Examination of protective factors that promote prosocial skill development among children exposed to intimate partner violence.

This retrospective cohort study examined prosocial skills development in child welfare-involved children, how intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure explained heterogeneity in children's trajectories of prosocial skill development, and the degree to which protective factors across children's ecologies promoted prosocial skill development. Data were from 1,678 children from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being I, collected between 1999 and 2007. Cohort-sequential growth mixture models were estimated to identify patterns of prosocial skill development between the ages of 3 to 10 years. Four diverse pathways were identified, including two groups that started high (high subtle-decreasing; high decreasing-to-increasing) and two groups that started low (low stable; low increasing-to-decreasing). Children with prior history of child welfare involvement, preschool-age IPV exposure, school-age IPV exposure, or family income below the federal poverty level had higher odds of being in the high decreasing-to-increasing group compared with the high subtle-decreasing group. Children with a mother with greater than high school education or higher maternal responsiveness had higher odds of being in the low increasing-to-decreasing group compared with the low stable group. The importance of maternal responsiveness in fostering prosocial skill development underlines the need for further assessment and intervention. Recommendations for clinical assessment and parenting programs are provided.

An unexpected shift in constant year effects in female elite handball.

One of the most convincing studies about the importance of the cutoff date in relative age effects was when Helsen et al. (2000) showed that a shift in the date directly resulted in a change of birth month distributions in soccer. Over the past four decades, the role of the birth year has also been associated with relative age effects (as reflected in constant year effects). In this investigation, two studies attempted to replicate the shift of birth year distributions caused by a change in birth years in international female handball. In Study 1, the results from the female handball world championship 2017 showed a significant within-year effect overall and a constant year effect for players born 1988 and after. A second study was conducted with female players from world championships in 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015. Results demonstrated small effect sizes for most tests. However, there was an unexpected trend toward a constant year effect shift at the age of 28 years. Several hypotheses are presented as an explanation for this trend.

Evaluating the efficacy of OralDETECT training: Face-to-face versus online delivery in dental education.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effectiveness of face-to-face (F2F) and online OralDETECT training programme in enhancing early detection skills for oral cancer. METHODS: A total of 328 final-year dental students were trained across six cohorts. Three cohorts (175 students) received F2F training from the academic years 2016/2017 to 2018/2019, and the remaining three (153 students) underwent online training during the Covid-19 pandemic from 2019/2020 to 2021/2022. Participant scores were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, the Mann-Whitney test, Cohen's d effect size, and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Both F2F and online training showed increases in mean scores from pre-test to post-test 3: from 67.66 ± 11.81 to 92.06 ± 5.27 and 75.89 ± 11.03 to 90.95 ± 5.22, respectively. Comparison between F2F and online methods revealed significant differences in mean scores with large effect sizes at the pre-test stage (p < 0.001), while significant differences with small effect sizes were noted for post-test 1 (p = 0.002) and post-test 3 (p = 0.041). Regression analysis indicated that the delivery method is associated with the participants' final scores. CONCLUSION: F2F and online versions of the OralDETECT training programme significantly enhance participants' knowledge and skills in oral cancer detection. Although F2F appeared to be more effective, the difference was not substantial enough to be considered educationally meaningful.

A blended approach to developing psychomotor skills in novice learners in a doctor of physical therapy curriculum.

PURPOSE: Psychomotor skill performance is central to effective clinical practice across health professions. These complex skills are challenging to teach, particularly in the novice learner. As many health professions programs have increased blended course offerings, educators must establish best practices for teaching psychomotor skills in this evolving learning environment. The purpose of this paper is to describe the innovative application of an evidence-based framework to teaching psychomotor skills to novice learners in a blended learning environment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a modified 9-step framework, two novice clinical skills courses in a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program were redesigned to teach psychomotor skills in a blended format, using online and in-person class sessions. Online coursework consisted of synchronous and asynchronous learning activities that preceded an immersive lab experience. Formative and summative assessments occurred during lab immersion. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The learning framework provided a central evidence-based pillar for novel course design, guiding development of learning activities for teaching psychomotor skills to novice learners in a blended learning environment. Initial student outcomes appear favorable when compared with previous traditional course structures and satisfaction was high. These preliminary findings align with prior research using similar frameworks for learning complex skills and provide an archetype curricular model for a blended learning environment.

