bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Minimally invasive soft tissue reconstruction with free peroneal artery perforator flap
Authors: Kawamura Kenji , Yajima Hiroshi , Omokawa Shohei , Shimizu Takamasa , Maegawa Naoki , Onishi Tadanobu , Hayami Naoki , Tanaka Yasuhito
Published: October 2016

 

 The development of a concept of perforator flap has dramatically changed the soft tissue reconstructive surgery. The surgery with perforator flaps enables to minimize donor-site morbidity by preserving important tissues including the muscle and the major vessel. The peroneal artery perforator flap is one of perforator flaps that can be harvested from the lower leg. The peroneal artery perforator flap has been widely used as a local flap for soft tissue reconstruction in the lower extremity; however, the free peroneal artery perforator flap transfer has been little reported. Utilities of the free peroneal artery perforator flap for soft tissue reconstruction of the extremities are reported, and minimally invasive flap surgery with perforator flaps is reviewed.

 
Determining the sample size necessary to pass the tentative final monograph pre-operative skin preparation study requirements
Authors: Paulson Daryl S.
Published: October 2016

Predicting the sample size needed to pass the Food and Drug Administration’s current requirements for the preoperative skin preparation can be very difficult.  The purpose of the original FDA formula is detect if the test and positive control products are different and if the test product achieves greater reductions than the control product.  The new Tentative Final monograph includes specific requirements for the lower bounds of the 95% confidence interval and the 70% responder rates.  To meet these requirements, it is important to first conduct a pilot study to determine whether the products will pass the 70% responder rate and then determine the correct sample size correctly to ensure the 95% confidence level is 70% or above.
PROMIS® tools as endpoints in clinical trials: what should you know? A review of PROMIS® capabilities and the current regulatory space
Authors: Shalhoub Huda , Reaney Matthew
Published: October 2016

NIH funded PROMIS measures are increasingly at the forefront of discussions in clinical trial endpoint measurement. In the US alone, 242 clinical trials have included PROMIS measures 2016. Regulatory agencies also recently appear to have more interest in the applications and interpretations of PROMIS tools. This paper provides an overview of the PROMIS tools, how and when they can be used, how they are scored, what modalities exist and what considerations one should make before choosing to use a PROMIS instrument. PROMIS spans across a wide range of areas ranging from mental, physical and social health status, from short form to profile instruments, and to electronic IRT scoring based methods. Psychometric properties measurement testing in a few therapeutic areas has also been evident and continues to develop. The regulatory agency and governmental bodies continue to focus their efforts on having a more profound understanding of the application and use of this patient reported toolbox. PROMIS measures are promising for use within the context of clinical trials, but stakeholders should prudently consider their use, thinking about both the pros and cons. It is likely that for endpoint measurement, PROMIS tools may be used on a case by case basis, but that a consideration of additional disease specific instruments may be recommended.
Artificial intelligence in clinical research
Authors: Nayak Veerabhadra Sanekal , Khan Mohammed Saleem , Shukla Bharat Kumar , Chaturvedi Pranjal R.
Published: October 2016

Envision dedicating fifteen years to a critical interest and emptying staggering amount of funds into it, at the same time confronting a disappointment rate of 95 percent. That is the crippling reality for pharmaceutical organizations, which toss billions of dollars consistently toward medications that possible won't work – and after that do a reversal to the planning phase and do it once more. Today's medications go to the business sector after an extensive, very costly process of drug development. It takes anywhere in the range of 10 to 15 years, here and there significantly more, to convey a medication from introductory revelation to the hands of patients – and that voyage can cost billions up to 12 billion, to be correct. That is just a lot to spend, and excessively yearn for patients to hold up. Patients can hardly wait 15 years for a lifesaving drug, we require another productive focused on medication revelation and improvement process. Artificial Intelligence, can significantly reduce the time included, and also cut the expenses by more than half. This is made conceivable through a totally distinctive way to deal with medication revelation. With the present technique, for each 100 medications that achieve first stage clinical trials, only one goes ahead to wind up a genuine treatment. That is stand out percent, it's an unsustainable model, particularly when there are ailments, for example, pancreatic malignancy which has a normal five-year survival rate of 6%.
Effects of antenatal pelvic floor preparation techniques on the perineal integrity: a randomized controlled trial protocol
Authors: Alves Priscila Godoy Januário Martins , Cavalli Ricardo De Carvalho , Bertacini Daiane Munhoz Mira , Driusso Patricia
Published: October 2016

Background: The objective of the present study was to compare the effects of perineal massage, vaginal dilator and pelvic floor muscles training on the perineal integrity of primiparae women.

