bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La cyberintimidation à l’épreuve du milieu scolaire québécois : regards d’intervenants sur l’irruption des nouvelles technologies à l’école
Authors: Cauchie Jean-François , Corriveau Patrice
Published: November 2015

Au Québec, l’émergence des technologies de l’information et des communications (TIC) dans le milieu scolaire suscite régulièrement l’attention des médias et du monde politique, souvent par le filtre de la cyberintimidation. Mais qu’en pense le milieu scolaire lui-même? Pour le savoir, nous avons mené des entretiens semi-directifs auprès d’acteurs de terrain issus de deux commissions scolaires, dans deux régions différentes. Ces entretiens ont été riches d’enseignements. En laissant ces acteurs circonscrire eux-mêmes les problèmes que posent à l’espace scolaire les TIC, notamment l’irruption des réseaux sociaux à l’école, nous avons pu établir que 1) la rhétorique de la cyberintimidation trouvait peu d’écho (voire pas du tout) parmi les acteurs de terrain, 2) les problèmes posés par les TIC en milieu scolaire ne tenaient pas seulement aux possibles souffrances vécues par les jeunes, 3) ces problèmes concernaient aussi l’insaisissabilité d’un phénomène (qu’est-ce que la cyberintimidation?), la porosité des murs de l’école (où commence et où s’arrête-t-elle?), et la non-maîtrise d’un environnement (faut-il ou non intégrer les TIC à la socialisation scolaire?). Notre recherche met donc en garde contre des analyses un peu trop hâtives et consensuelles au regard de la guerre à la (cyber)intimidation.
Hidden in the Shadows: The Impact of Temporary Worker Populations on Crime Rate Calculations
Authors: Reid Andrew A. , Boyd Neil
Published: November 2015

Crime rates have long been established as standard metrics in criminological research and have been recognized for their utility in many different contexts. The utility of crime rates, however, depends largely on the accuracy of the data that are used to operationalize them. Using three jurisdictions in the province of Alberta, Canada, as case studies, this research note sets out to assess the impact of including shadow populations (i.e., temporary workers) in the denominator of crime rate calculations. Results of the alternative crime calculations reveal that, in some cases, shadow populations make very little difference to reported crime rates. In other cases, however, shadow populations make large differences. It is concluded that municipal census data that include shadow population counts ought to be given greater consideration, particularly for municipalities with large shadow population to permanent population ratios.
Choosing the danger we think we know: Men and women's faulty perceptions of sexually transmitted infection risk with familiar and unfamiliar new partners
Authors: Sparling Shayna , Cramer Ken
Published: November 2015

It is essential that we gain a clearer understanding of why young adults in Canada may fail to appropriately protect themselves from STI/HIV transmission. Partner familiarity plays an important role in judgements of partner safety. Previous research has indicated that young people believe that unprotected sex with a new/casual partner poses a greater risk than with a regular partner (Crawford, Turtle, & Kippax, 1990). However, a clear distinction must be made between familiar and unfamiliar new partners, as individuals have been shown to rely upon irrelevant factors, such as attractiveness and familiarity, to judge the relative safety of new sexual partners (e.g., Canin, Dolcini, & Adler, 1999; Kelly & Kalichman, 1995; Williams et al.; 1992). The current study aimed to examine the impact of partner familiarity on perceptions of partner appeal and STI transmission risk. Eighty-two undergraduate students (53 women) were presented with eight different vignettes and judged the hypothetical partners presented in each scenario. Vignette partners who were described as being familiar were judged to be more appealing sexually and romantically, more trustworthy, and lower risk for STI transmission. These findings support the idea that familiarity can be established relatively quickly and that familiarity indeed impacts perceptions of new sexual partners, such that individuals may engage in increased risk-taking with more familiar new partners, despite knowing next to nothing about their sexual history. Further, the current findings suggest that partner familiarity is an important dimension to consider when examining sexual risk-taking with casual or new sexual partners.
Family matters, but sometimes chosen family matters more: Perceived social network influence in the dating decisions of same- and mixed-sex couples
Authors: Blair Karen L. , Pukall Caroline F.
Published: November 2015

