Changes in patterns of peer relationships in primary education classroom networks through cooperative learning.

We studied the impact of cooperative learning on positive peer relationships, that is, liking to work together, in classroom networks. Cooperative learning was implemented as part of the "Success for All" program. Longitudinal social network analysis was used to investigate the development of structures and patterns of relationships in 16 intervention and 16 control classrooms, including a total of 791 students. Results showed significantly less reciprocation and transitivity in the dynamics of the intervention networks, while the number of nominations in the intervention classes was at least not smaller than in the control classes, indicating less tendency toward the formation of small clusters or cliques. We did not find that peer relationships became more diverse with regard to gender, socioeconomic status, or academic performance through the implementation of cooperative learning. In intervention classrooms, children tended to nominate their teammates with whom they work together in cooperative learning activities; however, also in control classrooms, children tended to nominate children with whom they are seated in the classroom. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Safe sex norm questionnaire for female sex workers: development and validation study in Iran.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a safe sex norm questionnaire as an appropriate instrument which would be adaptable to the female sex worker (FSW) population. STUDY DESIGN: A mixed method study. METHODS: Appropriate content was prepared through a literature review. Content validation indices were assessed using interviews with content experts and lay experts. A conservative approach was used to assess the inter-rater agreement among the participants about the instrument relevance and clarity. The scale content validity index was computed using the average method. Non-parametric Mokken scale analysis was used for assessing scalability and unidimensionality of the questionnaire in a sample of 170 FSWs in Tehran. To evaluate the reliability and internal consistency of the questionnaire intra-class correlation and Cronbach's alpha were employed. RESULTS: A list of 34 items was finalized, with subscales for actual behavioral norms and for perceived norms. The relevance of the actual and perceived norms subscales in the final questionnaire was higher than 96%; clarity of the subtests was 99% and higher. The comprehensiveness of the actual and perceived norms subscales was 85% for both. Mokken scale analysis showed that the two subscales were distinct constructs, and all items are good indicators for the constructs. CONCLUSION: Our findings support that the safe sex norm questionnaire is a valid and reliable measure that would be useful to harm reduction programs and help effective HIV prevention among female sex workers.

Open-book tests to complement assessment-programmes: analysis of open and closed-book tests.

Today's health sciences educational programmes have to deal with a growing and changing amount of knowledge. It is becoming increasingly important for students to be able to use and manage knowledge. We suggest incorporating open-book tests in assessment programmes to meet these changes. This view on the use of open-book tests is discussed and the influence on test quality is examined. To cope with the growing amount of medical knowledge, we have divided the body of knowledge into core knowledge, which students must know without need for references, and backup knowledge, which students need to understand and use properly with the help of references if so desired. As a result, all tests consist of a subtest for reproduction and understanding of core knowledge (a closed-book test) and a subtest for the ability to understand and manage backup knowledge (an open-book test). Statistical data from 14 such double-subtest exams for first and second-year students were analyzed for two cohorts (N = 435 and N = 449) with multilevel analysis, in accordance with generalizability theory. The reliability of the open and closed-book sections of the separate tests varied between 0.712 and 0.850. The open-book items reduce reliability somewhat. The estimated disattenuated correlation was 0.960 and 0.937 for cohorts 1 and 2 respectively. It is concluded that the use of open-book items with closed-book items slightly decreases test reliability but the overall index is acceptable. In addition, open and closed-book sections are strongly positively related. Therefore, open-book tests could be helpful in complementing today's assessment programmes.

Pair-housing of male and female rats during chronic stress exposure results in gender-specific behavioral responses.

