Honing action competence in sustainable development: what happens in classrooms matters.

In effectiveness literature, voices are rising to embrace learning contents beyond mathematics, science, and language. Meanwhile, international policy documents such as the United Nations 2019 Climate Action Summit Report point at the importance of action for sustainable development for establishing acceptable life conditions for current and future generations. Therefore, a candidate learning outcome for broadening effectiveness research's scope is action competence in sustainable development (ACiSD), which consists of the relevant knowledge, willingness, capacity expectations, and outcome expectancy regarding actions for sustainable development. In order to initiate adding ACiSD as a learning outcome to effectiveness research, the current study contributed to establishing that formal education plays a part in changes in students' ACiSD. Firstly, we studied how much variance in ACiSD can be attributed to what happens in classrooms. Secondly, we looked into how class groups' and early adolescent students' ACiSD changed after one school year. Following recommendations for rigour in effectiveness research, we performed multilevel analyses on survey data (question one: n = 1398; question two: n = 633). Our evidence showed that 11% of variance in ACiSD was attributable to what happens in classrooms with explained variance in the subconstructs ranging between 7.2 and 14.2%. Furthermore, individual students as well as class groups showed higher ACiSD scores when comparing measurements at beginning and end of one school year. We conclude that the classroom level matters to changes in ACiSD within early adolescents. Further research can now look into how and to which extent teachers' educational approaches affect these changes.

Action competence obstacles to managing childhood overweight: in-depth interviews with mothers of 7- to 9-year-old children.

This qualitative phenomenological study interviewed seven mothers to overweight children and six mothers to non-overweight children aged 7 to 9 years old about their views and experiences with preventing and managing overweight in their children. The essence was that the mothers felt responsible for their children's habits, including those leading to overweight. They also felt that competent and had the opportunity to take preventive measures against child overweight but they did not always have the energy to do so. Even resourceful mothers required support from nurses and health professionals. Our results contribute to better understanding how to approach, motivate and support mothers to draw on their own competencies to benefit their children's weight and health.

[What do the new specialty training regulations mean for physicians in general surgery and visceral surgery? : A contribution from a Bavarian perspective]. / Was bedeutet die neue Weiterbildungsordnung für die Fachärztin/den Facharzt für Allgemeinchirurgie und Viszeralchirurgie? : Ein Beitrag aus bayerischer Sicht.

In 2018 the German Medical Congress (Deutscher Ärztetag) passed a new model specialty training regulation (MWBO). As the individual state chambers of physicians have their own state-specific specialty training regulations, the following is a comparison from the Bavarian perspective using the specialty training in general surgery and visceral surgery as examples for the specialty training requirements according to the old (WBO 2004) and the new specialty training regulations for physicians in Bavaria (WBO 2021) [1].

Facilitating an Interprofessional Course on Climate Change and Public Health Preparedness.

In this paper, we share the theories that guided the design of an interprofessional education course on Climate Change and Public Health Preparedness and how the course supported students' professional interest and action competence as they move through their education and into their professional work in the context of our unfolding climate crisis. The course was guided by the public health emergency preparedness domains and was built to allow for students to explore applications of the content for themselves and their own profession. We designed the learning activities to support personal and professional interest development and help students move into perceived and demonstrated action competence. For the evaluation of our course, we asked the following research questions: What kinds of personal and professional commitments to action did students propose by the end of the course? Did these vary in depth and specificity and by the number of credits they enrolled in? In what ways did students develop personal and professional action competence over the course? Finally, how did they show personal, professional, and collective agency related to the course content on adaptation, preparedness, and mitigation of the health impacts from climate change? Using qualitative analysis guided by action competence and interest development theories, we coded student writing from course assignments. We also conducted comparative statistical analysis to assess differential impacts for students who enrolled for one versus three credits. The results show that this course design supported students' progression of knowledge and perceived ability in specific individual and professional collective actions to reduce the health impacts of climate change.

Sustainable career and employability of student leaders in China.

Research has shown that most employers prefer employing graduates with student leadership experience in colleges and most of the student leaders have sustainable development in their careers in China. Compared with students without leadership experience, student leaders are easier to get promotion and development opportunities in the workplace. To discuss this question, researchers chose employers, student leaders, and teachers as research participants in an effort to answer the question of why employers prefer graduates with experience being student leaders. This study focuses on what key competencies student leaders possess and how their competencies can match the capability requirement of employers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 outstanding student leaders, 4 class teachers, 2 student affairs administrators, and 8 human resource managers from two vocational colleges in Beijing. We find that student leaders have strong social competence, emotional competence, action competence, responsibility, and resilience which employers value and these competencies are essential to career development in the workplace. These competencies are considered to be helpful to support student leaders to adapt to the real work environment quickly and achieve career success.

Investigating the experiences, thoughts, and feelings underlying and influencing prehabilitation among cancer patients: a qualitative perspective on the what, when, where, who, and why.