Although social support for relationships is a commonly studied topic, the literature is divided upon whether social support from parents versus friends plays a more important role in predicting relational and health outcomes. Using a sample (N=698) of heterosexual and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) participants, the current study examined differences in past experiences of relationship disapproval from friends and family, as well as self-reported levels of importance assigned to various sources of social approval for relationships. In addition, participants read hypothetical scenarios in which they were told that their parents, heterosexual friends or LGBTQ friends disapproved of their current dating partner and suggested that they end the relationship. Participants responded by indicating whether or not they would end the hypothetical relationship based on the disapproval. Results indicate that individuals in same-sex relationships often perceive less social support for their relationships from parents than friends, that they place more value on relationship approval from friends, or chosen family, and that they are less likely to end a relationship based on parental disapproval, compared to those in mixed-sex relationships. A ‘currency’ model of parental disapproval for relationships is introduced, whereby parents are seen to have a finite amount of ‘relationship disapproval currency’ available to spend on an adult child's relationships. Inaccurately disapproving of their children's relationships is shown to reduce the likelihood of children considering their parents' opinions, while accurately disapproving of relationships significantly increases the likelihood of their adult children considering their opinions in the future.
How the popular media rushes to judgment about pornography and relationships while research lags behind
Authors: Montgomery-Graham Stephanie , Kohut Taylor , Fisher William , Campbell Lorne
Published: November 2015

Pornography has been a major source of public concern for decades. In recent years, apprehension about the deleterious impact of pornography on romantic and marital relationships has joined a list of previously asserted harms, including claimed associations of pornography with communism, organized crime, aggression against women, and sex addiction. The current research systematically sampled public discourse in the media concerning the impact of pornography on the couple relationship and compared media assertions and conclusions with available evidence of academic research in this area. Magazine features, newspaper articles, and Internet postings mentioning the impact of pornography on heterosexual couples were systematically sampled and analyzed with Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Five prominent themes emerged in media discussions of the impact of pornography on relationships: (1) pornography addiction; (2) pornography is good for sexual relationships; (3) pornography use is a form of adultery; (4) partner's pornography use makes one feel inadequate; and (5) pornography use changes expectations about sexual behaviour. Academic research was then reviewed that addressed these identified themes. Two of five identified popular media themes were in accord with the academic literature. The extent to which popular media and academic research are having the same discussions and reaching the same, or different, conclusions was explored, and we discuss implications for future research.
Sexual health education in Quebec schools: A critique and call for change
Authors: Garcia Chloe Krystyna
Published: November 2015

In 2005, an education reform swept across Quebec high schools, leading to the disappearance of a mandatory sexual health curriculum. Arguing that the responsibility for children's sexual health education fell on multiple shoulders, the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS) of Quebec proposed that teachers, nurses, community organizations, and parents, work together to regularly include discussions of sexuality in different facets of school life, from classroom discussions to extracurricular projects. Instead of this, news reports and recent studies show that sexual health education is inconsistently offered across the province, and often not offered at all. Time constraints, diverging ideologies between stakeholders, feelings of confusion over the ministerial guidelines and stakeholders' roles, and a lack of teacher education are major challenges to the effective delivery of sexual health education in Quebec. In this article, I explore these issues, and compare the provincial sexual health education framework with the Public Health Agency of Canada's Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education to illustrate gaps in Quebec's current approach to providing sexual health education in the schools. Finally, I critically examine the key elements of the recent pilot project announced by the Quebec Ministry of Education, and suggest that education policy-makers take the past reform issues and the Public Health Agency's guidelines into consideration as they move forward with the new sexual health education initiative.
Autonomous Pluralistic Learning Strategies Among Mexican Indigenous and Minority University Students Learning English
Authors: Despagne Colette
Published: November 2015

This critical ethnographic case study draws on Indigenous and minority students’ process of learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Mexico. The study specifically focuses on students who enrolled in a program called A wager with the Future. The aim of the study is to identify and understand contributing factors in these students’ struggles with the process of learning English by focusing on factors that influence their investment in EFL. The research is framed by (critical) applied linguistics and post-colonial theories that favour the integration of an understanding of these students’ socio historical context in their learning of English, and question (unequal) power relationships between languages and cultures in Mexico. The methodology was designed to ensure trustworthiness by adopting multiple data collection techniques, and to decolonize the research process by using participatory methods that featured researcher/participant co-analysis of the data. On a macro level, findings show that students enrolled in the program experience a relationship with English that is rooted in Mexico’s colonial legacies (as expressed through discrimination in the EFL classroom), which has an impact on their subjectivities; specifically, they feel afraid and inferior in the EFL classroom. On a micro level, the programming adopted in the university’s Language Department does not draw on diverse students’ multi-competences in other languages. Nonetheless, some Indigenous students manage to invest in EFL by creating imagined communities, and appropriating English through the creation of autonomous pluralistic language learning strategies.
A Comparison of L2 and L3 Learners’ Strategy Use in School Settings
Authors: Haukås Åsta
Published: November 2015