UNLABELLED: Social support has a positive influence on the course of a depression and social housing of rats could provide an animal model for studying the neurobiological mechanisms of social support. Male and female rats were subjected to chronic footshock stress for 3 weeks and pair-housing of rats was used to mimic social support. Rats were isolated or housed with a partner of the opposite sex. A plastic tube was placed in each cage and subsequently used as a 'safe' area in an open field test. Time spent in the tube was used as a measurement of anxiety levels. Chronic stress increased adrenal weights in all groups, except for isolated females who showed adrenal hypertrophy in control conditions. In isolated males, chronic stress resulted in an increase in the time the animals spent in the tube. While stress did not affect this parameter in socially housed males, males with a stressed partner showed a similar response as isolated stressed males. Even though adrenal weights showed that isolated females were more affected by stress, after chronic stress exposure, they spent less time in the tube than socially housed females. Socially housed stressed females spent less time in the 'safe' tube compared to control counterparts, indicating that stress has a gender-specific behavioral effect. IN CONCLUSION: pair-housing had a stress-reducing effect on behavior in males. Isolation of females was stressful by itself. Pair housing of females was not able to prevent stress-induced behavioral changes completely, but appeared to reduce the effects of chronic stress.

Analysis of handwriting of children during treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) often complain about handwriting problems. PROCEDURE: Using a computerized writing task, we have prospectively studied the processes necessary for the production of handwriting movements in 11 children (5-12 years old) during treatment for ALL. Children were tested at time points closely related to the vincristine administration. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Children treated for ALL drew slower, with longer pause durations and increased drawing pressure. Children were able to overcome the problems, except for a consistently increased drawing pressure. This increased drawing pressure may be an attempt of the children to obtain sufficient kinesthetic information and thus can be seen as an adequate adaptation mechanism in case of peripheral neuropathy due to the neurotoxic effects of vincristine. However, neurotoxic effects of other cytostatic drugs cannot be excluded.

A multilevel analysis of the demands--control model: is stress at work determined by factors at the group level or the individual level?

This study explored the extent to which negative health-related outcomes are associated with differences between work groups and with differences between individuals within work groups using R.A. Karasek's (1979) demands-control model. The sample consisted of 260 employees in 31 working groups of a national bank in the Netherlands. Results suggest that job demands and job control should be conceptualized as having both group- and individual-level foundations. Support for Karasek's demands-control model was found only when these variables were split into the 2 parts, reflecting shared perceptions and employees' subjective assessment, respectively. One of the most appealing practical implications is that absence rates among homogeneous work groups can be reduced by enhancing actual control on the job.

Timing variability in children with early-treated congenital hypothyroidism.

This study reports on central and peripheral determinants of timing variability in self-paced tapping by children with early-treated congenital hypothyroidism (CH). A theoretical model of the timing of repetitive movements developed by Wing and Kristofferson was applied to estimate the central timekeeper (clock) and peripheral implementation (motor delay) variances from the variability in the response intervals. Before it is diagnosed and treated, CH is known to affect proper development of the cerebellum. If this would affect the time-keeper function of the cerebellum, it should be reflected by an increased central clock variability rather than by an increased peripheral motor-delay variability in terms of the Wing and Kristofferson model. Results of 46 children with early-treated CH, differing in severity (21 severe, 25 mild), and 34 normal controls are reported. A refinement of the Wing and Kristofferson model is applied to estimate central clock and peripheral motor delay timing variability more precisely than has been done before. Results show that for children with early-treated CH the estimate of the motor delay variance is four times higher than for the controls, while the estimate of the clock variance does not differ between the groups. It is concluded that motor problems in early-treated CH are associated with peripheral rather than with central timing deficiencies.

Polytomous logistic regression analysis of the General Health Questionnaire and the Present State Examination.

First, two examples of dichotomous logistic regression analysis are presented. The probability of being a psychiatric case according to the Present State Examination is predicted from the total score on the General Health Questionnaire and from the general practitioner's judgement on the presence of a mental health problem. Subjects were 292 primary care attenders. Results are compared with those from prior studies. Next, the extension to the polytomous case is demonstrated. The probability of being at any given level of the Index of Definition (computed from PSE data) is estimated from the General Health Questionnaire total score by an ordered polytomous logistic regression model. Several applications of the polytomous logistic regression model are discussed. These range from estimating the proportion of psychiatric cases among individuals who refuse to be interviewed to the formulation of sampling schemes which can be expected to reduce costs while at the same time yielding optimal information for testing specific hypotheses.