PURPOSE: To investigate the experiences, thoughts, and feelings that underlie and influence prehabilitation among cancer patients due to undergo major abdominal surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prior to their surgery, sixteen patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis of colorectal or ovarian origin due to undergo major surgery received oral information and a leaflet with preoperative recommendations. They subsequently participated in individual, semi-structured interviews. Malterud's principles of systematic text condensation were used to analyse the interviews, and the concept of action competence inspired and framed the discussion. RESULTS: Although the patients found themselves in an unpredictable and uncontrollable situation, they nevertheless knew what was important to them. These factors were contextualised in five themes that reflected the experiences, thoughts, and feelings that underlay and influenced their actions: "Perception of preparation," "The two-sided preoperative period," "Home or facility-based prehabilitation," "Stakeholders in prehabilitation," and "Reasons for taking action". CONCLUSIONS: The patients demonstrated action competence in relation to their preoperative preparation. However, in relation to the kind of prehabilitation that required lifestyle changes, their action competence needed to be developed and supported. To do so, it is necessary to ask questions that cover the patients' perspectives of the what, when, where, who, and why of prehabilitation.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONPatients undergoing major, abdominal cancer surgery have very clear opinions about what are important to them during the preoperative period, and this is not only limited to prehabilitation-related actions.In order to develop patients' action competence in relation to prehabilitation, patients need more support and supervision from health professionals.Qualitative in-depth knowledge concerning the what, when, where, who, and why of prehabilitation should be taken into account in the development of future prehabilitation programmes.

Action competence: A concept analysis.

AIM: The aim of this article is to analyze the concept of action competence and comprise a definition of the concept suitable to apply to virtual simulation in nursing education. BACKGROUND: Virtual simulation has become an instructional method increasingly used in nursing education which creates a challenge for assessment of clinical competence. DESIGN: This concept analysis was performed using Walker and Avant's eight stages of concept analysis. DATA SOURCE: A literature search was conducted using search engines and included peer-reviewed articles from various disciplines. RESULTS: The concept analysis resulted in an operational definition of action competence that is useful in nursing education. CONCLUSION: The use of action competence during virtual simulation sessions provides a means for knowledge transfer, accountability of actions on the part of the students, self-awareness, and reflection. Through this process, students gain critical problem-solving skills that, through sustainability, can be applied to varying future patient scenarios. Action competence contains concrete components applicable to sustainability of knowledge gained by nursing students during virtual simulation.

Responsabilidade ambiental individualizada e complexidade na Suécia / Individualized environmental responsibility and complexity in Sweden

O presente artigo debate a individualização da responsabilidade ambiental, assim como os requisitos, visando refletir sobre as consequências ambientais das atividades do dia a dia, o que é feito com relação à ideia de que a consciência dos riscos e problemas ambientais influenciarão as atividades ambientais. Foram investigadas as atividades sustentáveis na vida do dia a dia de 64 domicílios suecos, em uma pesquisa multidisciplinar e qualitativa. Ao interagir com intrincados sistemas sociotécnicos para viver a vida do dia a dia, esses domicílios podem exercer e sofrer impactos do ambiente de locais próximos e afastados, e o enfoque agora reside em como eles concebem essas influências e sua responsabilidade com relação ao ambiente. O debate girará em relação a um conjunto de categorias referentes às maneiras como os entrevistados descrevem os problemas ambientais. Este artigo mostra que moradores conhecem os problemas e riscos ambientais e acreditam que tenham uma responsabilidade pessoal, que consideram ser, sobretudo, a reciclagem. O artigo, porém, também discute argumentos sobre domicílios que não agem de maneira pró-ambiental. A discussão teórica se processa com relação à refletividade e à sociedade de risco, e as conclusões estão vinculadas aos desafios que a complexidade levanta para a possibilidade de refletir sobre as consequências ambientais e para agir de maneira pró-ambiental.

Responsabilidade ambiental individualizada e complexidade na Suécia / /Individualized environmental responsibilityand complexity in Sweden

O presente artigo debate a individualização da responsabilidade ambiental, assim como os requisitos,visando refletir sobre as consequências ambientais das atividades do dia a dia, o que é feito com relação à ideia de que a consciência dos riscos e problemas ambientais influenciarão as atividades ambientais.Foram investigadas as atividades sustentáveis na vida do dia a dia de 64 domicílios suecos, em uma pesquisa multidisciplinar e qualitativa. Ao interagir com intrincados sistemas sociotécnicos para viver a vidado dia a dia, esses domicílios podem exercer e sofrer impactos do ambiente de locais próximos e afastados,e o enfoque agora reside em como eles concebem essas influências e sua responsabilidade com relação ao ambiente. O debate girará em relação a um conjunto de categorias referentes às maneiras como os entrevistados descrevem os problemas ambientais. Este artigo mostra que moradores conhecem os problemas e riscos ambientais e acreditam que tenham uma responsabilidade pessoal, que consideram ser, sobretudo,a reciclagem. O artigo, porém, também discute argumentos sobre domicílios que não agem de maneira pró-ambiental. A discussão teórica se processa com relação à refletividade e à sociedade de risco, e as conclusões estão vinculadas aos desafios que a complexidade levanta para a possibilidade de refletir sobre as consequências ambientais e para agir de maneira pró-ambiental. (AU)

This article discusses the individualization of environmental responsibility and the requirements to reflecton the environmental consequences of everyday activities. This is done in relation to the idea that awarenessof environmental risks and problems will influence environmental activities. 64 Swedish householderseveryday life and sustainable activities has been investigated in a multidisciplinary, qualitative study.By interacting with intricate socio-technical systems in order to live everyday life, these householders canaffect and are affected by the environment in near and distant places, and the focus is on how the householdersconceive of these influences and their responsibility for the environment. The discussion willbe run in relation to a set of categories concerning the ways the householders described environmentalproblems. The article shows that the householders know of environmental problems and risks, and believethey have a personal responsibility, which they mainly take by recycling. But the article also discussesarguments about why the householders do not act pro-environmentally. The theoretical discussion is runin relation to reflexivity and risk society, and the conclusions are related to the challenges that complexityposes to the possibility to reflect on the environmental consequences and to act pro-environmentally.