the students. This would necessitate curricular changes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of outcomes of two skills-teaching methods on lay-rescuers' acquisition of infant basic life support skills.

PubMed

Shavit, Itai; Peled, Shuny; Steiner, Ivan P; Harley, Dwight D; Ross, Shelley; Tal-Or, Eran; Lemire, April

2010-09-01

The objective was to determine if lay-rescuers' acquisition of infant basic life support (BLS) skills would be better when skills teaching consisted of videotaping practice and providing feedback on performances, compared to conventional skills-teaching and feedback methods.   This pilot-exploratory, single-blind, prospective, controlled, randomized study was conducted on November 12, 2007, at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. The population under study consisted of all first-year medical students enrolled in the 2007-2008 year. BLS training is part of their mandatory introductory course in emergency medicine. Twenty-three students with previous BLS training were excluded. The remaining 71 were randomized into four and then two groups, with final allocation to an intervention and control group of 18 and 16 students, respectively. All the students participated in infant BLS classroom teaching. Those in the intervention group practiced skills acquisition independently, and four were videotaped while practicing. Tapes were reviewed by the group and feedback was provided. Controls practiced using conventional teaching and feedback methods. After 3 hours, all subjects were videotaped performing an unassisted, lone-rescuer, infant BLS resuscitation scenario. A skills assessment tool was developed. It consisted of 25 checklist items, grouped into four sections: 6 points for "categories" (with specific actions in six categories), 14 points for "scoring" (of accuracy of performance of each action), 4 points for "sequence" (of actions within a category), and 1 point for "order" of resuscitation (complete and well-sequenced categories). Two blinded expert raters were given a workshop on the use of the scoring tool. They further refined it to increase scoring consistency. The main outcome of the study was defined as evidence of better skills acquisition in overall skills in the four sections and in the specific skills sets for actions in any individual category. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics. Means and mean percentages were greater in the intervention group in all four sections compared to controls: categories (5.72 [95.33%] and 4.69 [92.66%]), scoring (10.57 [75.50%] and 7.41 [43.59%]), sequence (2.28 [57.00%] and 1.66 [41.50%]), and order of resuscitation (0.96 [96.00%] and 0.19 [19.00%]). The means and mean percentages of the actions (skill sets) in the intervention group were also larger than those of controls in five out of six categories: assessing responsiveness (1.69 [84.50%] and 1.13 [56.50%]), breathing technique (1.69 [93.00%] and 1.13 [47.20%]), chest compression technique (3.19 [77.50%] and 1.84 [46.00%]), activating emergency medical services (EMS) (3.00 [100.00%] and 2.81 [84.50%]), and resuming cardiopulmonary resuscitation (0.97 [97.00%] and 0.47 [47.00%]). These results demonstrate better performance in the intervention group. The use of videotaped practice and feedback for the acquisition of overall infant BLS skills and of specific skill sets is effective. Observation and participation in the feedback and assessment of nonexperts attempting infant BLS skills appeared to improve the ability of this group of students to perform the task. 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Engineers' professional learning: a practice-theory perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reich, Ann; Rooney, Donna; Gardner, Anne; Willey, Keith; Boud, David; Fitzgerald, Terry

2015-07-01

With the increasing challenges facing professional engineers working in more complex, global and interdisciplinary contexts, different approaches to understanding how engineers practice and learn are necessary. This paper draws on recent research in the social sciences from the field of workplace learning, to suggest that a practice-theory perspective on engineers' professional learning is fruitful. It shifts the focus from the attributes of the individual learner (knowledge, skills and attitudes) to the attributes of the practice (interactions, materiality, opportunities and challenges). Learning is thus more than the technical acquisition and transfer of knowledge, but a complex bundle of activities, that is, social, material, embodied and emerging. The paper is illustrated with examples from a research study of the learning of experienced engineers in the construction industry to demonstrate common practices - site walks and design review meetings - in which learning takes place.

WIRM: An Open Source Toolkit for Building Biomedical Web Applications

PubMed Central

Jakobovits, Rex M.; Rosse, Cornelius; Brinkley, James F.

2002-01-01

This article describes an innovative software toolkit that allows the creation of web applications that facilitate the acquisition, integration, and dissemination of multimedia biomedical data over the web, thereby reducing the cost of knowledge sharing. There is a lack of high-level web application development tools suitable for use by researchers, clinicians, and educators who are not skilled programmers. Our Web Interfacing Repository Manager (WIRM) is a software toolkit that reduces the complexity of building custom biomedical web applications. WIRM’s visual modeling tools enable domain experts to describe the structure of their knowledge, from which WIRM automatically generates full-featured, customizable content management systems. PMID:12386108

Towards Enhancing Written Communication Skills in the Army: Cognitive and Metacognitive Perspective

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-08-01

Din: 2 Technical Report 755 Towards Enhancing Written Communication Skills in the Army: Cognitive and Metacognitive Perspective (v) Linda Baker O...University of Maryland I Technologies for Skill Acquisition and Retention Training Research Laboratory DTICSELECTE JUL 0 8 1988 H U. S. Army Research...Include Security Classification) Towards Enhancing Written Communication Skills in the Army: Cognitive and Metacognitive Perspective 12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(S

The Effects of the System of Least Prompts on Teaching Comprehension Skills during a Shared Story to Students with Significant Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mims, Pamela Joanne

2009-01-01

The development of literacy skills is a crucial skill that all students are entitled to develop (Browder, Gibbs, Ahlgrim-Delzell, Courtade, Mraz, Flowers, in press). Currently limited research has been conducted on the acquisition of early literacy skills for students with significant disabilities (Browder, Mims, Spooner, Ahlgrim-Delzell, & Lee,…

Changes in Striatal Dopamine Release Associated with Human Motor-Skill Acquisition

PubMed Central

Kawashima, Shoji; Ueki, Yoshino; Kato, Takashi; Matsukawa, Noriyuki; Mima, Tatsuya; Hallett, Mark; Ito, Kengo; Ojika, Kosei

2012-01-01

The acquisition of new motor skills is essential throughout daily life and involves the processes of learning new motor sequence and encoding elementary aspects of new movement. Although previous animal studies have suggested a functional importance for striatal dopamine release in the learning of new motor sequence, its role in encoding elementary aspects of new movement has not yet been investigated. To elucidate this, we investigated changes in striatal dopamine levels during initial skill-training (Day 1) compared with acquired conditions (Day 2) using 11C-raclopride positron-emission tomography. Ten volunteers learned to perform brisk contractions using their non-dominant left thumbs with the aid of visual feedback. On Day 1, the mean acceleration of each session was improved through repeated training sessions until performance neared asymptotic levels, while improved motor performance was retained from the beginning on Day 2. The 11C-raclopride binding potential (BP) in the right putamen was reduced during initial skill-training compared with under acquired conditions. Moreover, voxel-wise analysis revealed that 11C-raclopride BP was particularly reduced in the right antero-dorsal to the lateral part of the putamen. Based on findings from previous fMRI studies that show a gradual shift of activation within the striatum during the initial processing of motor learning, striatal dopamine may play a role in the dynamic cortico-striatal activation during encoding of new motor memory in skill acquisition. PMID:22355391

Virtual Reality and Computer-Enhanced Training Devices Equally Improve Laparoscopic Surgical Skill in Novices

PubMed Central

Kanumuri, Prathima; Ganai, Sabha; Wohaibi, Eyad M.; Bush, Ronald W.; Grow, Daniel R.

2008-01-01

Background: The study aim was to compare the effectiveness of virtual reality and computer-enhanced video-scopic training devices for training novice surgeons in complex laparoscopic skills. Methods: Third-year medical students received instruction on laparoscopic intracorporeal suturing and knot tying and then underwent a pretraining assessment of the task using a live porcine model. Students were then randomized to objectives-based training on either the virtual reality (n=8) or computer-enhanced (n=8) training devices for 4 weeks, after which the assessment was repeated. Results: Posttraining performance had improved compared with pretraining performance in both task completion rate (94% versus 18%; P<0.001*) and time [181±58 (SD) versus 292±24*]. Performance of the 2 groups was comparable before and after training. Of the subjects, 88% thought that haptic cues were important in simulators. Both groups agreed that their respective training systems were effective teaching tools, but computer-enhanced device trainees were more likely to rate their training as representative of reality (P<0.01). Conclusions: Training on virtual reality and computer-enhanced devices had equivalent effects on skills improvement in novices. Despite the perception that haptic feedback is important in laparoscopic simulation training, its absence in the virtual reality device did not impede acquisition of skill. PMID:18765042

Internal and External Imagery Effects on Tennis Skills Among Novices.