Research on third-language learning (L3) has documented that plurilingualism is an asset in many respects. Particularly relevant for this study is research showing that L3 learners use more strategies more frequently and efficiently than L2 learners. However, previous studies have mainly concentrated on L3 learners’ strategy use at the university level, whereas little attention has been given to L3 learners in a secondary school context. This study investigated reports of strategy use by 127 L2-English and 104 L3-German learners who studied these two languages in Norwegian secondary schools. The results showed that L3-German school learners reported using significantly fewer strategies and applying them less frequently than L2-English school learners. It is hypothesized (a) that L3 learners may be insufficiently aware of how to transfer knowledge from previous language-learning experiences and (b) that L3 learners use fewer strategies than L2 learners due to lower motivation for learning L3 German than for learning L2 English.
Language Choice Among Peers in Project-Based Learning: A Hong Kong Case Study of English Language Learners’ Plurilingual Practices in Out-of-Class Computer-Mediated Communication
Authors: Hafner Christoph A. , Li David C.S. , Miller Lindsay
Published: November 2015

Recently there has been considerable interest in the role of first language use in second/foreign language learning, especially where students share a common first language. However, most research has focused on in-class interaction between teachers and learners. Much less attention has been given to students’ out-of-class practices, for example, in collaborative project-based learning. To fill this gap, the article tracks the out-of-class activities of 16 students (four project groups) involved in project work on a course in English for science students at an English-medium university in Hong Kong. An analysis of students’ computer-mediated interactions (Facebook, WhatsApp and email) shows that these interactions are plurilingual, with students drawing on English, Chinese and mixed code to different extents as they go about their project work. Different languages are used strategically: whereas L2 is used more in the construction of the final project product, L1 is used more to promote group cohesion. The findings suggest that, in plurilingual contexts like Hong Kong, it is necessary to develop an English language pedagogy that acknowledges the need for the constructive but judicious use of translanguaging and plurilingual practices as students are engaged in L2-focused (e.g. EAP) project-based group work.
It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: Reflections on the Evolution of American Think Tanks
Authors: Abelson Donald E.
Published: November 2015

The rise of American think tanks and their efforts to shape public opinion and public policy has generated considerable interest in recent years. This interest has been fuelled by speculation that think tanks have come to play an increasingly influential role in American politics. The article explores the evolution of think tanks in the United States and explains why these institutions warrant closer scrutiny.
The Joys of the Elevated: William Dean Howells and the Urban Picturesque
Authors: Bernstein Samantha
Published: November 2015

This article examines picturesque aesthetics in nineteenth-century American realism as an expression of unease about middle-class life and as a manifestation of liberal guilt. Previous scholarship on the picturesque in American literature sees it as the failure of middle-class writers to represent urban poverty. I demonstrate the historical association of the picturesque with the formation of the middle class and argue that, since the eighteenth century, picturesque aesthetics have played a significant role in discourse about class relations. Through a reading of William Dean Howells’s A Hazard of New Fortunes, I examine the picturesque as a means of addressing the ethical dilemmas of liberal humanists, whose compassion for the poor is undermined by a sense of its ineffectuality. Picturesque aesthetics are culturally significant today, suggesting a need to examine their social and ethical implications.
Archiving the Rust Belt: Investigating Rust Belt Narratives of American Exceptionalism through Buffalo’s Downtown Department Store
Authors: Manning Patrick
Published: November 2015

In this article, Buffalo’s now defunct flagship department store Adam, Meldrum & Anderson is discussed as a synecdoche for broader concerns facing the Rust Belt region, including gentrification, de-industrialization, urban renewal, and systemic inequality. Through an intersection of archival theory and the discourses of American exceptionalism, it is argued that the Rust Belt’s economic downfalls have been recreated as capitalist opportunities, a process that obfuscates economic inequality. To demonstrate the disruptive potential of the archive, an archived photograph is analysed alongside Dennis Maher’s reimagining of Buffalo’s cityscape. Ultimately, these alternative imaginings work toward a more equitable Rust Belt landscape.
Representations of Identity in Jewish Jazz Autobiography
Authors: Marin Reva
Published: November 2015

This essay examines the multifaceted self-representations of four Jewish-American jazz musicians—Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Mezz Mezzrow, and Max Kaminsky—whose lives and careers brought them into intimate contact with African American music and society. The language and imagery of their autobiographies suggest that their identities are far from fixed or static; that their focus on themselves as Jews—as “other”—is complemented or replaced by a more general self-identification as white, and then, to varying degrees, by a longing to be black or to experience immersion in African American culture. This process is facilitated by their experiences of city life (and in the case of Shaw and Kaminsky, of suburban life as well), and by their attraction to jazz music and the jazz nightlife—all of which exposes them to the racial, ethnic, and socio-economic diversity of American life.
Between “Location” and “Things”: Barbara Guest, American Pragmatism, and the Construction of Subjectivity
Authors: Schnier Zac
Published: November 2015