Methods: Primigravidae women over 18 years old will be selected, from the 32th gestational week and wishing to have a vaginal delivery.Pregnant women will be randomly allocated from a sequence generated by a computer program into three groups: perineal massage, vaginal dilator and pelvic floor muscles training. The technique should be practiced from the 34th week of pregnancy until the beginning of labor. Randomization will be done by a researcher who was not involved with the recruitment, assessment and treatment of the participants.  All participants will undergo a clinical and functional assessment of the pelvic floor before the beginning of the technique practice, as well as a reassessment of these items and an assessment of perineal integrity between 45 and 60 days after delivery for a blind physiotherapist regarding the interventional procedures. The evaluative procedures will be done by a ‘blinded’ physiotherapist in relation to the intervention procedures. The outcome will be determined by the perineal integrity by the presence or absence of perineal laceration as well as their characteristics observed immediately after delivery.  

Conclusions: The knowledge of the effects of antenatal pelvic floor preparation techniques on the perineal integrity and pelvic floor muscles function after delivery, will allow a better choice about which approach is the best to pregnant women to prevent perineal trauma.
Develop and test a palliative care screening tool for rural patients with serious chronic illnesses: a study protocol
Authors: Young Lufei , Kupzyk Kevin , Parker Bob , McCall Amber , Hergott Collene , Blagg Margaret
Published: October 2016

Background: Delayed admission to palliative and hospice services is prevalent and, especially in rural areas, contributing to poor quality of care, caregiver stress and burden, reducing patients’ and their caregivers' quality of life and increasing healthcare costs. A reliable and sensitive screening tool would help clinicians identify patients in need of palliative care services. The purpose of the study is to develop and test a screening tool to be used by healthcare professionals in rural clinics and hospitals to identify patients with progressive, multiple chronic illnesses in need of primary palliative care services.

Methods: A longitudinal, sequential mixed-method methods design will be used to achieve the purpose of the study. A rural community hospital and its affiliated community clinics in the Midwestern United Sates are selected for the study. In Phase I, we will conduct a cohort study using existing electronic health records. The cross-sectional and correlational quantitative data analysis will be used to test the psychometric properties of the current and modified palliative care screening tools. In Phase II, we will prospectively collect functioning and physical activity level data from the patients admitted to the palliative care program over time (monthly for 6 months). Again, the primary focus is to conduct correlational quantitative analysis to evaluate the psychometric properties of the modified palliative screening tool

Conclusions: The implication of this project is to 1) reduce healthcare disparities, 2) improve quality of care for rural patients with chronic serious illness; 3) inform the development of a hybrid (both inpatient and outpatient) screening tool for identifying palliative care needs that can be integrated into primary palliative care programs; and 4) enhance our understanding of mechanisms and relevant variables related to palliative care in rural patients living with chronic serious illness, leading to future program research in this field.
Randomized clinical trial of a motivational interdisciplinary intervention based on the transtheoretical model of change for lifestyle modification in overweight/obese adolescents: MERC study protocol
Authors: Ribeiro Fernanda A. , Boff Raquel M. , Feoli Ana M. P. , Gustavo Andreia S. , Donadio Márcio Vinícius Fagundes , Oliveira Margareth S.
Published: October 2016

Background: Obesity worldwide has more than doubled between 1980 and 2014, and this number has grown substantially in adolescents. An increase in this number can be prevented with the modification of lifestyle, healthy food choices and regular physical activity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of a motivational interdisciplinary intervention based on the transtheoretical model of change for lifestyle modification in overweight/obese adolescents.

Methods: A randomized, single-blind clinical trial with a control group, which aims to recruit 120 overweight/obese adolescents aged between 15-18 years (BMI ≥ 85th percentile). The sample will be selected through announcements in print media, social networks, television and radio. Groups will meet weekly over three months. The control group will receive a traditional health education intervention using pedagogy of transmission. The experimental group will receive a group-based motivational interdisciplinary intervention using a motivational interdisciplinary protocol based on the transtheoretical model of change.