PubMed

Dana, Amir; Gozalzadeh, Elmira

2017-10-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of internal and external visual imagery perspectives on performance accuracy of open and closed tennis skills (i.e., serve, forehand, and backhand) among novices. Thirty-six young male novices, aged 15-18 years, from a summer tennis program participated. Following initial skill acquisition (12 sessions), baseline assessments of imagery ability and imagery perspective preference were used to assign participants to one of three groups: internal imagery ( n = 12), external imagery ( n = 12), or a no-imagery (mental math exercise) control group ( n = 12). The experimental interventions of 15 minutes of mental imagery (internal or external) or mental math exercises followed by 15 minutes of physical practice were held three times a week for six weeks. The performance accuracy of the groups on the serve, forehand, and backhand strokes was measured at pre- and post-test using videotaping. Results showed significant increases in the performance accuracy of all three tennis strokes in all three groups, but serve accuracy in the internal imagery group and forehand accuracy in the external imagery group showed greater improvements, while backhand accuracy was similarly improved in all three groups. These findings highlight differential efficacy of internal and external visual imagery for performance improvement on complex sport skills in early stage motor learning.

Extrinsic feedback and upper limb motor skill learning in typically-developing children and children with cerebral palsy: Review.

PubMed

Robert, Maxime T; Sambasivan, Krithika; Levin, Mindy F

2017-01-01

Improvment of upper limb motor skills occurs through motor learning that can be enhanced by providing extrinsic feedback. Different types and frequencies of feedback are discussed but specific guidelines for use of feedback for motor learning in typically-developing (TD) children and children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) are not available. Identify the most effective modalities and frequencies of feedback for improving upper limb motor skills in TD children and children with CP. Ovid MEDLINE, Cochrane, PEDro and PubMed-NCBI were searched from 1950 to December 2015 to identify English-language articles addressing the role of extrinsic feedback on upper limb motor learning in TD children and children with CP. Nine studies were selected with a total of 243 TD children and 102 children with CP. Study quality was evaluated using the Downs and Black scale and levels of evidence were determined with Sackett's quality ratings. There was a lack of consistency in the modalities and frequencies of feedback delivery used to improve motor learning in TD children and in children with CP. Moreover, the complexity of the task to be learned influenced the degree of motor learning achieved. A better understanding of the influence of feedback on motor learning is needed to optimize motor skill acquisition in children with CP.

Teaching social perception skills to adolescents with autism and intellectual disabilities using video-based group instruction.

PubMed

Stauch, Tiffany A; Plavnick, Joshua B; Sankar, Sudha; Gallagher, Annie C

2018-05-17

Few interventions focus on teaching social skills to adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID) that are consistently used during interactions with peers ( Carter et al., 2014). The present study evaluated the effects of video-based group instruction (VGI) on the acquisition of social perception skills of five adolescents with ASD or ID in a public school setting. Social perception involves observing affective behaviors of others, discriminating relevant environmental stimuli, and differentially reinforcing the affective behavior of another person. Typically developing peers supported VGI implementation as social partners for participants. A multiple probe design across behaviors demonstrated the effectiveness of VGI for teaching social perception skills. Four of five participants acquired and maintained the targeted social perception skills, and we observed some transfer to a nontreatment setting. Results of this study suggest VGI may support the acquisition of social perception among adolescents with ASD or ID. © 2018 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

The Development of Instruments to Measure Motivational Interviewing Skill Acquisition for School-Based Personnel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Small, Jason W.; Lee, Jon; Frey, Andy J.; Seeley, John R.; Walker, Hill M.

2014-01-01

As specialized instructional support personnel begin learning and using motivational interviewing (MI) techniques in school-based settings, there is growing need for context-specific measures to assess initial MI skill development. In this article, we describe the iterative development and preliminary evaluation of two measures of MI skill adapted…

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Agricultural Laboratory and Field Technician Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These Illinois skill standards for the agricultural laboratory and field technician cluster are intended to serve as a guide to workforce preparation program providers as they define content for their programs and to employers as they establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. They could also serve as a mechanism for…

Learning Road Safety Skills in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Freddy Jackson; Gillard, Duncan

2009-01-01

This case study demonstrates the effectiveness of a classroom based learning programme in the acquisition of road safety skills. The participant, a child with severe learning disabilities, was taught road safety behaviours in the classroom with the aid of photograph cards. When he had mastered these skills in the classroom, he returned to the…

Life Skills in Educational Contexts: Testing the Effects of an Intervention Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomes, A. Rui; Marques, Brazelina

2013-01-01

This study examined the effects of a training programme on students' acquisition of life skills, life satisfaction, life orientation and expectations about academic achievement. Participants were allocated to either an intervention group ("n"?=?41) that took part in a life skills programme, or a control group ("n"?=?43).…

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Accounting Services Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These Illinois skill standards for the accounting services cluster are intended to serve as a guide to workforce preparation program providers as they define content for their programs and to employers as they establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. They could also serve as a mechanism for communication among education,…

Fostering Spatial Skill Acquisition by General Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlisle, Deborah; Tyson, Julian; Nieswandt, Martina

2015-01-01

The study of chemistry requires the understanding and use of spatial relationships, which can be challenging for many students. Prior research has shown that there is a need to develop students' spatial reasoning skills. To that end, this study implemented guided activities designed to strengthen students' spatial skills, with the aim of improving…

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Agricultural Machinery Service Technician.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These Illinois skill standards for agriculture machinery service technician are intended to serve as a guide to workforce preparation program providers as they define content for their programs and to employers as they establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. They could also serve as a mechanism for communication among…

Cooking Skills Instruction with Severely Multiply Handicapped Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horsfall, Debbie; Maggs, Alex

1986-01-01

Examination of the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of three cooking skills by three multiply and severely handicapped blind adolescents revealed that a "whole task" approach was successful in teaching the subjects to boil an egg, grill cheese, and cook a TV dinner. These skills also generalized to other cooking products. (Author/CB)

Gender and Technology in the Liberal Arts: Aptitudes, Attitudes, and Skills Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Terry; Ryan, Peter; Chao, Tracy

2005-01-01

Studies in gender have offered many reasons for the differing attitudes and skill levels that male and female undergraduate students possess when it comes to learning technology skills. Male and female students have differing learning styles influenced by such experiential factors as biology, historical inequalities, inconsistent political rights,…

How to Understand Skill Acquisition in Sport

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moe, Vegard Fusche

2004-01-01

A crucial task for sport research is to understand and explain the processes and conditions underlying skillful motor behavior. One way to account for these processes and conditions is to describe and analyze the distinct stages a learner goes through when acquiring a skill. This article starts by elaborating one of the most dominant…

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Welding Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These Illinois skill standards for the welding cluster are intended to serve as a guide to workforce preparation program providers as they define content for their programs and to employers as they establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. They could also serve as a mechanism for communication among education, business,…

Links between Early Rhythm Skills, Musical Training, and Phonological Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moritz, Catherine; Yampolsky, Sasha; Papadelis, Georgios; Thomson, Jennifer; Wolf, Maryanne

2013-01-01

A small number of studies show that music training is associated with improvements in reading or in its component skills. A central question underlying this present research is whether musical activity can enhance the acquisition of reading skill, potentially before formal reading instruction begins. We explored two dimensions of this question: an…

The Relationship between African Traditional Cosmology and Students' Acquisition of a Science Process Skill.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jegede, Olugbemiro J.; Okebukola, Peter Akinsola

1991-01-01

The supposition that observational skills can be influenced by students' belief in traditional African cosmology, beliefs, and superstitions was investigated. Students with a high level of belief in African traditional cosmology made fewer correct observations on the Traditional Cosmology Test (TCT) and the Test of Observational Skills (TOS) as…

Dynamics of Effective Study. Bulletin 1825.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Louisiana State Dept. of Education, Baton Rouge.

This study skills curriculum addresses the problem of a lack of study skills demonstrated by students in grades 7-10. It focuses on 11 essential knowledge acquisition skills: (1) motivation and ice-breakers; (2) outlining and mapping; (3) time management; (4) PQ5R (Preview, Question, Read, Record, Recite, Review, and Reflect); (5) notetaking; (6)…

Aligning Professional Skills and Active Learning Methods: An Application for Information and Communications Technology Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Llorens, Ariadna; Berbegal-Mirabent, Jasmina; Llinàs-Audet, Xavier

2017-01-01

Engineering education is facing new challenges to effectively provide the appropriate skills to future engineering professionals according to market demands. This study proposes a model based on active learning methods, which is expected to facilitate the acquisition of the professional skills most highly valued in the information and…

Relationship of Preschool Academic Skill Deficits to Subsequent Acquisition of Reading and Mathematic Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrow, Robert D.; McBride, Hugh J.

This article discusses the assessment of language and cognitive development as reflected in preschool activities and describes the Preschool Language-Cognitive Assessment for Curriculum Entry (PLACE). Five task-skill areas associated with common preschool activities (building with blocks, completing puzzles, pounding pegs, etc) are identified. How…

Behavioral Parent Training in Child Welfare: Maintenance and Booster Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Camp, Carole M.; Montgomery, Jan L.; Vollmer, Timothy R.; Kosarek, Judith A.; Happe, Shawn; Burgos, Vanessa; Manzolillo, Anthony

2008-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated the efficacy of a 30-hr behavioral parent training program at increasing skill accuracy. However, it remains unknown whether skills acquisitions are maintained on a long-term basis. Few studies have evaluated the maintenance of skills learned during behavioral parent training for foster parents. The purpose of…

48 CFR 2801.603-1 - Department of Justice Acquisition Career Management Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... employee's skill level to an appropriate level in each area of competence necessary to perform his or her... an appropriate level of skill in all necessary competencies in the field of procurement. In general, a proficiency skill level of 3, as defined in Attachment 1 to Office of Federal Procurement Policy...