The article focuses mainly on poems from Guest’s first collection, The Location of Things. Many of these depict poetic personae in a state of flux, moving ceaselessly between domestic, urban, coastal, and rural environments, exchanging one idea, mood, or vocabulary for an always beckoning other. This emphasis on transition, with its implications for the construction and reconstruction of identity, is, in my view, part of a pragmatist inheritance, yet Guest distanced herself from such an association in an interview with Charles Bernstein in 1995. There are a number of potential reasons for such distancing, but her full-throated disavowal raises the question: what does Guest herself understand pragmatism to be? In taking up this question, the article will look to William James for an account of pragmatism that might have persuaded the poet to modify her stance.
Terror-Time in Network-Centric Battlespace: DeLillo’s Later Fiction
Authors: Leps Marie-Christine
Published: November 2015

Variously addressing the war on terror now waged in the “full-spectrum dominance” of network-centric battlespace, DeLillo’s most recent four novels (published immediately before and since the 9/11 attacks) work to produce stillness as opposed to seductive, terroristic speed—to detach identities from everyday practices of time and elaborate transformative experiences for the reader. Each novel constitutes a complex hetero-chronograph, a textual apparatus that not only measures time but also produces altered temporal forms that slow down and multiply felt times and durations. Redeploying Bakhtin’s notion of the text as an unrepeatable event co-produced by the author and reader, this article explores how DeLillo’s texts enable the reader to become an actor, to produce and experience modes of resistance to the totalizing forces of terror by the realization of a network of virtual narrative associations among economic, political, aesthetic, and ethical vectors. Such relations are mapped on a Greimassian semiotic square of “terror-time.”
Slipping from Secret History to Novel
Authors: Carnell Rachel
Published: November 2015

The secret history, a genre of writing made popular as opposition political propaganda during the reign of Charles ii, has been the subject of renewed critical interest in recent years. By the mid-1740s, novelists were using markers of secret histories on the title pages of their works, thus blurring the genres. This forgotten history of the secret history can help us understand why Ian Watt and other twentieth-century critics tended to end their narratives of the rise of the “realist” Whig novel with the works of the Tory novelist Jane Austen. In particular, the blended narrative perspective that Watt praises in Austen’s novels—in which the author balances a realism of presentation with a realism of assessment—may stem in part from the layers of narrative framing deployed in secret histories to shield the author from prosecution for libel. The opposition and Tory secret historians that Watt excludes from his Whiggish triple-rise theory may have contributed to the complex narratological perspective that he identifies as the culmination of the novel’s formal emergence.
At the Margins of Utopia: Jamaica in Sarah Scott’s Millenium Hall
Authors: Oakleaf David
Published: November 2015

What does Jamaica contribute to Sarah Robinson Scott’s Millenium Hall? The narrator says little about the colony, andmodern readers exaggerate its prominence by reading the opulentplanter of The History of Sir George Ellison into the anonymous narrator of its predecessor. Yet the peripheral presence of Jamaica in a novel is often rich in implication. In Pamela, the place of that island in the Sally Godfrey story qualifies Mr B’s assertion of absolute class superiority. Although the wealth derived from England’s Caribbean slave colonies was widely if uncomfortablyacknowledged, some people nevertheless opposed slavery. Its protagonist every inch the repatriated colonial planter, Sir George Ellison would ameliorate an intractably inhumane institution. Its narrator a returned merchant planning independence on a modest (even feminine) scale, Millenium Hall accepts that capital is tainted but imagines, radically but locally, that a few gentlewomen if not servants and slaves can become proprietors instead of virtual possessions. A marginal presence, Jamaica enables a social critique by voices usually silenced.
“Philosophy for the Ladies”: Feminism, Pedagogy, and Natural Philosophy in Charlotte Lennox’s Lady’s Museum
Authors: Sagal Anna K.
Published: November 2015

This article re-examines Charlotte Lennox’s work in her serial Lady’s Museum (1760–61) by placing the periodical in con versa tion with her novel The Female Quixote (1752), and specifically focusing on the author’s pedagogical interests. By drawing on the historical and biographical details of Arabella’s study and the historical, geograph ical, and scientific articles in Lady’s Museum, I trace con nec tions between the practices of read ing and self-education en dorsed within the novel and in the periodical. I argue that Lennox’s stance on women’s edu ca tion in both pub lica tions represents a more liberal feminist peda gogy than has been traditionally acknowledged. In line with recent criticism in peri odical studies, I assert that the mid-century periodical offered dis tinct educational opportunities for women.
La Composition de Paul et Virginie: Un manuscrit inconnu
Authors: Cook Malcolm
Published: November 2015