The influence of age, sex and player position on skill demands in junior Australian football.

This study aimed to investigate how ecological constraints influence individual player skill demands in community-level junior Australian Football (AF). Footage from 68 junior AF games, incorporating 1874 unique players, were analysed for individual skill demands such as disposals, kicks, handballs, tackles, marks, and shots at goal per player per game. Multiple linear mixed effect models were created for each skill, using player as a random effect. The impact of age, relative area per player (RAPP), number of players on the team, quarters in midfield, and weather on skill demands was assessed in U9-U14 boys. Finally, the influence of sex on the same skills was explored in U11-U14 boys and girls. Younger players were found to have fewer disposals and handballs, but more tackles, per player than older players (all p < 0.05). Further, more quarters in the midfield increased all skill demands (all p < 0.001). Finally, girls had fewer disposals and marks, but more tackles, per player than boys (all p < 0.05). Overall, age, sex, and position significantly impacted players' exposure to skills in junior AF. Game designers should consider methods to improve skill involvement and reduce tackling exposure early in the junior pathway, with further emphasis on the girls' game.

The Utrecht University Honours Program review project: example based scientific publishing training aimed at bachelor medical students.

INTRODUCTION: Medical undergraduate students receive limited education on scholarly publishing. However, publishing experiences during this phase are known to influence study and career paths. The medical bachelor Honours Program (HP) at Utrecht University initiated a hands-on writing and publishing course, which resulted in nine reviews published in internationally peer reviewed academic journals. We wanted to share the project set-up, explore the academic development of the participating students and determine the impact of the reviews on the scientific community. METHODS: Thirty-one out of 50 alumni completed a digital retrospective questionnaire on for example, development of skills and benefit for their studies and career. Publication metrics of the HP review papers were retrieved from Web of Science. RESULTS: This hands-on project provides a clear teaching method on academic writing and scholarly publishing in the bachelor medical curriculum. Participants were able to obtain and improve writing and publishing skills. The output yielded well-recognized scientific papers and valuable learning experiences. 71% of the participating students published at least one additional paper following this project, and 55% of the students indicated the project influenced their academic study and/or career path. Nine manuscripts were published in journals with an average impact factor of 3.56 and cited on average 3.73 times per year. DISCUSSION: This course might inspire other medical educators to incorporate similar projects successfully into their curriculum. To this end, a number of recommendations with regard to supervision, time investment and group size are given.

Participant Evaluation of a Multi-disciplinary Oncology Preceptorship Training Program for Oncology Health Professionals from Kumasi, Ghana.

A critical shortage of skilled healthcare workers is a primary cause of disparate global cancer outcomes. We report participant evaluation of a multidisciplinary preceptorship program. In collaboration with the city of Kumasi, Ghana, Mayo Clinic and the City Cancer Challenge hosted a preceptorship program for comprehensive multidisciplinary breast and cervix cancer training. A total of 14 healthcare workers from Kumasi received two weeks of training at Mayo Clinic in November and December 2021. Each participant and preceptor were requested to complete an anonymous post-participation survey. Of the 14 trainee participants, 10 (71%) completed the survey. All respondents found the program "valuable and applicable to their clinical practice." Ninety percent reported they were able to "review effective and critical elements in the development and expansion of the multidisciplinary team" and able to "solve practical clinical cases as a team". General themes of satisfaction included: (1) organization and administration, (2) clinical observations and demonstrations, (3) guidelines development, and (4) recognizing the central importance of cultivating a team-based approach. Of the 40 preceptors, 16 (40%) completed the survey. All respondents reported they felt the training would meaningfully "influence patient care in Ghana", that participation "added value or joy to their clinical practice," and all wished to "participate in future preceptorship programs". After a focused two-week program, trainees reported high satisfaction, usefulness from observing specialized cancer care, and value in closely observing a multidisciplinary oncology team. Preceptors reported the experience added joy and perspective to their clinical practice and wished to participate in future programs.

