James S. Jackson and the program for research on Black Americans: Contributions to psychology and the social sciences.

James S. Jackson (1944-2020) is remembered as a groundbreaking social psychologist whose career contributions in scholarship, research, and service were fundamental to the field of psychology. This article briefly outlines his career-long work and contributions. A strong believer in interdisciplinary work, his research spanned other related social science disciplines (e.g., sociology, political science), as well as health and social welfare professions (public health, social work, medicine). As the founding director of the Program for Research on Black Americans at the Institute for Social Research, James Jackson initiated and led a long-standing program with a dual focus on research and training and mentoring doctoral students, postdoctoral scholars, and early career scientists. Jackson's efforts in the development of several nationally representative surveys of the Black population in the United States (e.g., National Survey of Black Americans, National Survey of American Life) revolutionized research focusing on the lives of Black Americans. James Jackson's international influence and reputation included numerous prestigious positions within national science organizations and honors and awards for his scientific contributions. Among James S. Jackson's most enduring legacies is the vast network of current scientists, researchers, and academics who were trained under his direction and leadership. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects of rational emotive occupational health coaching on work stress among academic staff of science and social science education in Nigerian universities: A randomised trial evaluation.

BACKGROUND: This study determined the effects of rational emotive occupational health coaching on the management of work stress among academic staff of science and social science education in south east Nigerian universities. METHOD: A randomized controlled trial experimental design was adopted for the study with a sample size of 63 participants who were randomized into an intervention group (n = 32) and control group (n = 31). Occupational stress index and perceived stress scale were used for data collection. The intervention program was administered for 12 weeks after which posttest was administered and a 2-month follow-up measure followed. Mixed-design repeated analysis of variance was used to determine the within-groups and between-groups effects. RESULTS: The findings of the study revealed that there was no significant difference between the baseline, and the nonintervention group did not change over time in their management of work stress. However, the mean stress of the intervention group decreased over time than that of the control group. CONCLUSION: Rational emotive occupational health coaching had significant effects on the management of work stress among academic staff of science and social science education.

Las tecnologías de información y comunicación en el aprendizaje del estudiante en tiempos de COVID-19 / Information and communication technologies in student learning in times of COVID-19

Las Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación (TIC) han sido herramientas vitales en la interacción humana de cara a la pandemia COVID-19, permitiendo la virtualidad de muchas actividades cotidianas que de otro modo configurarían un riesgo biológico inherente del contacto físico. Por ello, fue necesaria la adopción de TIC como elementos formadores no presenciales en la educación superior, permitiendo el desarrollo pedagógico y la interacción docente-estudiante desde los hogares. En esta investigación se buscó determinar la influencia de las TIC en el aprendizaje de 450 estudiantes universitarios del Perú, en el contexto de la pandemia COVID-19, En general, las TIC transmisivas obtuvieron mayores proporciones de accesibilidad (87%), usabilidad (81%) e influencia en el aprendizaje de los estudiantes (73%) en comparación a las interactivas (Figura 1), siendo las TIC activas las de menor percepción en las tres dimensiones. De acuerdo a los resultados obtenidos, se propone una relación positiva entre el aprendizaje del estudiante universitario y la adopción de herramientas TIC durante el período de pandemia COVID-19 (p=0,076). Los buscadores, las videconferencias, las páginas web, las plataformas académicas, los repositorios y los tutoriales multimedia, ejercen la mayor influencia positiva en el proceso educativo. No obstante, los estudiantes de las ciencias de la salud mostraron más aversión a establecer TIC en su aprendizaje, mientras que los alumnos de ingeniería mostraron mayor receptividad a su aplicación(AU)

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have been vital tools in human interaction in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing the virtuality of many daily activities that would otherwise configure an inherent biological risk of physical contact. For this reason, it was necessary to adopt ICT as non-face-to-face training elements in higher education, allowing pedagogical development and teacher-student interaction from home. This research sought to determine the influence of ICT on the learning of 450 Peruvian university students, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.In general, transmissive ICT obtained higher proportions of accessibility (87%), usability (81 %) and influence on student learning (73%) compared to interactive ones (Figure 1), with active ICT being the least perceived in all three dimensions. According to the results obtained, a positive relationship is proposed between university student learning and the adoption of ICT tools during the COVID-19 pandemic period (p = 0.076). Search engines, video conferences, web pages, academic platforms, repositories, and multimedia tutorials exert the greatest positive influence on the educational process. However, health science students showed more aversion to establishing ICT in their learning, while engineering students showed greater receptivity to its application(AU)

Education for a biobased economy: Integrating life and social sciences in flexible short courses accessible from different backgrounds.