Depuis la parution du premier volume de la nouvelle édition des œuvres complètes de Bernardin de Saint-Pierre en 2014, nous avons découvert un volume de manuscrits à la BnF qui contient plus de 300 manuscrits de l’auteur. Les textes sont très variés: brouillons des Harmonies de la nature, brouillons de lettres et, ce qui nous intéresse particulièrement, deux brouillons du roman Paul et Virginie. Le volume porte le titre « Esquisses » et il ressemble, pour le contenu, parfaitement aux liasses de manuscrits qui se trouvent à la Bibliothèque municipale du Havre. Un des brouillons du roman est très court et décrit les moments qui précèdent le naufrage; l’autre, plus long, décrit la scène qui explique le départ de Virginie en France. Ce brouillon nous montre, de nouveau, comment Bernardin compose ses œuvres—il revient plusieurs fois au même passage, cherchant une version parfaite.
Personhood, Property Rights, and the Child in John Locke‘s Two Treatises of Government and Daniel Defoe‘s Fiction
Authors: Gollapudi Aparna
Published: November 2015

Most scholarship that links John Locke’s ideas with eighteenth-century representations of childhood approaches children as Lockean peda gogic subjects ready for moral and intellectual education. This article instead brings to bear on Daniel Defoe’s representation of children Locke the political thinker, who articulates in Two Treatises of Government (1689) a person’s right to “liberty and property.” Locke’s influential theories of owner ship are partly responsible for the eighteenth-century investment in distinguishing between property and persons, and often reduce children to a state of compromised personhood. The numerous children who lurk in Defoe’s densely textured narrative worlds are evidence of a cultural sidelining of the child in new models of selfood based on property rights. The child in Defoe’s fiction is persistently framed as a problematic economic entity. Such reduction of children to a bare economic function is of a piece with emergent notions of Lockean Man as a bearer of fundamental property rights. The many children born in the course of Defoe’s narratives are consistently marginalized, pointing to their complex narrative function in stories about protagonists who are intent on property accumulation.
Generic Failures and Imperfect Enjoyments: Rochester and the Anatomy of Impotence
Authors: Benedict Leah
Published: November 2015

In the late seventeenth century, literary descriptions of sexual failure attempted to synthesize the latest developments in anatomical science and material philosophy. These branches of study pursued detailed accounts of passion and procreative capacity, including the many obstacles that stymied their perfect realization. Despite this interest in providing a comprehensive account of the body’s inner workings, both fields obscure the relationship between passionate feelings and bodily performance in matters of sex, relying instead on stylish hints and obfuscation. This article demonstrates how the silence around physical desire found in such thinkers as Regnier de Graaf and Walter Charleton found a voice in John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester’s poem “The Imperfect Enjoyment” and in the under-appreciated Rochesterian drama Sodom and Gomorah. These literary revisions of scientific inquiry use coital mishaps to explore the ways in which anatomical and philosophical models of sexual congress create and impinge upon sociality.
Tristram Shandy, Boyhood, and Breeching
Authors: Lavoie Chantel
Published: November 2015

This article explores responses to a boy’s transitioning from wearing frocks or frock-coats to breeches in the long eighteenth century. With particular reference to Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy, the article describes the complexities of a rite of passage that was both universal to all boys and particular for different classes, and even for each family. Not only novelists like Sterne, but also poets (Mary Barber, Anna Laetitia Barbauld, Charles and Mary Lamb, Samuel Taylor Coleridge) and the authors of medical treatises wrote about this important event in a boy’s life, what it meant, and its paradoxical nature—as is evident in Sterne’s novel—as a sign both of freedom and a new restraint.
Academic Libraries and the Economics of Scholarly Publishing in the Twenty-First Century: Portfolio Theory, Product Differentiation, Economic Rent, Perfect Price Discrimination, and the Cost of Prestige
Authors: Greco Albert N.
Published: November 2015

In the last five decades, a great deal has been written about the ‘serials crisis,’ library budget shortfalls, the growth of various commercial scholarly publishers, the response from various academic library associations to the serials crisis, and the emergence of open access publications. Yet very little has been written about the economics of scholarly publishing. In this article, the growth of universities and the academic community's never-ending need for prestigious scholarly publications are explored, along with substantive economic theories used by scholarly publishers, including portfolio theory, product differentiation, economic rent, and perfect price discrimination. A series of recommendations are made to ameliorate the ‘clash’ between academia and the scholarly publishing community.
Use of Social Networking Sites among Chinese and American Researchers: A Comparative Study
Authors: Xu Jie , Yang Tao , Cong Ting , Zeng Yuanxiang
Published: November 2015