Bridging Literacy Acquisition and Self-Regulated Learning: Using a SRL Framework to Support Struggling Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holtzheuser, Sierra; McNamara, John

2014-01-01

Reading is conceptualized as a hierarchy of component skills where lower order emergent literacy skills set the foundation for higher order reading skills such as fluency and comprehension. Approximately 20% of readers struggle within this hierarchical process (Fielding, Kerr, & Rosier, 2007). Struggling readers are susceptible to the Matthew…

Improving Vocabulary Skills through Assistive Technology: Rick's Story

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsey-Glenn, Pam F.; Gentry, James E.

2008-01-01

This case study examines the use of two assistive technologies, the Franklin Language Master 6000b and Microsoft PowerPoint 2003, as visual support systems to aid in the vocabulary acquisition skills of a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The intervention used children's literature and best practices in teaching vocabulary skills in…

Continuities in Reading Acquisition, Reading Skill, and Reading Disability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perfetti, Charles A.

1986-01-01

Learning to read depends on eventual mastery of coding procedures, and even skilled reading depends on coding processes low in cost to processing resources. Reading disability may be understood as a point on an ability continuum or a wide range of coding ability. Instructional goals of word reading skill, including rapid and fluent word…

The Role of Advertising in Adolescent Consumer Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Roy L.; Moschis, George P.

A total of 734 sixth through twelfth grade students completed two questionnaires in a study that focused on the development of consumer skills, the sources of consumer skill acquisition, the effects of cognitive development and social factors on the socialization processes, and the effects of levels of competency on various consumer skills. A…

Age of acquisition in sport: starting early matters.

PubMed

Hernandez, Arturo E; Mattarella-Micke, Andrew; Redding, Richard W T; Woods, Elizabeth A; Beilock, Sian

2011-01-01

Although the age at which a skill is learned (age of acquisition [AoA]) is one of the most studied predictors of success in domains ranging from language to music, very little work has focused on this factor in sports. In order to uncover how the age at which a skill is learned relates to how athletes cognitively represent that skill, we asked a group of skilled golfers who learned to play golf before (early learners) or after (late learners) the age of 10 to take a series of putts on an indoor putting green. Golfers putted in isolation (single-task condition), while monitoring a stream of words presented over a loudspeaker (dual-task condition), or while being instructed to attend to specific aspects of their golf swing (skill-focused condition). Early and late learners putted equally well in the single-task and dual-task conditions. However, in the skill-focused condition, golfers who learned earlier performed worse than those who learned later. The results are consistent with the notion that AoA influences the manner in which sports, like other domains such as language and music, are represented in memory.

Decision-making skills and deliberate practice in elite association football referees.

PubMed

MacMahon, Clare; Helsen, Werner F; Starkes, Janet L; Weston, Matthew

2007-01-01

We examined sport expertise as a function of role. In study 1, referees were better than players in a video-based decision-making task. This provides evidence that there are role-specific skills within one domain or sport. In study 2, we examined the training activities that could be influential in the development of skills in sports officials. Elite association football (soccer) referees retrospectively reported time spent in and perceptions of training activities for three periods: their first year of formal refereeing, 1998 (before formal training programmes were available), and the current year (2003). This allowed us to examine an area of skill with a limited culture of practice, where performance simulations with direct feedback are usually not feasible. The results showed that referees specialize early and, as they develop, they engage in greater volumes and types of training. Competitive match refereeing is considered a relevant activity for skill acquisition that does not fit Ericsson and colleagues' (1993) original definition of deliberate practice. Our findings indicate that actual performance is a significant activity for skill acquisition and refinement.

A set of vertically integrated inquiry-based practical curricula that develop scientific thinking skills for large cohorts of undergraduate students.

PubMed

Zimbardi, Kirsten; Bugarcic, Andrea; Colthorpe, Kay; Good, Jonathan P; Lluka, Lesley J

2013-12-01

Science graduates require critical thinking skills to deal with the complex problems they will face in their 21st century workplaces. Inquiry-based curricula can provide students with the opportunities to develop such critical thinking skills; however, evidence suggests that an inappropriate level of autonomy provided to underprepared students may not only be daunting to students but also detrimental to their learning. After a major review of the Bachelor of Science, we developed, implemented, and evaluated a series of three vertically integrated courses with inquiry-style laboratory practicals for early-stage undergraduate students in biomedical science. These practical curricula were designed so that students would work with increasing autonomy and ownership of their research projects to develop increasingly advanced scientific thinking and communication skills. Students undertaking the first iteration of these three vertically integrated courses reported learning gains in course content as well as skills in scientific writing, hypothesis construction, experimental design, data analysis, and interpreting results. Students also demonstrated increasing skills in both hypothesis formulation and communication of findings as a result of participating in the inquiry-based curricula and completing the associated practical assessment tasks. Here, we report the specific aspects of the curricula that students reported as having the greatest impact on their learning and the particular elements of hypothesis formulation and communication of findings that were more challenging for students to master. These findings provide important implications for science educators concerned with designing curricula to promote scientific thinking and communication skills alongside content acquisition.

Ovide Decroly's Views on Language Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lebrun, Yvan; Van De Craen, Piet

1975-01-01

Belgian physician and psychologist Ovide Decroly, keenly interested in language acquisition, devised tests to measure verbal skills in children and campaigned for the adoption of the sentence method rather than the word-building method in teaching reading and writing. (Author/CL)

[Research competencies in nursing specialties].

PubMed

Oltra-Rodríguez, Enrique; Rich-Ruiz, Manuel; Orts-Cortés, María Isabel; Sánchez-López, Dolores; González-Carrión, Pilar

2013-01-01

Since nursing became an university degree in 1977, there have been several regulations to develop specialties, all of them agreeing on the need to include skills in research. Indeed, the relevance of acquiring these skills in all current disciplines has led to Royal Decree 99/2011, which regulates the official PhD courses, and recognises specialist nurses as qualified to access PhD studies. Nowadays, students from six of the seven specialties included in the Royal Decree 450/2005 on nursing specialties, are performing their training. The acquisition of research skills is seen as an opportunity and a challenge. However, the organizational structure of training facilities (multiprofessional teaching units) and the incorporation of nurses as clinical tutors, who initiated this teaching activity, deserve special attention to ensure the correct acquisition of research skills in the training of specialist nurses. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Learning versus correct models: influence of model type on the learning of a free-weight squat lift.

PubMed

McCullagh, P; Meyer, K N

1997-03-01

It has been assumed that demonstrating the correct movement is the best way to impart task-relevant information. However, empirical verification with simple laboratory skills has shown that using a learning model (showing an individual in the process of acquiring the skill to be learned) may accelerate skill acquisition and increase retention more than using a correct model. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of viewing correct versus learning models on the acquisition of a sport skill (free-weight squat lift). Forty female participants were assigned to four learning conditions: physical practice receiving feedback, learning model with model feedback, correct model with model feedback, and learning model without model feedback. Results indicated that viewing either a correct or learning model was equally effective in learning correct form in the squat lift.

Developing technical expertise in emergency medicine--the role of simulation in procedural skill acquisition.

PubMed

Wang, Ernest E; Quinones, Joshua; Fitch, Michael T; Dooley-Hash, Suzanne; Griswold-Theodorson, Sharon; Medzon, Ron; Korley, Frederick; Laack, Torrey; Robinett, Adam; Clay, Lamont

2008-11-01

Developing technical expertise in medical procedures is an integral component of emergency medicine (EM) practice and training. This article is the work of an expert panel composed of members from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Interest Group, the SAEM Technology in Medical Education Committee, and opinions derived from the May 2008 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference, "The Science of Simulation in Healthcare." The writing group reviewed the simulation literature on procedures germane to EM training, virtual reality training, and instructional learning theory as it pertains to skill acquisition and procedural skills decay. The authors discuss the role of simulation in teaching technical expertise, identify training conditions that lead to effective learning, and provide recommendations for future foci of research.

Exploring visual-graphic symbol acquisition by pre-school age children with developmental and language delays.

PubMed

Barton, Andrea; Sevcik, Rose A; Romski, Mary Ann

2006-03-01

The process of language acquisition requires an individual to organize the world through a system of symbols and referents. For children with severe intellectual disabilities and language delays, the ability to link a symbol to its referent may be a difficult task. In addition to the intervention strategy, issues such as the visual complexity and iconicity of a symbol arise when deciding what to select as a medium to teach language. This study explored the ability of four pre-school age children with developmental and language delays to acquire the meanings of Blissymbols and lexigrams using an observational experiential language intervention. In production, all four of the participants demonstrated symbol-referent relationships, while in comprehension, three of the four participants demonstrated at least emerging symbol-referent relationships. Although the number of symbols learned across participants varied, there were no differences between the learning of arbitrary and comparatively iconic symbols. The participants' comprehension skills appeared to influence their performance.