Conclusions: The results of this randomized clinical trial will determine if the motivational interdisciplinary intervention based on the transtheoretical model of change has an impact on lifestyle modification of the overweight/obese adolescents. If successful, the MERC program has the potential for application in different treatment scenarios, including that of the public health system.

 

Trial Registration: The protocol for this study is registered with the Clinical Trial Registry (NTC02455973) and the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (RBR-234nb5).
The effects of individual pelvic floor muscle training versus individual treatment with progression to group versus group training for women with stress urinary incontinence: protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Figueiredo Vilena Barros de , Ferreira Cristine Homsi Jorge , Driusso Patrícia
Published: October 2016

Background: Pelvic floor muscle training can be practiced in an individual format or in a group. The research question for this randomised, controlled trial will be: pelvic floor muscle training format including individualized and group training, would be more effective than an individualized training only or groups only? Additionally, it will be evaluated the adherence and follow up (results after 3 and 6 months of the end of training).

Methods: This is a randomized clinical trial. Data collection will be performed at the Women's Health Research Laboratory, allocated in the Department of Physical Therapy of Federal University of São Carlos, from January 2016 to December 2016. It will be included, women with stress urinary incontinence, older than 18 years old. The participants will be will be allocated into three groups. In Group 1 sessions will be only individualized and Group 2 will perform individualized treatment and then the volunteer will be referred to join the group training sessions. Group 3 only group treatment. Later, all volunteers will be reassessed after 12 sessions, three months and six months from the discharge date. The primary outcome is the severity measures of the King's Health Questionnaire. The secondary outcomes are miccional diary, PERFECT scheme, perineometry, self-efficacy scale for pelvic floor exercises practice, exercise diary and presence of the participants in the surpevisioned sessions. Data normality will be tested by the Shapiro-Wilk test. The comparison between the evaluations will be performed by ANOVA, and the comparison between groups will be performed by Student t-test (independent Measures). In order to measure the practical significance of the date, the size effect and the confidence interval will be calculated. A 5% significance level will be assumed. The data are presented as mean ± standard deviation.

Conclusions: A combined treatment format including individualized and group training, would be more effective than an individualized training only or groups only.

Trial registration: The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) (Number 1207393) and Clinical Trials (NCT02664714).
Common causes of vertigo and dizziness in Gujarat
Authors: Bansal Mohan
Published: October 2016

Background: Dizziness is one of the most common complaints in medicine just second to headache. It frightens not only the patient but also frustrates the physicians. There is a long list of causes of dizziness but the common causes vary from place to place. The aim of this study was to know the common causes of dizziness and vertigo in Gujarat to generate the awareness among the doctors who get the patients with this common ailment so that they can better manage dizzy patients.

Methods: This prospective study included thirty-five patients with dizziness and vertigo that came to the Department of ENT for their management.

Results: Patients were divided into three categories. The first group of patients was having associated cochlear symptoms. Second group patients had isolated vertigo. Third group patients had associated CNS or medical conditions. The largest was the second group (37.5%) of isolated vertigo patients. The commonest diagnosis (18.75%) in this group was benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, followed by acute vestibular neuritis. Meniere’s disease and migraine and its variant were the most common causes in first and third group respectively.  
Conclusions:The overall scenario of causes of dizziness and vertigo in our study follow the international trend. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, acute vestibular neuronitis, Menieres disease and migraine were found the most common causes of vertigo.
 
RADHIKa: Ratio-based analysis deriving basis for comparison of historical, parallel or interdependent reported ken of studies - a novel method for comparing interconnected and disconnected data sets
Authors: Indani Ashish , Boreddy Srinivas Reddy , Deshpande Tushar
Published: October 2016

Background: Control arm selection is difficult for devices clinical trial due to the complexity and uniqueness of every device.  Therefore, we propose RADHIKa - ratio-based analysis deriving basis for comparison of historical or parallel interdependent reported ken of studies that can be used to compare the relative performance or safety of independent studies.

Methods: A ken (set of studies) has four basic prerequisites to qualify for RADHIKa. Comparison and calculations are based upon assessment of two major factors, effect and influence. RADHIKa is a three step methodology that includes construction of ken, ratio calculations, and plotting box plots.