This paper examines differences in Chinese and American researchers' uses of social networking sites (SNS). It compares their attitudes and behaviours as determined from data collected in an online survey and a semi-structured focus interview. For various reasons, most international SNS are blocked in China, and we were curious to see how this influences scholarly online communication.
Spanish Scholarly Journals in WoS and Scopus: The Impact of Open Access
Authors: Abadal Ernest , Melero Remedios , Rodrigues Rosângela Schwarz , Navas-Fernández Miguel
Published: November 2015

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of open access on the publishing policies of Spanish scholarly journals indexed by Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus. The study sample was obtained in October 2013. After discarding those that were not published in Spain and those that were inactive, we were left with a total of 406 journals (392 in Scopus and 171 in WoS, with an overlap of 157). Seven key indicators were established: age, subject area, language, publisher, portals, type of access, and copyright. Most of the data were gathered by directly analyzing the websites of the journals. Information from the Dulcinea directory was also used. Most of the journals (63 per cent of the total) were first published after 1980. Universities and commercial publishers were the most significant publishers, accounting for 42 per cent and 31 per cent of all journals, respectively. Social sciences and health sciences were the most significant disciplines, accounting for 33 per cent each. Of the journals, 60 per cent were available free immediately after publication and 76 per cent granted permission for self-archiving a version of the manuscript. By combining the two results, we estimated that 48 per cent of all journals were open access (offering free access and permission for self-archiving).
Veterinarian–Client Communication Skills: Current State, Relevance, and Opportunities for Improvement
Authors: McDermott Michael P. , Tischler Victoria A. , Cobb Malcolm A. , Robbé Iain J. , Dean Rachel S.
Published: November 2015

Communication is increasingly recognized as a core skill for veterinary practitioners, and in recent years, attention to communication competency and skills training has increased. To gain an up-to-date assessment of the current state of veterinary communication skills and training, we conducted a survey among veterinary practitioners in the United Kingdom and United States in 2012/2013. The questionnaire was used to assess the current state, relevance, and adequacy of veterinary communication skills among veterinary practitioners, to assess interest in further training, and to understand perceived challenges in communicating with clients. There was an overall response rate of 29.6% (1,774 of 6,000 recipients), with a higher response rate for UK-based practitioners (39.7%) than practitioners in the US (19.5%). Ninety-eight percent of respondents agreed that communication skills were as important as or more important than clinical knowledge. Forty-one percent of respondents had received formal veterinary communication skills training during veterinary school, and 47% had received training post-graduation. Thirty-five percent said their veterinary communication skills training during veterinary school prepared them well or very well for communicating with clients about the health of their pets, compared to 61% of those receiving post-graduate training. Forty percent said they would be interested in further veterinary communication skills training, with the preferred methods being simulated consultations and online training. While there has been increased emphasis on communication skills training during and after veterinary school, there is a need for more relevant and accessible training.
Does a Rater's Professional Background Influence Communication Skills Assessment?
Authors: Artemiou Elpida , Hecker Kent G. , Adams Cindy L. , Coe Jason B.
Published: November 2015

There is increasing pressure in veterinary education to teach and assess communication skills, with the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) being the most common assessment method. Previous research reveals that raters are a large source of variance in OSCEs. This study focused on examining the effect of raters' professional background as a source of variance when assessing students' communication skills. Twenty-three raters were categorized according to their professional background: clinical sciences (n=11), basic sciences (n=4), clinical communication (n=5), or hospital administrator/clinical skills technicians (n=3). Raters from each professional background were assigned to the same station and assessed the same students during two four-station OSCEs. Students were in year 2 of their pre-clinical program. Repeated-measures ANOVA results showed that OSCE scores awarded by the rater groups differed significantly: (Fmatched_station_1 [2,91]=6.97, p=.002), (Fmatched_station_2 [3,90]=13.95, p=.001), (Fmatched_station_3 [3,90]=8.76, p=.001), and (Fmatched_station_4 [2,91]=30.60, p=.001). A significant time effect between the two OSCEs was calculated for matched stations 1, 2, and 4, indicating improved student performances. Raters with a clinical communication skills background assigned scores that were significantly lower compared to the other rater groups. Analysis of written feedback provided by the clinical sciences raters showed that they were influenced by the students' clinical knowledge of the case and that they did not rely solely on the communication checklist items. This study shows that it is important to consider rater background both in recruitment and training programs for communication skills' assessment.
Survey of US Veterinary Students on Communicating with Limited English Proficient Spanish-Speaking Pet Owners
Authors: Landau Ruth E. , Beck Alan , Glickman Larry T. , Litster Annette , Widmar Nicole J. Olynk , Moore George E.
Published: November 2015