Estimating Manpower, Personnel, and Training Requirements Early in the Weapon System Acquisition Process: An Application of the HARDMAN Methodology to the Army’s Division Support Weapon System

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-02-01

identifies the supply of personnel and training resources that can be expected at critical dates in the conceptual weapon system’s acquisition schedule...impact analysis matches demand to supply and identifies shortfalls in skills, new skill requirements, and high resource drivers. The tradeoff analysis...system. Step 5 - Conduct Impact Analysis The Impact Analysis determines the Army’s supply of those personnel and training resources required by the

The effects of outcome and process feedback

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Debra Steele

1990-01-01

A study was conducted to examine the effects of process and outcome feedback on performance during a skill acquisition phase and a transfer test phase. The research also examined the role of two moderators: self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. Subjects were college students participating for course credit. The task involved using a computerized simulation of the Space Shuttle's Remote Manipulation System (RMS). Results provided evidence of the beneficial effects of process feedback during skill acquisition. Results also provided evidence that self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation moderate the effects of feedback type on performance.

Evaluating the influence of goal setting on intravenous catheterization skill acquisition and transfer in a hybrid simulation training context.

PubMed

Brydges, Ryan; Mallette, Claire; Pollex, Heather; Carnahan, Heather; Dubrowski, Adam

2012-08-01

Educators often simplify complex tasks by setting learning objectives that focus trainees on isolated skills rather than the holistic task. We designed 2 sets of learning objectives for intravenous catheterization using goal setting theory. We hypothesized that setting holistic goals related to technical, cognitive, and communication skills would result in superior holistic performance, whereas setting isolated goals related to technical skills would result in superior technical performance. We randomly assigned practicing health care professionals to set holistic (n = 14) or isolated (n = 15) goals. All watched an instructional video and studied a list of 9 goals specific to their group. Participants practiced independently in a hybrid simulation (standardized patient combined with an arm simulator). The first and the last practice trials were videotaped for analysis. One-week later, participants completed a transfer test in another hybrid simulation scenario. Blinded experts evaluated performance on all 3 trials using the Direct Observation of Procedural Skills tool. The holistic group scored higher than the isolated group on the holistic Direct Observation of Procedural Skills score for all 3 trials [mean (SD), 45.0 (9.16) vs. 38.4 (9.17); P = 0.01]. The isolated group did not perform better than the holistic group on the technical skills score [10.3 (2.73) vs. 11.6 (3.01); P = 0.11]. Our results suggest that asking learners to set holistic goals did not interfere with their attaining competent holistic and technical skills during hybrid simulation training. This exploratory trial provides preliminary evidence for how to consider integrating hybrid simulation into medical curricula and for the design of learning goals in simulation-based education.

Family Generated and Delivered Social Story Intervention: Acquisition, Maintenance, and Generalization of Social Skills in Youths with ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olcay-Gül, Seray; Tekin-Iftar, Elif

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether (a) family members were able to learn to write a social story and deliver social story intervention to teach social skills to their children (age 12 to 16) with ASD, (b) youths with ASD acquired and maintained the targeted social skills and generalized these skills across novel situations. Multiple…

Access to the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics through Early Numeracy Skill Building for Students with Significant Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimenez, Bree A.; Staples, Kelli

2015-01-01

This study investigated the effect of systematic early numeracy skill instruction on grade-aligned 4th and 5th grade Common Core math skill acquisition for three 4th and 5th grade students with a significant intellectual disability. Students were taught early numeracy skills (e.g., number identification, making sets to five items, simple addition)…

Word reading skill predicts anticipation of upcoming spoken language input: a study of children developing proficiency in reading.

PubMed

Mani, Nivedita; Huettig, Falk

2014-10-01

Despite the efficiency with which language users typically process spoken language, a growing body of research finds substantial individual differences in both the speed and accuracy of spoken language processing potentially attributable to participants' literacy skills. Against this background, the current study took a look at the role of word reading skill in listeners' anticipation of upcoming spoken language input in children at the cusp of learning to read; if reading skills affect predictive language processing, then children at this stage of literacy acquisition should be most susceptible to the effects of reading skills on spoken language processing. We tested 8-year-olds on their prediction of upcoming spoken language input in an eye-tracking task. Although children, like in previous studies to date, were successfully able to anticipate upcoming spoken language input, there was a strong positive correlation between children's word reading skills (but not their pseudo-word reading and meta-phonological awareness or their spoken word recognition skills) and their prediction skills. We suggest that these findings are most compatible with the notion that the process of learning orthographic representations during reading acquisition sharpens pre-existing lexical representations, which in turn also supports anticipation of upcoming spoken words. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Teaching Skill Acquisition and Development in Dental Education.

PubMed

Lyon, Lucinda J; Hoover, Terry E; Giusti, Lola; Booth, Mark T; Mahdavi, Elham

2016-08-01

Development of dental faculty members is paramount to providing outstanding education and role modeling for students. With the large number of second career educators in dental schools, an efficient method of acquiring teaching skills is important for new faculty members. Knowing the skill progression and learning experiences identified by dental educators of varying rank may lead to more efficient, effective faculty development. The aims of this study were to identify the perceptions of a group of faculty members about the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and learning experiences that contribute to developing teaching expertise and to compare and contrast the perceptions of new and more senior faculty members on these subjects. The Dreyfus skill acquisition continuum of novice to expert performance was used as a construct reference. The study used a mixed-methods approach in which qualitative and quantitative data were collected concurrently in an electronic survey of faculty members at one U.S. dental school. Of the 492 total faculty members, 80 survey responses were received, for a 16% response rate. Open coding and analysis of responses revealed some common themes. Building rich content knowledge and learning varied methodologies for teaching and assessment, supported by an awareness of peer role models, were perceived to be features of early growth. Content prioritization, clarity, and customization appropriate for the learner characterized mid growth. As theorized in the Dreyfus model, more experienced faculty members described a fluid, less structured teaching process, increased reflection, and appreciation of the strength of the educational community. The results of this study may help increase dental educators' understanding of teaching skill acquisition and inform faculty development and support.

Reading skills in young adolescents with a history of Specific Language Impairment: The role of early semantic capacity.

PubMed

Buil-Legaz, Lucía; Aguilar-Mediavilla, Eva; Rodríguez-Ferreiro, Javier

2015-01-01

This study assessed the reading skills of 19 Spanish-Catalan children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and 16 age-matched control children. Children with SLI have difficulties with oral language comprehension, which may affect later reading acquisition. We conducted a longitudinal study examining reading acquisition in these children between 8 and 12 years old and we relate this data with early oral language acquisition at 6 years old. Compared to the control group, the SLI group presented impaired decoding and comprehension skills at age 8, as evidenced by poor scores in all the assessed tasks. Nevertheless, only text comprehension abilities appeared to be impaired at age 12. Individual analyses confirmed the presence of comprehension deficits in most of the SLI children. Furthermore, early semantic verbal fluency at age 6 appeared to significantly predict the reading comprehension capacity of SLI participants at age 12. Our results emphasize the importance of semantic capacity at early stages of oral language development over the consolidation of reading acquisition at later stages. Readers will recognize the relevance of prior oral language impairment, especially semantic capacity, in children with a history of SLI as a risk factor for the development of later reading difficulties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Whole body heat stress increases motor cortical excitability and skill acquisition in humans.

PubMed

Littmann, Andrew E; Shields, Richard K

2016-02-01

Vigorous systemic exercise stimulates a cascade of molecular and cellular processes that enhance central nervous system (CNS) plasticity and performance. The influence of heat stress on CNS performance and learning is novel. We designed two experiments to determine whether passive heat stress (1) facilitated motor cortex excitability and (2) improved motor task acquisition compared to no heat stress. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) from the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) were collected before and after 30 min of heat stress at 73 °C. A second cohort of subjects performed a motor learning task using the FDI either following heat or the no heat condition. Heat stress increased heart rate to 65% of age-predicted maximum. After heat, mean resting MEP amplitude increased 48% (p<0.05). MEP stimulus-response amplitudes did not differ according to stimulus intensity. In the second experiment, heat stress caused a significant decrease in absolute and variable error (p<0.05) during a novel movement task using the FDI. Passive environmental heat stress (1) increases motor cortical excitability, and (2) enhances performance in a motor skill acquisition task. Controlled heat stress may prime the CNS to enhance motor skill acquisition during rehabilitation. Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sharp Focus on Soft Skills: A Case Study of Malaysian University Students' Educational Expectations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikitina, Larisa; Furuoka, Fumitaka

2012-01-01

In 2006, the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, recommended that all public institutions of higher learning in the country incorporate soft skills formation into their curricula. This qualitative study aimed to explore Malaysian students' expectations of university education with a special focus on the acquisition of soft skills and to…

"No One Ever Showed Me Nothing": Skill and Self-Making among Trinidadian Garment Workers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prentice, Rebecca

2012-01-01

This article examines the relationship between skill acquisition and the constitution of economic selfhood in Trinidad. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork among garment workers in a context of industrial decline, I show how their formal, informal, and illicit means of acquiring sewing skills are inextricably linked to the fragmented and unstable…

CALL--Enhanced L2 Listening Skills--Aiming for Automatization in a Multimedia Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayor, Maria Jesus Blasco

2009-01-01

Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and L2 listening comprehension skill training are bound together for good. A neglected macroskill for decades, developing listening comprehension skill is now considered crucial for L2 acquisition. Thus this paper makes an attempt to offer latest information on processing theories and L2 listening…

George W. Wingate High School Multilingual Survival Skills Program, 1985-1986. OEA Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn. Office of Educational Assessment.