To achieve ambitious 21st-century goals and deal with high-level complexity, a bio-based economy is required to cross the boundaries of a single sector and integrate tools, language and knowledge drawn from different disciplines and sub-disciplines. The present contribution highlights how life scientists, social scientists, policymakers and industrial stakeholders should work together to make this technological reversal real and feasible. Importantly, going beyond theoretical and methodological integration, the paper underlines the necessity of developing a new and more flexible educational framework that might facilitate interdisciplinary combination. Specifically, the experience of the summer school "Towards a bio-based economy: science, innovation, economics, education" organized by the University of Milano Bicocca in collaboration with Chalmers University is described. The results reveal the need for high-level education programs likely to promote and guide society towards bio-based innovation.

Discussões de gênero na formação de pesquisadores em saúde: um relato de experiência / Discussing gender in the education of health researchers: a report on experience / Discusiones de género en la formación de investigadores de salud: un relato de experiencia

A discussão sobre as repercussões das relações de gênero na vida das mulheres foi temática de uma atividade teórico-prática sobre técnicas e métodos de pesquisa nas Ciências Sociais de uma disciplina de pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva. Adotou-se, como referencial teórico, a perspectiva de gênero como decorrente do posicionamento socio-histórico, no qual a experiência de ser mulher se constrói. O trabalho tem como objetivo relatar a experiência de execução dessa atividade como parte da trajetória acadêmica das mestrandas envolvidas. Por meio da articulação entre teoria e prática, pôde-se vivenciar o passo a passo da escolha, da elaboração e da descrição metodológica na produção do trabalho. O exercício de reflexividade esteve presente, localizando as estudantes diante do seu objeto de investigação. A atividade permitiu imersão na temática e reconhecimento do seu caráter político, histórico e social como agente de consolidação ou reformulação das práticas vigentes. (AU)

The discussion surrounding the impact of gender relations on the life of women was the theme of a theoretical and practical activity on social science research techniques and methods as part of a module of a master's degree in public health. We adopted the gender perspective, drawing on the social and historical positioning of gender relations to construct the experience of being a woman. This article recounts the development of this activity as part of the academic trajectory of the master's students involved. Through the articulation between theory and practice, it was possible to experience the different steps of the choice, elaboration and description of the methodology in the production of the work. Reflexivity was present, situating the students before the object of investigation. The activity enabled the students to immerse themselves in the topic and recognize its political, historic and social natures as an agent of the consolidation or reformulation of current practices. (AU)

La discusión sobre las repercusiones de las relaciones de género en la vida de las mujeres fue la temática de una actividad teórico-práctica sobre técnicas y métodos de investigación en las ciencias sociales de una asignatura de postgrado en salud colectiva. Se adoptó como referencial teórico la perspectiva de género como proveniente del posicionamiento sociohistórico, en el cual se construye la experiencia de ser mujer. El objetivo del trabajo es relatar la experiencia de realización de esa actividad como parte de la trayectoria académica de las alumnas de maestría involucradas. Por medio de la articulación entre teoría y práctica es posible vivir el paso a paso de la elección, elaboración y descripción metodológica en la producción del trabajo. Estuvo presente el ejercicio de reflexividad, localizando a las alumnas ante su objeto de investigación. La actividad permitió una inmersión en la temática y reconocimiento de su carácter político, histórico y social como agente de consolidación o reformulación de las prácticas vigentes. (AU)

Núcleo de Pesquisa Social (NUPES): uma reflexão sobre a história de um espaço de pesquisa nas ciências sociais na UNISC / Social Research Center (NUPES): a reflection on the history of a social science research space at UNISC

Retoma-se neste artigo a experiência histórica do NUPES (Núcleo de Pesquisa Social) ­ um setor de pesquisa vinculado ao Departamento de Ciências Humanas da Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul (DCH/UNISC). Desde o seu surgimento, em 1993, o NUPES desenvolve e assessora diversos tipos de pesquisa, atendendo a demandas acadêmicas, de mercado e de diferentes segmentos sociais da região do Vale do Rio Pardo, demais regiões do estado do Rio Grande do Sul e de outros estados brasileiros. O objetivo principal é analisar a importância desse setor como um espaço de produção de pesquisa social numa Universidade Comunitária, por meio da construção do conhecimento e da oferta de suportes teóricos e metodológicos para pesquisas de interesse local e regional. Nesse sentido, o NUPES representa uma experiência exitosa de integração entre a pesquisa e a extensão universitárias.(AU)

