A Short Form for Measuring Anxiety in Nursing Education.

Background and purpose: Nursing education lacks an easily accessible, valid, and reliable short instrument to support researchers and instructors in quickly assessing student anxiety. The purpose of this research was to respond to this need by assessing the reliability and validity of a short-form anxiety instrument adapted from psychology which could measure state and trait anxiety. Methods: Using a one-group, repeated measures design, 51 sophomore level undergraduate nursing students had their state and trait anxiety levels measured at three time points over the course of a semester. Results: Results showed that the anxiety instrument was valid and reliable for use in nursing education with Cronbach's α ranging from .65 to .88. Conclusion: Future nurse researchers and educators should consider using the short-form anxiety instrument when a quick differentiation is needed to measure state and trait anxiety.

Exploring the relationships between teacher noticing, ambisonic audio, and variance in focus when viewing 360 video.

A growing body of research has supported the implementation of innovative and immersive video for teaching and learning across the lifespan. Immersive video, delivered through eXtended Reality (XR) tools like 360 video, provides users with new ways to see real or created environments. Unfortunately, most of the existing research has highlighted immersive video without accompanying immersive audio. This use of monophonic audio can create a disconnect for viewers as they experience close to real world video with sounds that do not match a real-world environment. The purpose of this study was to respond to this gap in the literature by exploring the use of ambisonic audio and its impact on preservice teacher noticing and variability of viewing focus when watching 360 video. Data were collected from undergraduate teacher education students who participated in a self-paced online activity that included watching 360 videos and responding to a questionnaire. A convergent mixed methods design was employed to compare participants' professional noticing and observed viewing behavior in the context of ambisonic and monophonic audio. Results showed that users in ambisonic audio conditions in 360 video environments were more likely to have higher focus. Moreover, for users who had specific professional knowledge, monophonic audio with immersive video had a negative impact on their variance in focus. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research on the use of audio in virtual and augmented reality environments.

Hospital homebound students and K-12 online schooling.

The flexibility afforded by online education may provide opportunities for learners with disability who require absence from traditional learning environments. This study sought to describe how a subset of learners with disability, those with hospital-homebound designation, perform in K-12 online classes, particularly as compared to non-hospital homebound counterparts. A cross-sectional analysis was performed of all Florida Virtual School course enrollments from August 1, 2012 to July 31, 2018. Researchers analyzed 2,534 course enrollments associated with K-12 students who, at the time of their course enrollment, had hospital-homebound designation, and a comparison group of 5,470,591 enrollments from K-12 students without hospital-homebound status. Data analysis showed three important outcomes. First, hospital-homebound designated student academic performance was equivalent to their non-hospital homebound counterparts. Second, however, hospital-homebound course enrollments were 26% more likely to result in a withdrawal prior to grade generation. Third, these withdrawals were potentially mitigated when H/H designated students were enrolled in five or more classes or in classes with five or more students. The results of this study provided evidence that when they can remain enrolled, hospital-homebound learners experience equivalent academic outcomes in online learning environments. These findings suggest that healthcare professionals should be made aware of the potentially equivalent outcomes for their patients. Moreover, virtual schools should seek to identify and create supports for these students.

Evaluating U.S. gamers' metacognitions about digital entertainment: Validation of Metacognition about Online Gaming Scale in the U.S. context.

Online gaming has become an important practice for several audiences in the last decade. Video games like Fortnite and League of Legends are played by millions of people daily, raising concerns about both addiction and disruptive attitudes. Several analytical instruments have been deployed for exploring this phenomenon, including the Metacognitions about Online Gaming Scale (MOGS). MOGS measures the role of metacognitions toward online gaming, echoing the increasing importance of such a construct in media consumption and perception. This article presents the highlights of a study involving 690 American gamers aimed at two purposes. First, the MOGS was validated for with U.S. gamers, who represent a leading niche in the current digital entertainment and were not involved with the original MOGS development. Second, the three subscales of MOGS were analyzed as mediators of the relationship between hours spent playing online gaming and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). The results from Confirmatory Factor Analysis suggested the MOGS has promising reliability and validity for use with U.S. gamers. The results also indicated that three subscales of the MOGS partially mediated the relationship between hours spent on playing online gaming and Internet Gaming Disorder.

Gaming and anxiety in the nursing simulation lab: A pilot study of an escape room.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety accompanying educational simulations is a complex issue impacting nursing students and their learning. Research has provided evidence that some pre-simulation activities can increase student comfort with the simulation environment and may also reduce anxiety. Studies have also provided evidence of promising outcomes for gaming use in nursing education. PURPOSE: This pilot study explored a medical-surgical escape room game as an introductory simulation experience for nursing students, particularly focused on determining student anxiety levels, and both faculty and student perception of the experience. METHODS: A quasi-experimental one group pretest-posttest design was used with a convenience sample to explore student anxiety levels and perceived enjoyment of the game. RESULTS: Student anxiety levels significantly decreased (p = .013); however, anxiety levels remained high at posttest. Students reported high enjoyment of the game and provided positive comments. CONCLUSION: Escape rooms can provide an engaging, interactive way to teach nursing concepts in the simulation environment.

A new educational normal an intersectionality-led exploration of education, learning technologies, and diversity during COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the learning technologies disparity in the U.S. K-12 education system, thus broadening an already existing and troublesome digital divide. Low-income and minority students and families were particularly disadvantaged in accessing hardware and software technologies to support teaching and learning. Moreover, the homicide of George Floyd fostered a new wave of inquiry about racism and inequality, questioning often enabled with and through technology and social media. To address these issues, this article explores how parents and teachers experienced the pandemic through intersectional and digital divide-driven lenses. Data were collected from eight parents of underserved children and nine U.S. K-12 teachers to better understand challenges and best practices related to learning technologies during the pandemic. Data collection also focused on conversations about social justice, exploring specific needs and strategies for addressing technology inclusion and diversity in educational environments. Results from the study suggest that COVID-19 was a source of increased digital divide in terms of community and social support rather than economic means. At the same time, staying at home facilitated family discussions about racism and intersectionality-related themes. Implications are suggested for improving school communities and contexts in dealing with pandemic and emergency learning.

Effects of a father-based in-home intervention on perceived stress and family dynamics in parents of children with autism.

Parents of children with autism report high rates of stress. Parental differences in stress are inconsistent, with most research indicating that mothers report higher levels of stress than fathers. We explored parental differences before and after an in-home training program. Fathers were taught an intervention designed to improve their child's social reciprocity and communication; they then trained mothers. Stress was assessed with the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, and family dynamics was assessed with the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales II. Both mothers and fathers reported high preintervention levels of stress. After intervention, fathers' stress was reduced, but not significantly, possibly because of the variability in fathers' scores; mothers' stress scores were significantly reduced. Parenting styles were significantly different before and after intervention. Interdisciplinary teams, including occupational therapists, nurses, and special educators, can work.together to have a positive impact on the lives of families of children with autism.