The Multilingual Survival Skills Program, in its final year of a three-year funding cycle, provided instructional and support services to 350 Haitian and Hispanic students of limited English proficiency (LEP) at George Wingate High School (Brooklyn, New York). The program emphasized the acquisition of English language skills, using students'…

Divergent Development of Gross Motor Skills in Children Who Are Blind or Sighted

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brambring, Michael

2006-01-01

This empirical study compared the average ages at which four congenitally blind children acquired 29 gross motor skills with age norms for sighted children. The results indicated distinct developmental delays in the acquisition of motor skills and a high degree of variability in developmental delays within and across the six subdomains that were…

South Bronx High School. Bilingual Basic Skills Program. O.E.E. Evaluation Report, 1981-1982.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collazo-Levy, Dora; And Others

To expedite acquisition of English language skills needed for full mainstreaming, the Bilingual Basic Skills Program at South Bronx High School in New York City provided instruction in English as a second language and native language arts, and bilingual mathematics, science, and social studies for 370 Spanish speaking students of limited English…

Computer Assisted Instruction to Teach Item Selection in Grocery Stores: An Assessment of Acquisition and Generalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutcherson, Karen; Langone, John; Ayres, Kevin; Clees, Tom

2004-01-01

One principle of applied research is to design intervention programs targeted to teach useful skills to the participants (Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968), while structuring the program to promote generalization of the skills to the natural environment (Stokes & Baer, 1977). Proficiency in community skills (e.g., community navigation and…

Teaching the Dance Class: Strategies to Enhance Skill Acquisition, Mastery and Positive Self-Image

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mainwaring, Lynda M.; Krasnow, Donna H.

2010-01-01

Effective teaching of dance skills is informed by a variety of theoretical frameworks and individual teaching and learning styles. The purpose of this paper is to present practical teaching strategies that enhance the mastery of skills and promote self-esteem, self-efficacy, and positive self-image. The predominant thinking and primary research…

The Effectiveness of Using Virtual Laboratories to Teach Computer Networking Skills in Zambia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lampi, Evans

2013-01-01

The effectiveness of using virtual labs to train students in computer networking skills, when real equipment is limited or unavailable, is uncertain. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using virtual labs to train students in the acquisition of computer network configuration and troubleshooting skills. The study was…

Using Simultaneous Prompting to Teach Independent Living and Leisure Skills to Adults with Severe Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dollar, Chad A.; Fredrick, Laura D.; Alberto, Paul A.; Luke, Jaye K.

2012-01-01

The acquisition of independent living and leisure skills enables adults to experience an enhanced quality of life by increasing competence, self-reliance, and the development of autonomy. This study examined the effectiveness of simultaneous prompting to teach behavior chains (i.e., independent living and leisure skills) to adults with SID…

Social Skills and Social Values Training for Future K-Workers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sail, Rahim M.; Alavi, Khadijah

2010-01-01

Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to determine the extent of acquisition of knowledge on social skills and social values by trainers of institutes and coaches of industries in training of trainers (ToT) programmes. It has been ascertained that social skills and social values can and must be taught to apprentices to enhance their…

Divergent Development of Verbal Skills in Children Who Are Blind or Sighted

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 2007

2007-01-01

This empirical study compared the average ages at which four children with congenital blindness acquired 29 verbal skills with given age norms for sighted children. The results indicated only small developmental delays in the acquisition of verbal skills in the four children, but a high degree of variability in developmental delays within and…

The Relationship between African Traditional Cosmology and Students' Acquisition of a Science Process Skill.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jegede, Olugbemiro J.; Okebukola, Peter Akinsola

This study investigated the influence of students' belief in traditional African cosmology, beliefs, and superstitions on observation skills. Data was collected from 319 science students with a mean age of 16.9 years from one Nigerian University. Instruments used were the Traditional Cosmology Test and the Test of Observational Skills. The results…

Transfer of Life Skills in Sport-Based Youth Development Programs: A Conceptual Framework Bridging Learning to Application

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, Jennifer M.; Wright, Paul M.

2018-01-01

Research has demonstrated that many quality sport-based youth development programs promote life skill acquisition (e.g., leadership, self-control) with the ultimate goal of facilitating positive outcomes in youth participants' social and academic environments. Researchers call this "transfer of life skills" (i.e., the idea that physical,…

Divergent Development of Manual Skills in Children Who Are Blind or Sighted

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brambring, Michael

2007-01-01

This empirical study compared the average ages at which four children with congenital blindness acquired 32 fine motor skills with age norms for sighted children. The results indicated that the children experienced extreme developmental delays in the acquisition of manual skills and a high degree of variability in developmental delays within and…

Prevention of Problem Behavior by Teaching Functional Communication and Self-Control Skills to Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luczynski, Kevin C.; Hanley, Gregory P.

2013-01-01

We evaluated the effects of the preschool life skills program (PLS; Hanley, Heal, Tiger, & Ingvarsson, 2007) on the acquisition and maintenance of functional communication and self-control skills, as well as its effect on problem behavior, of small groups of preschoolers at risk for school failure. Six children were taught to request teacher…

Acquisition of Programming Skills

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-04-01

skills (e.g., arithmetic reasoning, work knowledge, information processing speed); and c) passive versus active learning style. Ability measures...concurrent storage and processing an individual was capable of doing), and an active learning style. Implications of the findings for the development of

Learn, see, practice, prove, do, maintain: an evidence-based pedagogical framework for procedural skill training in medicine.

PubMed

Sawyer, Taylor; White, Marjorie; Zaveri, Pavan; Chang, Todd; Ades, Anne; French, Heather; Anderson, JoDee; Auerbach, Marc; Johnston, Lindsay; Kessler, David

2015-08-01

Acquisition of competency in procedural skills is a fundamental goal of medical training. In this Perspective, the authors propose an evidence-based pedagogical framework for procedural skill training. The framework was developed based on a review of the literature using a critical synthesis approach and builds on earlier models of procedural skill training in medicine. The authors begin by describing the fundamentals of procedural skill development. Then, a six-step pedagogical framework for procedural skills training is presented: Learn, See, Practice, Prove, Do, and Maintain. In this framework, procedural skill training begins with the learner acquiring requisite cognitive knowledge through didactic education (Learn) and observation of the procedure (See). The learner then progresses to the stage of psychomotor skill acquisition and is allowed to deliberately practice the procedure on a simulator (Practice). Simulation-based mastery learning is employed to allow the trainee to prove competency prior to performing the procedure on a patient (Prove). Once competency is demonstrated on a simulator, the trainee is allowed to perform the procedure on patients with direct supervision, until he or she can be entrusted to perform the procedure independently (Do). Maintenance of the skill is ensured through continued clinical practice, supplemented by simulation-based training as needed (Maintain). Evidence in support of each component of the framework is presented. Implementation of the proposed framework presents a paradigm shift in procedural skill training. However, the authors believe that adoption of the framework will improve procedural skill training and patient safety.

Distributed practice. The more the merrier? A randomised bronchoscopy simulation study.

PubMed

Bjerrum, Anne Sofie; Eika, Berit; Charles, Peder; Hilberg, Ole

2016-01-01

The distribution of practice affects the acquisition of skills. Distributed practice has shown to be more effective for skills acquisition than massed training. However, it remains unknown as to which is the most effective distributed practice schedule for learning bronchoscopy skills through simulation training. This study compares two distributed practice schedules: One-day distributed practice and weekly distributed practice. Twenty physicians in training were randomly assigned to one-day distributed or weekly distributed bronchoscopy simulation practice. Performance was assessed with a pre-test, a post-test after each practice session, and a 4-week retention test using previously validated simulator measures. Data were analysed with repeated measures ANOVA. No interaction was found between group and test (F(4,72) <1.68, p>0.16), except for the measure 'percent-segments-entered', and no main effect of group was found for any of the measures (F(1,72)< 0.87, p>0.36), which indicates that there was no difference between the learning curves of the one-day distributed practice schedule and the weekly distributed practice schedule. We found no difference in effectiveness of bronchoscopy skills acquisition between the one-day distributed practice and the weekly distributed practice. This finding suggests that the choice of bronchoscopy training practice may be guided by what best suits the clinical practice.

Does testing with feedback improve adult spelling skills relative to copying and reading?

PubMed

Pan, Steven C; Rubin, Benjamin R; Rickard, Timothy C

2015-12-01

We examined testing's ability to enhance adult spelling acquisition, relative to copying and reading. Across 3 experiments in which testing with feedback was compared with copying, the spelling improvement after testing matched that following the same amount of time spent copying. A potent testing advantage, however, was observed for spelling words free-recalled. In the fourth experiment, a large testing advantage for both word free recall and spelling was observed, versus reading. Subjects also generally preferred testing and rated it as more effective than copying or reading. The equivalent performance of testing and copying for spelling contrasts with prior work involving children and suggests that retrieval practice may not be the only effective mechanism for spelling skill acquisition. Rather, we suggest that the critical learning event for spelling is focused study on phoneme-to-grapheme mappings for previously unlearned letter sequences. For adults with extensive spelling expertise, focused study is more automatic during both copying and testing with feedback than for individuals with beginning spelling skills. Reading, however, would not be expected to produce efficient focused study of phoneme-to-grapheme mappings, regardless of expertise level. Overall, adult spelling skill acquisition benefits both from testing and copying, and substantially less from reading. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Varied Practice in Laparoscopy Training: Beneficial Learning Stimulation or Cognitive Overload?