This article takes up the historical experience of NUPES (Social Research Center) - a research sector linked to the Department of Human Sciences at the University of Santa Cruz do Sul (DCH / UNISC). Since its emergence in 1993, NUPES has developed and advises several types of research, meeting the academic, market and different social demands of the Vale do Rio Pardo region, other regions of the state of Rio Grande do Sul and others Brazilian states. The main objective is to analyze the importance of this sector as a space for the production of social research in a Community University, through the construction of knowledge and the offer of theoretical and methodological supports for research of local and regional interest. In this sense, NUPES represents a successful experience of integration between university research and extension.(AU)

An integrated humanities-social sciences course in health sciences education: proposed design, effectiveness, and associated factors.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has not provided enough direction regarding effective content design of courses integrating the humanities and social sciences in medical and dental education. This study aims at exploring how an Integrated Medical/Dental Humanities-Social Medicine/Dentistry course may be designed; how effective it may be in terms of student growth in knowledge, attitudes, skills, and aspirations; and associated factors. METHODS: The course was designed by distilling commonalities in the international standards for medical/dental education proposed by seven major health organizations. This analysis resulted in a curriculum covering nine major topics: history, professionalism, communication, ethics, management, policy, insurance, law, and research methodology. During the 2017 calendar year, data was collected and statistically analyzed from 68 third-year pre-doctoral students enrolled in the resulting MDHS 13-week course. RESULTS: Participants showed growth in skills, aspirations, knowledge, and attitudes, with the greatest change occurring in skills, then aspirations, knowledge, and attitudes. Knowledge growth was the only variable significantly related to student achievement of course objectives (ß = 0.635, t (63) = 3.394, p = 0.001). The topics that students perceived as most critical were insurance, policy, management, and law. The perceived importance of research was most common among participants and was significantly related to all learning outcomes (For knowledge, ß = 0.213, t (63) = 2.203, p = 0.031; for attitudes, ß = 0.784, t (63) = 10.257, p = 0.000; for skills, ß = 0.769, t (63) = 9.772, p = 0.000; and aspirations ß = 0.639, t (63) = 7.595, p = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: This study proposed a framework for humanities-social sciences education in health sciences education and analyzed its implementation. The empirical evaluation of its effectiveness and factors related to successful outcomes found that students perceived gains in their knowledge, attitudes, skills, and aspirations for humanistic and social aspects of dentistry/medicine. In addition, their recognition of the importance of research was associated with the greatest growth in all four learning outcomes. This study may contribute to the improved design of integrated humanities-social sciences courses.

The impact of penalties for wrong answers on the gender gap in test scores.

Multiple-choice examinations play a critical role in university admissions across the world. A key question is whether imposing penalties for wrong answers on these examinations deters guessing from women more than men, disadvantaging female test-takers. We consider data from a large-scale, high-stakes policy change that removed penalties for wrong answers on the national college entry examination in Chile. The policy change reduced a large gender gap in questions skipped. It also narrowed gender gaps in performance, primarily among high-performing test-takers, and in the fields of math, social science, and chemistry.

Political Science: Developing Effective Participants in the Democratic Process.

Democratic governance has been a central tenant of leadership development in U.S. political science departments. The discipline of political science focuses on the development of engaged citizens and responsible leaders who can have a positive impact in their communities at all levels.

Exploring the Socialization Experiences of Medical Students From Social Science and Humanities Backgrounds.

PURPOSE: To explore the structural, cultural, and interpersonal issues that may contribute to the inadvertent marginalization of medical students with social science and humanities (SSH) backgrounds. METHOD: Using the hidden curriculum as an analytic construct, the lead author interviewed 14 medical students with SSH backgrounds at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine from February to October 2015. The authors analyzed the interview transcripts for common themes around positive and negative cultural, structural, and interpersonal dimensions of the socialization process. RESULTS: Participants reported barriers to applying to medical school: needing to complete prerequisite courses and to do well on an exam geared toward those with a strong science background (the Medical College Admission Test) and lacking an application cohort. Some participants felt they were not ideal candidates for medical school. Participants appreciated how their SSH backgrounds and associated skill sets shaped both their perspectives on patient care and their developing professional identities. However, they perceived that others largely deemed their previous training as irrelevant, and they felt marginalized in medical school by peers, instructors, and the curriculum. These experiences led both to self-censorship, which enabled them to seem to conform to normative behaviors, and to the pursuit of reaffirming elective experiences. CONCLUSIONS: The existing hidden curriculum inadvertently marginalizes SSH medical students; their experiences likely reflect the socialization experiences of other students from underrepresented backgrounds. Curricular and institutional reforms are imperative to shift the hidden curriculum toward one of epistemological inclusion that better supports students from nontraditional backgrounds.