Skill development practice-related challenges, and associated factors among nursing students.

BACKGROUND: Nurse students reportedly face lots of challenges during skill development practice in health institutions. However, the prevalence of challenges and factors associated aren't well understood yet. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to identify the challenges experienced by nursing students in health institutions during skill development practice. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was employed on the participants selected using a simple random sampling technique. The data was cleaned using Epi-data and exported to SPSS for analysis. Logistic regression analysis and correlation analysis were carried out to identify the associated factors. RESULT: The participants are more challenged by instructor factors (43.6%) and facility factors (40%). The prevalence of the challenge was 16.9%. Substance use and learning institutions are found to be independent predictors. A negative correlation was identified between the total challenge score and the overall competency score. CONCLUSION: The determined nursing students' challenges are strong enough to affect the quality of education; therefore, it is essential to plan and improve the students' integrated supportive supervision.

Predicting Basketball Shot Outcome From Visuomotor Control Data Using Explainable Machine Learning.

Quiet eye (QE), the visual fixation on a target before initiation of a critical action, is associated with improved performance. While QE is trainable, it is unclear whether QE can directly predict performance, which has implications for training interventions. This study predicted basketball shot outcome (make or miss) from visuomotor control variables using a decision tree classification approach. Twelve basketball athletes completed 200 shots from six on-court locations while wearing mobile eye-tracking glasses. Training and testing data sets were used for modeling eight predictors (shot location, arm extension time, and absolute and relative QE onset, offset, and duration) via standard and conditional inference decision trees and random forests. On average, the trees predicted over 66% of makes and over 50% of misses. The main predictor, relative QE duration, indicated success for durations over 18.4% (range: 14.5%-22.0%). Training to prolong QE duration beyond 18% may enhance shot success.

The meaning of adulthood for emerging adults with Down syndrome: Parent perspectives on relevant skills.

BACKGROUND: Parents' conceptualizations of adulthood for their emerging adults with Down syndrome have the potential to impact the transition planning process as families prepare for life after graduation. AIMS: This study aimed to explore parent perceptions of the meaning of adulthood for their emerging adults with Down syndrome. METHODS: In this qualitative study, we interviewed 11 parents of emerging adults with Down syndrome using phenomenological methodology and analysed these data using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three topics emerged: (1) Parents' constructions of the meaning of adulthood; (2) Parents' perceptions about the transition to adulthood; and (3) Parents' perceptions of current adult life skills. Ten themes arose out of these topics. CONCLUSIONS: Parents expressed ambivalence about the meaning of adulthood for their emerging adults with Down syndrome, sharing that in some ways they were adults and in others they were not. The meaning of adulthood was closely tied to obtained skills, particularly those related to personal safety.

The effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns on motor skill development of 6- and 7-year old children in the Netherlands: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: The closing of schools and sports clubs during the COVID-19 lockdown raised questions about the possible impact on children's motor skill development. Therefore, we compared motor skill development over a one-year period among four different cohorts of primary school children of which two experienced no lockdowns during the study period (control cohorts) and two cohorts experienced one or two lockdowns during the study period (lockdown cohorts). METHODS: A total of 992 children from 9 primary schools in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) participated in this study (age 5 - 7; 47.5% boys, 52.5% girls). Their motor skill competence was assessed twice, first in grade 3 (T1) and thereafter in grade 4 (T2). Children in control group 1 and lockdown group 1 were assessed a third time after two years (T3). Motor skill competence was assessed using the 4-Skills Test, which includes 4 components of motor skill: jumping force (locomotion), jumping coordination (coordination), bouncing ball (object control) and standing still (stability). Mixed factorial ANOVA's were used to analyse our data. RESULTS: No significant differences in motor skill development over the study period between the lockdown groups and control groups (p > 0.05) were found, but a difference was found between the two lockdown groups: lockdown group 2 developed significantly better than lockdown group 1 (p = 0.008). While socioeconomic status was an effect modifier, sex and motor ability did not modify the effects of the lockdowns. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 lockdowns in the Netherlands did not negatively affect motor skill development of young children in our study. Due to the complexity of the factors related to the pandemic lockdowns and the dynamic systems involved in motor skill development of children, caution must be taken with drawing general conclusions. Therefore, children's motor skill development should be closely monitored in the upcoming years and attention should be paid to individual differences.

Analysis of learning the bimanual control of (tele)operating joint space controlled robotic arms with 4 degrees of freedom using the two-timescales power law of learning.

Training costs for operators of robotic arms in forestry and construction are high. A systematic analysis of skill development can help to make training more efficient. This research focuses on motor skill development by investigating the bimanual control of a four-DoF robotic arm. The two-time scale power law of learning was used to identify difficulties in control learning. Ten participants acquired the control of the robotic arm in a simulator over ten sessions within seven weeks. Eight movement targets were presented in each of six blocks per session, comprising 432 robotic arm movements. The results suggest that learning varies for each joystick axis, with control of the elbow joint showing the highest learning gain. The base and shoulder joints showed similar learning gains. The wrist joint showed mixed results in terms of use or disuse. Performance increased with retention, suggesting that a longer period of consolidation aided skill acquisition.Practitioner summary: A shortage of skilled operators, costly, and extensive training of heavy machine operators in robotic arm control requires to revisit control skill learning. This study showed that focus of training ought to be shifted to specific joints and training requires to emphasise longer resting periods between training sessions.

Effects of biofeedback on whole lower limb joint kinematics and external kinetics.

Biofeedback (BFb) is a useful tool to accelerate the skill development process. Limited research has applied BFb to the whole lower-limb in a complex skill therefore the aim of this research was to assess the effectiveness of a biofeedback intervention targeting whole lower limb kinematics. Thirty-two healthy participants were randomized to a BFb (n = 16) and a Control group (n = 16). Participants visited a motion capture laboratory on three occasions during one week, and returned for retention testing at 4-6 weeks. Following introduction to a novel lunge-touch task, visual BFb on lower limb joint kinematic extension angular velocities (ω) and timing were provided following each lunge. BFb was effective in increasing Hipω (F = 3.746, p = 0.03) and Kneeω (F = 10.241, p = 0.01). Peak Ankleω remained unchanged (F = 1.537, p = 0.23, η2 = 0.05), however Peak Ankleθ (F = 10.915, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.27) and AnkleROM (F = 9.543, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.24) significantly increased. Despite kinematic changes, there were no significant changes in any external kinetics. No significant correlations were found between Hipω, Kneeω or Ankleω and horizontal impulse (ImpulseY: r = 0.20, p = 0.26; r = -0.11, p = 0.24; and r = 0.22, p = 0.28, respectively). Findings demonstrate that BFb can be used to alter multiple kinematic variables in a complex skill, but do not necessarily alter associated kinetic variables not directly targeted by BFb.

Scaling junior sport competition: A body-scaling approach?

