Project description:BackgroundFostering students' autonomous motivation is linked to numerous positive outcomes. However, stimulating autonomous motivation of students in health professions remains a challenge. According to the Self-Determination Theory, supporting students' basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence fosters their autonomous motivation. However, there is a lack of studies that explore how and why education might enhance students' autonomous motivation. We designed, implemented, and investigated an extracurricular project called the 'Societal Impact Project' (SIP) to support students' basic psychological needs and autonomous motivation through three principles, offering authentic and collaborative learning experiences as well as scaffolding. This study aimed to understand how and why the SIP with characteristics of authentic and collaborative learning, and scaffolding supports students' autonomy, relatedness, competence, and autonomous motivation from the students' and teachers' perspectives.MethodsFirst-year students following the bachelor programmes of Biomedical Sciences and Health Sciences participated in the project. Students and teachers took part in focus groups conducted after the project. We adopted thematic analysis.ResultsStudents reported that, firstly, having freedom was motivating, but students needed different adaptive degrees of guidance throughout the project. Secondly, working in small groups could be motivating or demotivating, but having peer connections and openly discussing difficulties made the groups strong. Thirdly, societal relevant problems stimulated motivation and learning as students recognized the real-life value of the problems, but the relevance of these problems to students' curriculum was not always clear to them.ConclusionsSIP reflected characteristics of the three educational principles, and students reported that these elements contributed to student's basic psychological needs and autonomous motivation. A careful balance is needed in terms of offering autonomy versus support. Furthermore, students faced difficulties in seeing the link between the societal relevant problems and their curricula.

Project description:Heritage and space establish reciprocal relations that have been studied for decades. On the one hand, heritage has been described as an inherently spatial phenomenon. On the other hand, places are defined according to the attributes that make up their identity, among which heritage is a fundamental instrument. On the basis of the idea that education plays an important role in the socialization process, transmitted by the inherited culture, to integrate each subject within the specific community, and the notion of scale as the closest to heritage, we defined as general objectives to determine the relationships between geographic scales, heritage perspective and the didactic potential granted to heritage, within the framework of the construction of collective identities, and to contrast the perspectives of students and teachers regarding the geographical scale, heritage and their didactic potential, deducing implications for educational practices. In order to answer to these objectives, we carried out a non-experimental quantitative research, with a relational-predictive objective. Specifically, we used a survey method, being the context the whole of the local scale (Fuente Álamo, Murcia, Spain) and acting as participants all students and teachers of Secondary Education (n = 459) linked to social sciences. They answered the Test on Didactic Potentiality of Heritage according to Scale (TDPHS), and its information was analysed through different procedures (Spearman's correlations, descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U…), using the statistical programs SPSS. The results show, on the one hand, that the scalar perspective scores are generally low, heritage perspective is consistent with the consideration of the scales, and the perceived didactic potential in relation to heritage is related to the importance given to each of the scales; and, on the other hand, the contrast in the perspectives of students and teachers regarding the geographical scale, heritage and their didactic potential is minimal.

Project description:Cognitive enhancement (CE) is the pharmaceutical augmentation of mental abilities (e.g., learning or memory) without medical necessity. This topic has recently attracted widespread attention in scientific and social circles. However, knowledge regarding the mechanisms that underlie the decision to use CE medication is limited. To analyze these decisions, we used data from two online surveys of randomly sampled university teachers (N = 1,406) and students (N = 3,486). Each respondent evaluated one randomly selected vignette with regard to a hypothetical CE drug. We experimentally varied the characteristics of the drugs among vignettes and distributed them among respondents. In addition, the respondent's internalization of social norms with respect to CE drug use was measured. Our results revealed that students were more willing to enhance cognitive performance via drugs than university teachers, although the overall willingness was low. The probability of side effects and their strength reduced the willingness to use CE drugs among students and university teachers, whereas higher likelihoods and magnitudes of CE increased this propensity. In addition, the internalized norm against CE drug use influenced decision making: Higher internalization decreased the willingness to use such medications. Students' internalized norms more strongly affected CE abstinence compared with those of university teachers. Furthermore, internalized norms negatively interacted with the instrumental incentives for taking CE medication. This internalization limited the influence of and deliberation on instrumental incentives. This study is the first to provide empirical evidence regarding the importance of social norms and their influence on rational decision making with regard to CE. We identified previously undiscovered decision-making patterns concerning CE. Thus, this study provides insight into the motivators and inhibitors of CE drug use. These findings have implications for contending with CE behavior by highlighting the magnitude of potential side effects and by informing the debate regarding the ethics of CE use.