La enseñanza de la relación mutua entre ciencias biomédicas y sociedad. La experiencia de biomedicina, sociedad y cultura / The mutual relationship between biomedical sciences and society. The experience of biomedicine, society and culture

INTRODUCCIÓN: Los avances biomédicos de los últimos 2 siglos han tenido una repercusión importante en la sociedad. Sin embargo, la docencia de esta relación mutua en el ámbito universitario es una tarea pendiente. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se describe las características de la asignatura Biomedicina, sociedad y cultura dirigida a presentar la interacción de la biomedicina con la historia, la economía, la sociología y la cultura a los estudiantes de máster. Se presentan los resultados de los 3 primeros años (2015-2017) de su impartición mediante un cuestionario de evaluación cualitativo tipo Likert de 5 puntos para los aspectos generales del curso y cuantitativo para el interés de los diversos temas (0-5), que completaron los estudiantes. RESULTADOS: La cursaron 51 estudiantes. La mayoría (89%) provenía de estudios biomédicos. Los estudiantes expresaron con puntuaciones máximas (totalmente de acuerdo) que la asignatura había cumplido sus expectativas, que la recomendarían y que había aumentado sus conocimientos sobre la relación entre biomedicina y aspectos sociales y culturales. Los temas de mayor interés fueron los aspectos históricos (4,5 ± 0,6), las implicaciones sociológicas (4,6 ± 0,7) y las consideraciones bioéticas (4,5 ± 0,6), y el menos valorado fue los aspectos culturales (3,9 ± 1,0). DISCUSIÓN: La asignatura descrita puede contribuir de forma importante a que los graduados comprendan cómo se ejerce la relación mutua entre ciencia biomédica y elementos sociales. Materias similares pueden ayudar a la contextualización de los avances científicos en un área tan sensible como es la biomedicina

INTRODUCTION: Biomedical progress in the last two centuries has had a significant effect on society. However, the teaching on the mutual relationship between bioscience and society is still lacking in most universities. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A description is presented on the characteristics of the subject Biomedicine, society and culture. This is devoted to introduce, the interaction of biomedicine with history, economy, sociology, and culture, to graduate students of masters programs. The evaluation of the first three years (2015-2017) of the experience is reported. Student beliefs and opinions were evaluated by means of a questionnaire that used a five point Likert type scale for the agreement with some statements, and a quantitative scale (zero to five) for their opinion with the contents of the subject. RESULTS: The questionnaire on the experience was completed by 51 students. Most of them (89%) were graduates of biomedical disciplines. They gave the highest score (Fully agree) to the statements that the subject had fulfilled their expectations, that they would recommend it to other students, and the fact that the subject had increased their knowledge on the mutual relationship between biomedicine and social and cultural factors. The topics that they scored the highest were historical aspects (4.5 ± 0.6), sociological implications (4.6 ± 0.7) and bioethical considerations (4.5 ± 0.6), whereas the lowest was cultural aspects (3.9 ± 1.0) DISCUSSION: The subject described here may contribute to enhancing the understanding of the importance of a mutual relationship between biomedicine and society by postgraduate students. Similar initiatives may help in establishing the context of scientific progress in an important area such biomedicine

Research ethics in inter- and multi-disciplinary teams: Differences in disciplinary interpretations.

As research teams are increasingly comprised of members from multiple disciplines, ranging from the physical sciences, life sciences, social and behavioral sciences to the arts and humanities, it is important to revisit how research is conducted at several levels. Coupled with the national concern over rigor and reproducibility in research, it is therefore crucial to ensure that all members of such multidisciplinary teams view the need for ethics in the conduct of research in similar ways. Towards this end, Wayne State University developed a course in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) which was mandatory for all its 1500 doctoral students across all disciplines in its 75 PhD programs. We found that student perceptions of the validity, applicability and usefulness of the course varied by discipline. This was in spite of iterative changes made to the course by faculty in those disciplines to make the content palatable to all. The findings show that more work needs to be done to fully incorporate the needs of social sciences and humanities disciplines in a comprehensive university course. This is especially important as these students become members of large multidisciplinary research teams in order to uphold the highest levels of rigor, reproducibility and ethics.

Reconsidering Basic: Integrating Social and Behavioral Sciences to Support Learning.