The design of the junior sport competition environment plays a critical role in attracting and retaining children as life-long participants. Critically, however, the guidelines governing the design of junior sport are rarely scrutinized. With this in mind, our aim is to offer sports authorities a method to systematically assess the suitability of guidelines. The most popular junior ball sport competitions in Australia were assessed in relation to the scaling of task constraints and compared to children's corresponding physical maturation and/or performance measures. This assessment enabled the calculation of pi ratios, which were then used to categorise constraints as either (1) undersized, (2) appropriately sized or (3) oversized. Results revealed that most sports' ask children to play in oversized conditions, particularly in the under 9 to under 12 age groups and in boys' competitions. The task constraints that had the highest percentage of pi ratios appropriately sized were match duration and goal size. Comparatively, ball size and field length had the highest percentage of pi ratios classified as oversized. We contend that the systematic approach applied in this article should be used by sports authorities to understand the extent of scaling constraints in junior sport.

Developing and testing a new tool to foster wind energy sector industrial skills.

The wind energy sector has seen an increasing growth in the last decade and this is foreseen to continue in the next years. This has posed several challenges in terms of skilled and prepared professionals that have always to be up to date in an industry that is constantly changing. Thus, teaching tools have gained an increasing interest. The present research reviewed the state of the art in terms of digital interactive training tools pinpointing that the existing options do not feature the user involvement in the development of the training material. Hence, the main aim of this paper is to develop and test an innovative method based on gamification to increase wind energy sector industrial skills, providing a digital interactive environment in the form of a new user-friendly software that can allow its users to train and contribute to the teaching and learning contents. The first methodological step deals with the associated background studies that were required at strategy implementation and development stages, including market analysis and technology trade-offs, as well as the general structure and the implementation steps of the software design. Obtained results pinpointed that with minimal use of web-based database and network connectivity, a mobile phone application could work in the form of a time-scored quiz application that remotely located staff at wind energy farms could benefit from. The technological innovation brought by this research will substantially improve the service of training, allowing a more dynamic formative management contributing to an improvement in the competitiveness and a step towards excellence for the whole sector.

Skill Development Versus Performativity Among Beginners in Aerial Practice: An Embodied and Meaningful Learning Experience.

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, phenomenological study was to use embodied cognition in understanding learning experiences in skill development and performativity (e.g., storytelling and emotional expression) among 17 beginners in aerial practice (Mage = 20.59 ± 1.37 years old). Eight people were in the treatment-group class (skill development and performativity) and nine individuals participated in the control-group class (only skill development). Four themes emerged from the analysis: linking other exercises to aerial (e.g., cheerleading, dancing, and gymnastics) and uniqueness of aerial (e.g., artistic aspect while in the air); success in meeting aerial goals (at the posttest, performativity was valued more in the treatment group than the control group); exercise changes due to aerial, such as enhanced upper-body strengthening activities and stretches; and lessons learned, including importance of conditioning and small class size, switching Teaching Assistants (TAs), and silk awareness. Practitioners in community-based movement education programs like dancing and physical theater should recognize the need for embodied knowledge by emphasizing not only skill development but also performativity for enhanced learning experiences within supportive class settings. Although adding performative qualities to skill learning is more challenging than skill development alone, it can lead to enhanced performance, joy, and meaning of movement.

Coaches' perspective towards skill acquisition in swimming: What practice approaches are typically applied in training?

This study aimed to explore the experiential knowledge and preferred training approaches of elite swimming coaches in regards to general skill development and then looking specifically at the freestyle stroke. A qualitative thematic analysis approach was employed to identify, analyse and report themes within the content of the collected data. Twenty elite swimming coaches participated in semi-structured interviews. Several themes revealed that the most common training practices employed to improve skill learning included the use of task decomposition (part-task) techniques. The findings also indicated that swimming coaches believe practice should be specific/representative to the intended performance outcomes. It is believed that such viewpoints may have been influenced by coaches' interaction with skill acquisition consultants and may have also shaped some coaches use of variants of constraints manipulation in their practice design. While swimming coaches seem to mix both traditional and contemporary skill acquisition theories in their training prescriptions, the traditional approach is dominant as evidenced by coaches seeking to reinforce "perfect" swimming technique and mechanical consistency. Considering coaches' experiential knowledge and training prescriptions may benefit future research protocols and better facilitate the transfer of empirical findings to coaching practice.