Veterinary schools and colleges generally include communication skills training in their professional curriculum, but few programs address challenges resulting from language gaps between pet owners and practitioners. Due to shifting US demographics, small animal veterinary practices must accommodate an increasing number of limited English proficient (LEP) Spanish-speaking pet owners (SSPOs). A national survey was conducted to assess the interest and preparedness of US veterinary students to communicate with LEP SSPOs when they graduate. This online survey, with more than 2,000 first-, second-, and third-year US veterinary students, revealed that over 50% of students had worked at a practice or shelter that had LEP Spanish-speaking clients. Yet fewer than 20% of these students described themselves as prepared to give medical information to an LEP SSPO. Over three-fourths of respondents agreed that communication with LEP SSPOs was important for veterinarians in general, and two-thirds agreed that communication with LEP SSPOs was important for themselves personally. Ninety percent of students who described themselves as conversant in Spanish agreed that they would be able to communicate socially with SSPOs, while only 55% said they would be able to communicate medically with such clients. Overall, two-thirds of students expressed interest in taking Spanish for Veterinary Professionals elective course while in school, with the strongest interest expressed by those with advanced proficiency in spoken Spanish. Bridging language gaps has the potential to improve communication with LEP SSPOs in the veterinary clinical setting and to improve patient care, client satisfaction, and the economic health of the veterinary profession.
Researching Applicants Online in the Veterinary Program Admissions Process: Perceptions, Practices, and Implications for Curricular Change
Authors: Kogan Lori R. , Hellyer Peter W. , Stewart Sherry M. , Hendrickson Dean A. , Dowers Kristy L. , Schoenfeld-Tacher Regina
Published: November 2015

As the use of social media websites continues to grow among adults 18–34 years old, it is necessary to examine the consequences of online disclosure to the veterinary admissions processes and to consider the effects on the professional integrity of veterinary schools and on the e-professionalism of DVM graduates. Prior research has shown that employers, across all fields, routinely use information from social media sites to make hiring decisions. In veterinary medicine, a little over one-third of private practitioners reported using online information in the selection of new associates. However, professional academic programs appear to use online information less frequently in the selection processes. The current study examines the behaviors and attitudes of veterinary medical admissions committees toward the use of applicants' online information and profiles in their recruitment and selection process. An online survey was distributed to Associate Deans for Academic Affairs at all AAVMC-affiliated schools of veterinary medicine. A total of 21 schools completed the survey. The results showed that most veterinary schools do not currently use online research in their admissions process; however, most admissions committee members feel that using online social networking information to investigate applicants is an acceptable use of technology. Previous research has suggested that the majority of veterinary student applicants view this as an invasion of their privacy. Given this discordance, future educational efforts should focus on helping veterinary students determine what type of information is appropriate for posting online and how to use privacy settings to control their sharing behaviors.
Closing the Loop: Using Evidence to Inform Refinements to an Admissions Process
Authors: Molgaard Laura K. , Rendahl Aaron , Root Kustritz Margaret V.
Published: November 2015

Substantive changes in our evaluation of applicants have been implemented in response to the findings of the various phases of outcomes assessment. This article will describe the changes that have been implemented as a result of analyzing the association of pre-veterinary academic, subjective, and behavioral-event interview scores with veterinary students' performance in the DVM program, including clinical competencies, and their performance on the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination. Pre-veterinary academic performance predicted academic performance in veterinary school. Subjective measures did not, and we have reduced the faculty workload associated with that part of the evaluation of applicants. Interview scores provide additional but small value in predicting performance on clinical competencies.
Clients and Veterinarians as Partners in Problem Solving during Cancer Management: Implications for Veterinary Education
Authors: Kedrowicz April A.
Published: November 2015