Project description:ObjectiveSleep deprivation is common among children and schools are ideal settings in which to influence children's sleep. Children spend a significant amount of time at school during key developmental periods, and programmes that influence students' well-being also benefit academic achievement. Comprehensive School Health (CSH) is an approach that prioritises school, home and community partnerships by supporting the development of health behaviours. However, sleep is often unaddressed in the school environment. The objective of this study was to integrate multiple partner perspectives to inform how to strengthen school-based sleep promotion using a CSH approach.DesignA secondary qualitative analysis of student aged 9-11 (n = 45), parent/guardian (n = 24) and teacher (n = 19) interviews from participants representing elementary (Kindergarten - Grade 6) schools and communities in Alberta, Canada was conducted. Data were examined using an a priori framework in alignment with the four components of the CSH approach: social and physical environment, teaching and learning, policy and partnerships and services. Inductive content analysis was used to develop categories followed by subthemes within each CSH component.ResultsSubthemes identified within each component were as follows: social and physical environment (culture of healthy sleep habits; students influence each other); teaching and learning (formally integrate sleep-specific learning into curricula; school, teacher and parents/guardian collaboration); policy (sleep-positive classroom policies) and partnerships and services (community partnerships; school-home collaboration).ConclusionThis research identifies recommendations from student, parent/guardian and teacher interviews to inform and strengthen school-based sleep promotion when taking a CSH approach. Findings can support school partner efforts to foster a school culture (or ethos) of healthy sleep habits leading to improvements in student sleep behaviours.

Project description:BackgroundBody image is considered a core issue for public health and associates with university students' overall health. Due to positive associations between exercise and body image, it has been suggested that students within an exercise science program might be more body appreciative compared to other students. On the other hand, the strong societal idealization of the athletic body may expose them to a pressure of having a specific body appearance, which may result in unfavorable health consequences. Nevertheless, studies investigating these hypotheses are lacking. We therefore aimed to explore the level and associations of body appreciation, body appearance pressure, body image related mental health constructs, physical activity, and exercise, in Norwegian university exercise science and non-health reference students.MethodMale and female exercise science students (n = 517) and reference students (n = 476), from nine large universities in Norway took part in this cross-sectional study. Participants responded to the Body appreciation scale-2, a self-developed questionnaire on body appearance pressure, Physical Appearance Comparison Scale-Revised, Sociocultural attitudes towards appearance questionnaire-4R, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and questions about physical activity and exercise. Between group differences were analyzed using student independent t-test and ANCOVA for parametric data and Chi-square test for categorical data, and associations were evaluated by Person's correlation. P-values ≤0.05 were defined as significant.ResultsFemale exercise science students had higher scores on body appreciation compared to reference students. No group difference was found in males. A high percentage of students reported experiencing body appearance pressure, with 69 and 85% among male and female exercise science students, and 57 and 83% among male and female reference students. Fitness centers were the settings where most respondents experienced body appearance pressure. Body appreciation was strongly associated with favorable scores on body image related mental health constructs, while personally experienced body appearance pressure associated with destructive scores on the same constructs.ConclusionBody appearance pressure is an issue among university students regardless of study program. Actions to promote body appreciation and prevent body appearance pressure may include an implementation of media literacy, body functionality, and exercise as topics within the education program to safeguard students' health and well-being.Clinical trial registryNo. NCT04256967 .

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