Predictive value of coaches' early technical and tactical notational analyses on long-term success of female handball players.

Despite the importance of technique and tactics for athlete performance, there has been surprisingly little research on the value of these skills in talent identification and development. This study investigated the relationship between coaches' early notational analyses of female youth handball players and the long-term success of these athletes. Participants included sixty-eight female handball players involved in a talent selection camp in Germany when they were between 12 and 14 years of age (mean = 14.42, SD = 0.42). All subsequently ended up as non-, semi- or professional adult players. During the initial selection camp, participants were evaluated on a range of quantitative and qualitative measures of technical and tactical skill. Results indicated significant differences between the groups, but only for the number of actions taken, not for the quality of those actions. While this seems counterintuitive, it may reflect the likelihood that more skilled and/or talented players take more actions. Further work is necessary to explore the validity and implications of these findings.

Implementation of a modified sport programme to increase participation: Key stakeholder perspectives.

Modified sports, whereby equipment and rules are manipulated to facilitate skill performance, have been shown to promote skill learning and potentially increase participation. However, it is currently unexplored how key stakeholders - coaches and key figures working in National associations - who are critical stakeholders in implementing and delivering sport programmes, perceive modified sport. This study explored how tennis coaches and key figures working within tennis National associations perceived the impact of implementing a modified tennis campaign on participation and skill development in children and adults. Key figures and coaches around the world completed an online questionnaire. Both groups considered that modified tennis was positively associated with increasing and sustaining participation, skill learning, talent development and people's attitude towards tennis. Furthermore, participants thought that a rule change (i.e., use of a low-compression ball in children competitions) and the campaign's core messages (i.e., "serve, rally, score" and "easy, fun, and healthy") have been critical for the success of the campaign. These results support previous research on the positive impact of modified tennis on skill development and provide a further impetus on implementing modified sports to increase participation. Other sports can adopt similar strategies to improve their modified programmes.

Graduates' affective transfer of research skills and evidence based practice from university to employment in clinics.

BACKGROUND: This research sought to determine the impact of explicit program-based development of skills associated with research and Evidence Based Practice (EBP) on the attitudes and sustained behaviours of graduates subsequently employed in clinics. Systematic reviews have shown that university teaching of EBP and research skills rarely result in transfer of commensurate attitudes and sustained behaviours of students to their subsequent studies or to employment. Studies have therefore called for detailed exploration of what may enable this transfer of knowledge and skills to attitudes and behaviours. In keeping with these calls, this paper presents a fine-grained qualitative study of graduates' research skills and EBP in clinics with particular reference to pertinent attitudes, values and behaviours sustained, or further developed, one year after program completion. METHODS: The study revolved around employed graduates of a Bachelor of Oral Health (BOH) program, which used the Research Skill Development (RSD) framework to structure the explicit, coherent and cyclic development of the skills associated with research in multiple semesters of the degree. One year after their completion of the BOH program, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine employed graduates, three from each of three consecutive cohorts, to gain their professional perspectives on their research skills and EBP developed at university and then used in clinics. While the pre-determined interview questions focused on employed graduates' knowledge and skills, the attitudes and values around research skills and EBP emerged spontaneously. RESULTS: Graduates that were interviewed relayed in detail their attitudes and values associated with research skills and EBP when asked about their work in clinics, even though the affective elements were not specifically elicited. In the employment context, the positive affective aspects of the skills associated with research and EBP that graduates discussed were pronounced, and this contrasted with working graduates retrospective view of university research skills and EBP. CONCLUSIONS: The richness of affective interaction with patients was a factor that enabled the interviewed graduates to transfer university knowledge and skills into attitudes and behaviours associated with EBP. We recommend similar fine-grained qualitative research to further develop constructs that enable quantification of the interplay of cognitive and affective facets in researching and EBP.