PubMed

Spruit, Edward N; Kleijweg, Luca; Band, Guido P H; Hamming, Jaap F

2016-01-01

Determining the optimal design for surgical skills training is an ongoing research endeavor. In education literature, varied practice is listed as a positive intervention to improve acquisition of knowledge and motor skills. In the current study we tested the effectiveness of a varied practice intervention during laparoscopy training. Twenty-four trainees (control group) without prior experience received a 3 weeks laparoscopic skills training utilizing four basic and one advanced training task. Twenty-eight trainees (experimental group) received the same training with a random training task schedule, more frequent task switching and inverted viewing conditions on the four basic training tasks, but not the advanced task. Results showed inferior performance of the experimental group on the four basic laparoscopy tasks during training, at the end of training and at a 2 months retention session. We assume the inverted viewing conditions have led to the deterioration of learning in the experimental group because no significant differences were found between groups on the only task that had not been practiced under inverted viewing conditions; the advanced laparoscopic task. Potential moderating effects of inter-task similarity, task complexity, and trainee characteristics are discussed.

Varied Practice in Laparoscopy Training: Beneficial Learning Stimulation or Cognitive Overload?

PubMed Central

Spruit, Edward N.; Kleijweg, Luca; Band, Guido P. H.; Hamming, Jaap F.

2016-01-01

Determining the optimal design for surgical skills training is an ongoing research endeavor. In education literature, varied practice is listed as a positive intervention to improve acquisition of knowledge and motor skills. In the current study we tested the effectiveness of a varied practice intervention during laparoscopy training. Twenty-four trainees (control group) without prior experience received a 3 weeks laparoscopic skills training utilizing four basic and one advanced training task. Twenty-eight trainees (experimental group) received the same training with a random training task schedule, more frequent task switching and inverted viewing conditions on the four basic training tasks, but not the advanced task. Results showed inferior performance of the experimental group on the four basic laparoscopy tasks during training, at the end of training and at a 2 months retention session. We assume the inverted viewing conditions have led to the deterioration of learning in the experimental group because no significant differences were found between groups on the only task that had not been practiced under inverted viewing conditions; the advanced laparoscopic task. Potential moderating effects of inter-task similarity, task complexity, and trainee characteristics are discussed. PMID:27242599

The role of virtual reality in surgical training in otorhinolaryngology.

PubMed

Fried, Marvin P; Uribe, José I; Sadoughi, Babak

2007-06-01

This article reviews the rationale, current status and future directions for the development and implementation of virtual reality surgical simulators as training tools. The complexity of modern surgical techniques, which utilize advanced technology, presents a dilemma for surgical training. Hands-on patient experience - the traditional apprenticeship method for teaching operations - may not apply because of the learning curve for skill acquisition and patient safety expectation. The paranasal sinuses and temporal bone have intricate anatomy with a significant amount of vital structures either within the surgical field or in close proximity. The current standard of surgical care in these areas involves the use of endoscopes, cameras and microscopes, requiring additional hand-eye coordination, an accurate command of fine motor skills, and a thorough knowledge of the anatomy under magnified vision. A surgeon's disorientation or loss of perspective can lead to complications, often catastrophic and occasionally lethal. These considerations define the ideal environment for surgical simulation; not surprisingly, significant research and validation of simulators in these areas have occurred. Virtual reality simulators are demonstrating validity as training and skills assessment tools. Future prototypes will find application for routine use in teaching, surgical planning and the development of new instruments and computer-assisted devices.

Effects of training strategies implemented in a complex videogame on functional connectivity of attentional networks.

PubMed

Voss, Michelle W; Prakash, Ruchika Shaurya; Erickson, Kirk I; Boot, Walter R; Basak, Chandramallika; Neider, Mark B; Simons, Daniel J; Fabiani, Monica; Gratton, Gabriele; Kramer, Arthur F

2012-01-02

We used the Space Fortress videogame, originally developed by cognitive psychologists to study skill acquisition, as a platform to examine learning-induced plasticity of interacting brain networks. Novice videogame players learned Space Fortress using one of two training strategies: (a) focus on all aspects of the game during learning (fixed priority), or (b) focus on improving separate game components in the context of the whole game (variable priority). Participants were scanned during game play using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), both before and after 20 h of training. As expected, variable priority training enhanced learning, particularly for individuals who initially performed poorly. Functional connectivity analysis revealed changes in brain network interaction reflective of more flexible skill learning and retrieval with variable priority training, compared to procedural learning and skill implementation with fixed priority training. These results provide the first evidence for differences in the interaction of large-scale brain networks when learning with different training strategies. Our approach and findings also provide a foundation for exploring the brain plasticity involved in transfer of trained abilities to novel real-world tasks such as driving, sport, or neurorehabilitation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Teaching Motor Skills to Children: Theory into Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabbard, Carl

1984-01-01

A recent development in elementary physical education is the use of Schema theory as a basis for teaching and understanding the acquisition of motor skills by children. This theory suggests how children learn and perform a variety of movements. (DF)

Impact of continuous training through distributed practice for acquisition of minimally invasive surgical skills.

PubMed

Nakata, Bruce Negrello; Cavalini, Worens; Bonin, Eduardo A; Salvalaggio, Paolo R; Loureiro, Marcelo P

2017-10-01

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) requires the mastery of manual skills and a specific training is required. Apart from residencies and fellowships in MIS, other learning opportunities utilize massive training, mainly with use of simulators in short courses. A long-term postgraduate course represents an opportunity to learn through training using distributed practice. The objective of this study is to assess the use of distributed practice for acquisition of basic minimally invasive skills in surgeons who participated in a long-term MIS postgraduate course. A prospective, longitudinal and quantitative study was conducted among surgeons who attended a 1-year postgraduate course of MIS in Brazil, from 2012 to 2014. They were tested through five different exercises in box trainers (peg-transfer, passing, cutting, intracorporeal knot, and suture) in the first (t0), fourth (t1) and last, eighth, (t2) meetings of this course. The time and penalties of each exercise were collected for each participant. Participant skills were assessed based on time and accuracy on a previously tested score. Fifty-seven surgeons (participants) from three consecutive groups participated in this study. There was a significant improvement in scores in all exercises. The average increase in scores between t0 and t2 was 88% for peg-transfer, 174% for passing, 149% for cutting, 130% for intracorporeal knot, and 120% for suture (p < 0.001 for all exercises). Learning through distributed practice is effective and should be integrated into a MIS postgraduate course curriculum for acquisition of core skills.

The Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Instruction to Teach Physical Examination to Students and Trainees in the Health Sciences Professions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Tomesko, Jennifer; Touger-Decker, Riva; Dreker, Margaret; Zelig, Rena; Parrott, James Scott

2017-01-01

To explore knowledge and skill acquisition outcomes related to learning physical examination (PE) through computer-assisted instruction (CAI) compared with a face-to-face (F2F) approach. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis published between January 2001 and December 2016 was conducted. Databases searched included Medline, Cochrane, CINAHL, ERIC, Ebsco, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies were synthesized by study design, intervention, and outcomes. Statistical analyses included DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model. In total, 7 studies were included in the review, and 5 in the meta-analysis. There were no statistically significant differences for knowledge (mean difference [MD] = 5.39, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -2.05 to 12.84) or skill acquisition (MD = 0.35, 95% CI: -5.30 to 6.01). The evidence does not suggest a strong consistent preference for either CAI or F2F instruction to teach students/trainees PE. Further research is needed to identify conditions which examine knowledge and skill acquisition outcomes that favor one mode of instruction over the other.

Development of a Training Model for Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Exploration

PubMed Central

Rodríguez, Omaira; Benítez, Gustavo; Sánchez, Renata; De la Fuente, Liliana

2010-01-01

Background: Training and experience of the surgical team are fundamental for the safety and success of complex surgical procedures, such as laparoscopic common bile duct exploration. Methods: We describe an inert, simple, very low-cost, and readily available training model. Created using a “black box” and basic medical and surgical material, it allows training in the fundamental steps necessary for laparoscopic biliary tract surgery, namely, (1) intraoperative cholangiography, (2) transcystic exploration, and (3) laparoscopic choledochotomy, and t-tube insertion. Results: The proposed model has allowed for the development of the skills necessary for partaking in said procedures, contributing to its development and diminishing surgery time as the trainee advances down the learning curve. Further studies are directed towards objectively determining the impact of the model on skill acquisition. Conclusion: The described model is simple and readily available allowing for accurate reproduction of the main steps and maneuvers that take place during laparoscopic common bile duct exploration, with the purpose of reducing failure and complications. PMID:20529526

Acquisition of Malay word recognition skills: lessons from low-progress early readers.