PURPOSE: The integration of basic science mechanistic knowledge (pathophysiology and etiology) with clinical features (signs and symptoms) during learning leads to robust cognitive representations in novices and supports the development of clinical reasoning, including better diagnostic accuracy and later learning of related concepts. However, previous studies have used a limited scope of traditional biomedical sciences, including biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology. The use of extended forms of foundational knowledge, including behavioral and sociological sciences, that have been proposed to support learning and performance in complex health systems remains unexplored. METHOD: Thirty-three first-year medical students from the University of Toronto MD Program participated in the study. The effect of integrated extended basic science (EBS) learning was compared with that of clinically focused instruction on an initial assessment of diagnosis using clinical vignettes and a "preparation for future learning" assessment (PFLA) to assess learning of new related content in medical psychiatry (co-occurring physical and mental health conditions). RESULTS: Both forms of instruction supported the development of diagnostic ability on initial assessment (t[30] = 1.20, P = .24). On the PFLA, integrated instruction of extended forms of basic science led to superior performance on assessing complex patients' health care needs (t[30] = 2.70, P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Similar to previous studies using integration of biomedical sciences, the integration of EBS can enhance later learning of new related concepts. These results have implications for curriculum design to support development of expert clinical reasoning.

Gamification, social problems, and gender in the teaching of social sciences: Representations and discourse of trainee teachers.

This paper analyses the representations and discourse of 41 trainee teachers on the inclusion of gaming elements in education and their potential contribution to covering social problems in the curriculum, and to education on and for gender equality between men and women. The study follows the principles of mixed methods research, based on the transcription, coding, categorisation, and analysis of data obtained from 34 semi-structured interviews and two focus groups, in addition to their descriptive quantitative analysis. The results showed optimum reception of gamification as a useful formative strategy in the various stages of education and that it can be validly used to include gender as a category of analysis in the teaching of social sciences.

Impacts of cognitive-behavioral intervention on anxiety and depression among social science education students: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety is a common disorder which refers to a significant and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations. This study investigated the impacts of cognitive-behavioral intervention on anxiety and depression among undergraduate students enrolled in social science education programs at public universities in the Southeast Nigeria. METHODS: Participants were 55 undergraduate students enrolled in social science education programs at public universities in the Southeast Nigeria. The adequacy of the sample size used was determined using GPower software. Cognitive-behavioral treatment manuals on anxiety and depression were used to deliver the intervention. Data analyses were completed using repeated measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: Results indicated a significant positive impact of cognitive-behavioral intervention on anxiety and depression among social science education students exposed to the cognitive-behavioral intervention when compared to the waitlisted group. Results also showed that there was a significant time × group interaction for anxiety and depression. Follow-up tests showed that significant reduction in anxiety and depression persisted after 3 months for the cognitive-behavioral intervention group in comparison to the waitlisted control group. CONCLUSION: We concluded that cognitive-behavioral intervention was a successful intervention which decreased the symptoms of anxiety and depression in social science education students who participated in the study. Additional studies are recommended to further corroborate the influence of cognitive-behavioral intervention in the reduction of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the Nigerian undergraduate student population.

The use of personas in gerontological education.

Using mechanisms of active learning, we developed a Persona project for our undergraduate Introduction to Gerontology course. We conceive of Personas as fictional characters that are created through the amalgamation of physical, social, and psychological traits and have unique lived experiences. This article details the development of this innovative pedagogical tool and describes how Personas are used as part of an experiential learning assignment over the course of a semester. Student-generated Personas act to contextualize the broad course material, ranging from physical and mental health to environments and financial well-being in later life. Student feedback of the Persona project highlights what they learned, how this project was helpful for them, and suggestions for enhancing the experience for students in subsequent semesters. We conclude by recommending that other gerontological and social science educators incorporate Personas into their coursework to provide students an interactive tool to apply information learned through class lectures and readings.

A pedagogical strategy addressing an unmet need: Making the biology of aging an accessible part of interdisciplinary gerontology education.

In an age of specialization, obstacles to interdisciplinary training and integrated intellectual growth are expected. One such obstacle to graduate-level training in gerontology is the challenge of making the biology of aging accessible to nonbiologists. In this article, the authors' aim is to share 15 years of experience developing a pedagogical strategy that situates the biology of aging as an accessible part of interdisciplinary gerontology education for nonbiologists and biologists alike. The approach hinges on a four-pronged learning opportunity-four course offerings-that places high priority on exactitude with language and sees development of an attitude of precision with language as essential to intellectual growth. By inspiring students to master language in the key of B-Biology of Aging-we unleash a versatile method for developing cross-disciplinary discoverers prepared for a lifetime of seeing and reporting.