This research explores client satisfaction with veterinarian interactions and support during cancer management. Ninety-four members of the online Pet Cancer Support group completed the electronic communication and support questionnaire. Results show that 77% of respondents (n=72) are satisfied with their veterinarian; 71% (n=67) are satisfied with the information their veterinarian provides about treatment options; and 70% percent (n=66) are satisfied with the support they receive from their veterinarian. Strong, positive correlations exist between level of satisfaction and information about treatment options (rs=.795, n=91, p<.001) and between level of satisfaction and support received from the veterinarian (rs=.759, n=90, p<.001). Problem-focused informational support and tangible support dominated clients' descriptions of support and affected their support satisfaction. Emotion-focused support was not as important, and in some cases was not expected of the veterinarian. Results suggested that clients' overall satisfaction with their veterinarian is related to their satisfaction with information about treatment options and satisfaction with the support the veterinarian provides. By providing problem-focused support, veterinarians can empower clients and enhance their sense of control, thus positively affecting satisfaction and the likelihood of a long-lasting relationship. Taken together, these findings have implications for our understanding of veterinarian–client communication related to relationship-centered care and client empowerment, as well as implications for veterinary medical education and communication curricula.
Do Veterinary Students See a Need for More In-Course Discussion? A Survey
Authors: Kasch Cindy , Haimerl Peggy , Heuwieser Wolfgang , Arlt Sebastian
Published: November 2015

Rather than merely transferring information, veterinary education should stimulate and motivate students and encourage them to think. Currently in veterinary education, most curricula use the method of frontal teaching (e.g., in lectures). A student-centered critical approach to information is rarely used. Our research sought to determine if students consider in-course discussion useful and if sufficient possibilities for discussion are provided and supported by their lecturers. In December 2013, we conducted a survey of fourth-year students. Specifically, we wanted to know if students consider in-course discussion about course content useful for successful learning and if students wish to have more opportunities for discussion during class time. Finally, we wanted to identify barriers that limit the students' motivation and ability to engage in discussion of course content. In total, 105 students completed the survey. The majority of students agreed or strongly agreed that clinical topics should be discussed during class time. Frequently stated reasons were improved learning (85.7%) and the opportunity to look at topics from different perspectives (92.4%). In conclusion, we found a considerable dearth of and request for discussion within veterinary education. In light of these findings, we emphasize the need for new teaching strategies that promote independent thinking and critical questioning. We suggest the implementation of more discussion opportunities in well considered and moderated settings in veterinary teaching.
Scaffolded Active Learning: Nine Pedagogical Principles for Building a Modern Veterinary Curriculum
Authors: May Stephen A. , Silva-Fletcher Ayona
Published: November 2015

Veterinary discipline experts unfamiliar with the broader educational literature can find the adoption of an evidence-based approach to curriculum development challenging. However, greater societal and professional demands for achieving and verifying Day One knowledge and skills, together with continued progress in information generation and technology, make it all the more important that the defined period for initial professional training be well used. This article presents and discusses nine pedagogical principles that have been used in modern curricular development in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States: (1) outcomes-based curriculum design; (2) valid and reliable assessments; (3) active learning; (4) integrated knowledge for action; (5) tightly controlled core curriculum; (6) “just-in-time” rather than “just-in-case” knowledge; (7) vertical integration, the spiral curriculum, and sequential skills development; (8) learning skills support; and (9) bridges from classroom to workplace. Crucial to effective educational progress is active learning that embraces the skills required by the modern professional, made possible by tight control of curricular content. In this information age, professionals' ability to source information on a “just-in-time” basis to support high quality reasoning and decision making is far more important than the memorization of large bodies of increasingly redundant information on a “just-in-case” basis. It is important that those with responsibility for veterinary curriculum design ensure that their programs fully equip the modern veterinary professional for confident entry into the variety of roles in which society needs their skills.
Monitoring the Veterinary Medical Student Experience: An Institutional Pilot Study
Authors: Miller RoseAnn , Mavis Brian E. , Lloyd James W. , Grabill Chandra M. , Henry Rebecca C. , Patterson Coretta C.
Published: November 2015

Veterinary medical school challenges students academically and personally, and some students report depression and anxiety at rates higher than the general population and other medical students. This study describes changes in veterinary medical student self-esteem (SE) over four years of professional education, attending to differences between high and low SE students and the characteristics specific to low SE veterinary medical students. The study population was students enrolled at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine from 2006 to 2012. We used data from the annual anonymous survey administered college-wide that is used to monitor the curriculum and learning environment. The survey asked respondents to rate their knowledge and skill development, learning environment, perceptions of stress, skill development, and SE. Participants also provided information on their academic performance and demographics. A contrasting groups design was used: high and low SE students were compared using logistic regression to identify factors associated with low SE. A total of 1,653 respondents met inclusion criteria: 789 low SE and 864 high SE students. The proportion of high and low SE students varied over time, with the greatest proportion of low SE students during the second-year of the program. Perceived stress was associated with low SE, whereas perceived supportive learning environment and skill development were associated with high SE. These data have provided impetus for curricular and learning environment changes to enhance student support. They also provide guidance for additional research to better understand various student academic trajectories and their implications for success.