PubMed

Lee, Lay Wah; Wheldall, Kevin

2011-02-01

Malay is a consistent alphabetic orthography with complex syllable structures. The focus of this research was to investigate word recognition performance in order to inform reading interventions for low-progress early readers. Forty-six Grade 1 students were sampled and 11 were identified as low-progress readers. The results indicated that both syllable awareness and phoneme blending were significant predictors of word recognition, suggesting that both syllable and phonemic grain-sizes are important in Malay word recognition. Item analysis revealed a hierarchical pattern of difficulty based on the syllable and the phonic structure of the words. Error analysis identified the sources of errors to be errors due to inefficient syllable segmentation, oversimplification of syllables, insufficient grapheme-phoneme knowledge and inefficient phonemic code assembly. Evidence also suggests that direct instruction in syllable segmentation, phonemic awareness and grapheme-phoneme correspondence is necessary for low-progress readers to acquire word recognition skills. Finally, a logical sequence to teach grapheme-phoneme decoding in Malay is suggested. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[Teaching methods for clinical settings: a literature review].

PubMed

Brugnolli, Anna; Benaglio, Carla

2017-01-01

. Teaching Methods for clinical settings: a review. The teaching process during internship requires several methods to promote the acquisition of more complex technical skills such as relational, decisional and planning abilities. To describe effective teaching methods to promote the learning of relational, decisional and planning skills. A literature review of the teaching methods that have proven most effective, most appreciated by students, and most frequently used in Italian nursing schools. Clinical teaching is a central element to transform clinical experiences during internship in professional competences. The students are gradually brought to become more independent, because they are offered opportunities to practice in real contexts, to receive feedback, to have positive role models, to become more autonomous: all elements that facilitate and potentiate learning. Clinical teaching should be based on a variety of methods. The students value a gradual progression both in clinical experiences and teaching strategies from more supervised methods to methods more oriented towards reflecting on clinical practice and self-directed learning.

Validating the psycholinguistic aspects of LITMUS-CLT: Evidence from Polish and Norwegian.

PubMed

Hansen, Pernille; Simonsen, Hanne Gram; Łuniewska, Magdalena; Haman, Ewa

2017-01-01

The novel assessment tool Cross-Linguistic Lexical Tasks (LITMUS-CLT) aims for comparable cross-linguistic assessment of multilingual children's lexical skills by basing each language version on two language-specific variables: age of acquisition (AoA) and complexity index (CI), a novel measure related to phonology, morphology, exposure and etymology. This article investigates the validity of this methodology, asking whether the underlying properties are robust predictors of children's performance. The Polish and Norwegian CLTs were used to assess 32 bilingual Polish-Norwegian, 34 monolingual Norwegian and 36 monolingual Polish children. The effects of AoA and CI were contrasted with frequency in child directed speech (CDS) and imageability, two known predictors of lexical development. AoA was a reliable predictor of performance within all parts of CLT, in contrast to CI. Apart from AoA, only exposure and CDS frequency had a significant effect within both monolinguals and bilinguals. These results indicate that CLT assesses lexical skills in a cross-linguistically comparable manner, but suggest a revision of the CI measure.

Foreign Language Acquisition and Melody Singing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mora, Carmen Fonseca

2000-01-01

Considers the value of relating music and language in the English-as-Foreign-Language (EFL) classroom. This "melodic" approach is based on evidence that musicality of speech has an effect not only on the pronunciation skills of EFL students but also their entire acquisition process. (Author/VWL)

The Comprehension Approach to Foreign Language Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winitz, Harris, Ed.

The comprehension approach to second language education emphasizes acquisition of listening comprehension prior to and as a vehicle for acquisition of other language skills. The following articles on this approach are collected here: (1) "Nonlinear Learning and Language Teaching" (Winitz); (2) "Aital cal aprene las lengas…

Improving Language Acquisition through Journal Writing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chanthalangsy, Sonevilay; Moskalis, Stan

This study examined how journal writing could improve language minority students' language acquisition. Participants were Serbo-Croatian and Laotian second and third graders from two elementary schools. Initial student surveys and writing assignments, conducted in September to document the problem, found that students lacked writing skills,…

[How to design workshops to promote health in community groups].

PubMed

Hernández-Díaz, Josefina; Paredes-Carbonell, Joan J; Marín Torrens, Rosa

2014-01-01

One of the strategies of health promotion is to develop life skills people considering themselves as the main health resource. A workshop has to get its participants become «asset» to make decisions and create health, focusing on the development and acquisition of skills in a motivating group and in order to achieve health objectives. The concepts behind the design of a workshop are: participatory planning, training, meaningful learning, group learning and participatory techniques. The steps to follow to design a workshop and facilitate their application are: Stage 0, founding; initial stage, host and initial evaluation; central or construction stage based learning in the acquisition of knowledge, attitudes and skills, and final stage or evaluation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Training apartment upkeep skills to rehabilitation clients: a comparison of task analytic strategies.

PubMed Central

Williams, G E; Cuvo, A J

1986-01-01

The research was designed to validate procedures to teach apartment upkeep skills to severely handicapped clients with various categorical disabilities. Methodological features of this research included performance comparisons between general and specific task analyses, effect of an impasse correction baseline procedure, social validation of training goals, natural environment assessments and contingencies, as well as long-term follow-up. Subjects were taught to perform upkeep responses on their air conditioner-heating unit, electric range, refrigerator, and electrical appliances within the context of a multiple-probe across subjects experimental design. The results showed acquisition, long-term maintenance, and generalization of the upkeep skills to a nontraining apartment. General task analyses were recommended for assessment and specific task analyses for training. The impasse correction procedure generally did not produce acquisition. PMID:3710947

Does Varying Attentional Focus Affect Skill Acquisition in Children? A Comparison of Internal and External Focus Instructions and Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agar, Charles; Humphries, Charlotte A.; Naquin, Millie; Hebert, Edward; Wood, Ralph

2016-01-01

Recently, researchers have concluded that motor skill performance is enhanced when learners adopt an external attentional focus, compared to adopting an internal focus. We extended the line of inquiry to children and examined if skill learning in children was differentially affected by providing instructions and feedback that direct attentional…

Evaluating a Positive Parenting Curriculum Package: An Analysis of the Acquisition of Key Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berard, Kerri P.; Smith, Richard G.

2008-01-01

The effectiveness of a parenting curriculum designed for parents who exhibit risk factors for child maltreatment was evaluated. Six skills were taught during a 5-week series of 3-hour classes that met 1 day per week. A written quiz containing questions corresponding to skills taught in each class was administered to participants before the series…

Special Teachers' Educational Responses in Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the Domain of Social Skills Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vlachou, Anastasia; Stavroussi, Panayiota; Didaskalou, Eleni

2016-01-01

The acquisition of appropriate social skills is considered critical for a person's social development and personal well-being. This consideration is far more crucial in the area of inclusive education, where the development of social skills in children with SEN has been associated with academic progress, social inclusion and successful transition…

Loss of Cognitive Skill across Delays: Constraints for Theories of Cognitive Skill Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkins, Nicolas J.; Rawson, Katherine A.

2010-01-01

Mastering a cognitive skill requires many practice sessions, occurring over a period of days, weeks, months, or even years. Although a large body of research describes and explains gains made within a given practice session, few studies have investigated what happens to these gains across a delay, and none have examined effects of delays on…

Augmented Reality M-Learning to Enhance Nursing Skills Acquisition in the Clinical Skills Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrett, Bernard M.; Jackson, Cathryn; Wilson, Brian

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to report on a pilot research project designed to explore if new mobile augmented reality (AR) technologies have the potential to enhance the learning of clinical skills in the lab. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory action-research-based pilot study was undertaken to explore an initial proof-of-concept design in…

Meta-Analysis of Acquisition and Fluency Math Interventions with Instructional and Frustration Level Skills: Evidence for a Skill-by-Treatment Interaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Matthew K.; Codding, Robin S.; Boice, Christina H.; Lukito, G.

2010-01-01

Implementation of effective interventions relies on the use of assessment data to adequately describe the learning problem and offer potential solutions. The use of curriculum-based assessment and measurement when combined with the learning hierarchy could offer a paradigm for decision making based on a skill-by-treatment interaction.…

Effects of Feedback Frequency and Timing on Acquisition, Retention, and Transfer of Speech Skills in Acquired Apraxia of Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hula, Shannon N. Austermann; Robin, Donald A.; Maas, Edwin; Ballard, Kirrie J.; Schmidt, Richard A.

2008-01-01

Purpose: Two studies examined speech skill learning in persons with apraxia of speech (AOS). Motor-learning research shows that delaying or reducing the frequency of feedback promotes retention and transfer of skills. By contrast, immediate or frequent feedback promotes temporary performance enhancement but interferes with retention and transfer.…

Group vs. Individual Training on a Self-Help Skill with the Profoundly Retarded.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elium, Michael D.; McCarver, Ronald B.

The study compared the results of group and individual training methods on the acquisition of a roll-on-deodorant self care skill by 16 profoundly retarded adults residing at a residential institution for the mentally retarded. The deodorant skill was divided into 11 teaching steps and an initial performance baseline was obtained for each subject.…

The Returns to Completion or Partial Completion of a Qualification in the Trades. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Tham

2015-01-01

Many students do not complete full qualifications in the vocational education and training (VET) system because their intention is to obtain only the particular skills they require. This can be achieved through the acquisition of skill sets; these enable flexibility in training to quickly respond to changes in the labour market. Skill sets may…

Social Skills Instruction for Urban Learners with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: A Culturally Responsive and Computer-Based Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson-Ervin, Porsha; Cartledge, Gwendolyn; Musti-Rao, Shobana; Gibson, Lenwood, Jr.; Keyes, Starr E.

2016-01-01

This study examined the effects of culturally relevant/responsive, computer-based social skills instruction on the social skill acquisition and generalization of 6 urban African American sixth graders with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). A multiple-probe across participants design was used to evaluate the effects of the social skills…

Analyzing Efficiency of Two Different Methods Involving Acquisition of Operational Skills by Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soydan, Sema

2015-01-01

This study, an education program was developed to improve addition-subtraction skills of 6-year old children using educational toys and smart boards. The program was implemented with children, and its effects on their operational skills were analysed. The study group of the research is composed of 90 children who attended preschool classes in…

High-Fidelity Simulation in Nursing Practice: The Impact on Nurses' Knowledge Acquisition, Satisfaction, and Self-Confidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Square, Nicole Decuir

2012-01-01

Nurses require ongoing opportunities to expand knowledge and skills; this expansion of knowledge and skills is one aspect of continued competence. One method that may be used to maintain and refine knowledge and skills is participation in continuing education activities. However, there has been little inquiry into creative strategies used in…

ACQUISITION AND RETENTION OF CROSS-CULTURAL INTERACTION SKILLS THROUGH SELF-CONFRONTATION. FINAL REPORT APR 1965-SEP 1965.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EACHUS, HERBERT T.; KING, PHILIP H.

AN EXPERIMENT TESTED THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO TECHNIQUES FOR TRAINING UNITED STATES AIR FORCE MILITARY ADVISORS IN CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS. RETENTION OF SKILLS OVER TIME AND EFFECTS OF ATTITUDE ON LEARNING WERE ALSO STUDIED. SUBJECTS PLAYED THE ROLE OF AN AIR FORCE CAPTAIN INTERACTING WITH A FOREIGN COUNTERPART, PLAYED BY A…

Reading Skills in Three Orthographies: The Case of Trilingual Arabic-Hebrew-English-Speaking Arab Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abu-Rabia, Salim; Siegel, Linda S.

2003-01-01

Finds a significant relationship between the acquisition of word and pseudoword reading skills, working memory, and syntactic awareness skills within and across the three languages among a group of Israeli-Arab students ages 14-15 years. Notes that trilingualism of this nature seems not to have negative consequences for the development of oral…

Effect of different external attention of focus instruction on learning of golf putting skill.

PubMed

Shafizadeh, Mohsen; McMorris, Terry; Sproule, John

2011-10-01

The effect of different sources of external attentional focus on learning a motor skill was assessed in the present study. 30 students (12 men, 18 women) participated voluntarily and were divided, according to type of external focus, into target, club swing, and target-club swing groups. The task was a golf putting skill. The target focus group attended to the target (hole), the club swing focus group attended to the execution of the club's swing, and the target-club swing focus group attended to both. All participants performed 50 trials of the putting skill in the acquisition phase and 10 trials in the 24-hr. delayed retention phase. The dependent variable was the error in the putting skill measured as the distance from the hole to the ball after each strike. Results showed the target-club swing focus group had better scores in the acquisition and retention phases than the other groups. It was concluded that external focus instruction helped the learners to integrate target cue with action cue and is more effective in skill learning than other external-focus instructions. These results support the claims of ecological psychology theorists concerning the effects of external focus of attention.

Effects of Parent and Child Pre-Intervention Characteristics on Child Skill Acquisition during a School Readiness Intervention

PubMed Central

Mathis, Erin T. B.; Bierman, Karen L.

2016-01-01

200 preschool children in Head Start (55% girls; 20% Hispanic, 25% African-American, 55% European American; M age = 4.80 years old) participated in a randomized-controlled trial of a home visiting intervention designed to promote their emergent literacy skills (the Research-based Developmentally Informed parent [REDI-P] program). This study explored concurrent changes in levels of parent support and child literacy skills that occurred over the course of the intervention, and examined the impact of pre-intervention parent support and child literacy skills as potential moderators of parent and child outcomes. Cross-lagged structural equation models and follow-up analyses indicated that intervention had the strongest impact on child literacy skills when parents were high on support at the pre-intervention assessment. Conversely, the REDI-Parent program promoted the greatest gains in parent support when parents entered the program with low levels. These findings suggest that families may benefit from home visit school readiness interventions in different ways: child skill acquisition may be greatest when parents are initially high in support, whereas parenting may improve most when parents are initially low in support. PMID:27279678

Video-augmented feedback for procedural performance.

PubMed

Wittler, Mary; Hartman, Nicholas; Manthey, David; Hiestand, Brian; Askew, Kim

2016-06-01

Resident programs must assess residents' achievement of core competencies for clinical and procedural skills. Video-augmented feedback may facilitate procedural skill acquisition and promote more accurate self-assessment. A randomized controlled study to investigate whether video-augmented verbal feedback leads to increased procedural skill and improved accuracy of self-assessment compared to verbal only feedback. Participants were evaluated during procedural training for ultrasound guided internal jugular central venous catheter (US IJ CVC) placement. All participants received feedback based on a validated 30-point checklist for US IJ CVC placement and validated 6-point procedural global rating scale. Scores in both groups improved by a mean of 9.6 points (95% CI: 7.8-11.4) on the 30-point checklist, with no difference between groups in mean score improvement on the global rating scale. In regards to self-assessment, participant self-rating diverged from faculty scoring, increasingly so after receiving feedback. Residents rated highly by faculty underestimated their skill, while those rated more poorly demonstrated increasing overestimation. Accuracy of self-assessment was not improved by addition of video. While feedback advanced the skill of the resident, video-augmented feedback did not enhance skill acquisition or improve accuracy of resident self-assessment compared to standard feedback.

Discussing religion and spirituality is an advanced communication skill: an exploratory structural equation model of physician trainee self-ratings.

PubMed

Ford, Dee W; Downey, Lois; Engelberg, Ruth; Back, Anthony L; Curtis, J Randall

2012-01-01

Communication about religious and spiritual issues is fundamental to palliative care, yet little empirical data exist to guide curricula in this area. The goal of this study was to develop an improved understanding of physicians' perspectives on their communication competence about religious and spiritual issues. We examined surveys of physician trainees (n=297) enrolled in an ongoing communication skills study at two medical centers in the northwestern and southeastern United States. Our primary outcome was self-assessed competence in discussing religion and spirituality. We used exploratory structural equation modeling (SEM) to develop measurement and full models for acquisition of self-assessed communication competencies. Our measurement SEM identified two latent constructs that we label Basic and Intermediate Competence, composed of five self-assessed communication skills. The Basic Competence construct included overall satisfaction with palliative care skills and with discussing do not resuscitate (DNR) status. The Intermediate Competence construct included responding to inappropriate treatment requests, maintaining hope, and addressing fears about the end-of-life. Our full SEM model found that Basic Competence predicted Intermediate Competence and that Intermediate Competence predicted competence in religious and spiritual discussions. Years of clinical training directly influenced Basic Competence. Increased end-of-life discussions positively influenced Basic Competence and had a complex association with Intermediate Competence. Southeastern trainees perceived more competence in religious and spiritual discussions than northwestern trainees. This study suggests that discussion of religious and spiritual issues is a communication skill that trainees consider more advanced than other commonly taught communication skills, such as discussing DNR orders.

A Virtual Water Maze Revisited: Two-Year Changes in Navigation Performance and their Neural Correlates in Healthy Adults

PubMed Central

Daugherty, Ana M.; Raz, Naftali

2016-01-01

Age-related declines in spatial navigation are associated with deficits in procedural and episodic memory and deterioration of their neural substrates. For the lack of longitudinal evidence, the pace and magnitude of these declines and their neural mediators remain unclear. Here we examined virtual navigation in healthy adults (N=213, age 18–77 years) tested twice, two years apart, with complementary indices of navigation performance (path length and complexity) measured over six learning trials at each occasion. Slopes of skill acquisition curves and longitudinal change therein were estimated in structural equation modeling, together with change in regional brain volumes and iron content (R2* relaxometry). Although performance on the first trial did not differ between occasions separated by two years, the slope of path length improvement over trials was shallower and end-of-session performance worse at follow-up. Advanced age, higher pulse pressure, smaller cerebellar and caudate volumes, and greater caudate iron content were associated with longer search paths, i.e. poorer navigation performance. In contrast, path complexity diminished faster over trials at follow-up, albeit less so in older adults. Improvement in path complexity after two years was predicted by lower baseline hippocampal iron content and larger parahippocampal volume. Thus, navigation path length behaves as an index of perceptual-motor skill that is vulnerable to age-related decline, whereas path complexity may reflect cognitive mapping in episodic memory that improves with repeated testing, although not enough to overcome age-related deficits. PMID:27659539