Results: Inferences of RADHIKa has ratio and box plot interpretation. When the RADHIKa ratio is 1 or close to 1, both the control arm and the evaluation arm are equal. The box plot indicates the tendency of the parameter along with the difference in two arms. When the dark box is above line of unity, it indicates that the evaluation arm has performed better or if it’s vice versa the predicate has performed better. The tails of the box indicate significance of the outcome in each direction.

Conclusions: RADHIKa method is a useful tool to compare the relative performance or safety of independent studies, especially single arm device studies.
Clinical evaluation of the Dr. Brain syrup in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and dementia: randomized, placebo controlled, single blinded clinical study
Authors: Patel Hardik R. , Patel Kalapi , Patel Mansi , Gupta S. N. , Patel Janmejay , Patel Payal , Patel Apurva
Published: October 2016

Background: Epidemiological studies of Indian population show that dementia, anxiety, and depression are largely a major hidden problem in India. Ayurveda claims several plants are beneficial in cognitive disorders. The prime objective of study was to clinically evaluate polyherbal formulation (Dr. Brain syrup) and compare it with the Placebo. It was randomized, placebo controlled, single blinded clinical study, approved by Institutional Human Ethics Committee.

Methods: 60 outpatients from P. D. Patel Ayurveda Hospital (8-70 years) ready to sign Informed consent form were included in study. All these patients were given either Placebo syrup or Dr. Brain syrup at similar dose of 10 ml twice a day for 6 weeks. They were evaluated based on the HADS (hospital anxiety depression scale), EDQ (early dementia questionnaire) and symptoms assessment parameters on weekly basis.

Results: Result showed that there was significant reduction in HADS score at the end of the study. Moreover, the sensitivity and specificity of the HADS was observed highly relevant to detect the level of anxiety and depression by obtaining ROC curve. Numerical analysis of the EDQ was also shown eye-catching differences in patient receiving Dr. Brain syrup improved their memory at the end of the study compared to placebo group.  

Conclusions: This study prooves the efficacy and safety of the Dr. Brain syrup in improving the memory and reducing the level of anxiety and depression in particular diseased patients without any side effects.

 
Deducing the proton energy configuration
Authors: Oakley William S.
Published: October 2016

Articles published prior to 1994 by various authors indicate a mass energy sequence for the pion, muon, and electron in the ratios 4: 3: 2 respectively with increments of about 35.3 MeV, with the electron “rest mass” energy rotationally relativistic at α-1mec2, ~ 70 MeV. Considering 35.3 MeV rotationally relativistic by α-2/3 (≈ 26.58) extends the sequence to include the proton mass energy at 938 MeV, i.e. 26.58 x 35.3 MeV = 938.274 MeV. This observation leads to describing the proton as a single EM wave propagating in a toroidal path with volume contracted by α and thereby exhibiting unit charge in the far field, and evidencing partial charges in the near field consistent with the UUD quarks of the Standard Model. As with quantum chromodynamics (QCD), over 99% of the proton rest mass is relativistic in nature. A value for the proton radius is obtained within the empirical uncertaintys. 
Enabling unification of the general theory of relativity and quantum electro-dynamics by visualizing a particle energy configuration
Authors: Oakley William S.
Published: October 2016

The long standing major issue in physics has been the inability to unify the two main theories of quantum electro-dynamics (QED) and the general theory of relativity (GTR), both of which are well proven and cannot accommodate significant change. The problem is resolved by combining the precepts of GTR and QED in a conceptual model describing the electron as electromagnetic (EM) energy localized in relativistic quantum loops near an event horizon. EM energy is localized by propagating in highly curved space-time of closed geometry, the local metric index increases, and the energy is thus relativistic to the observer at velocity v < c, with the curved space-time thereby evidencing gravity. The presence of gravity leads to the observer notion of mass. Particle energy is in dynamic equilibrium with relativistic loop circumferential metric strain at the strong force scale opposed by radial metric strain. The resulting particle is a quantum black hole with the circumferential strong force in the curved metric orthogonal in two dimensions to all particle radials. The presence of energy E is thus evident in observer space reduced by c2 to E/c2 = mass. The circumferential strain diminishes as it extends into the surrounding metric as the particle’s gravitational field. The radial strain projects outward into observer space and is therein evident as electric field. Gravity, unit charge, and their associated fields are emergent properties and Strong and electric forces are equal within the particle, quantizing gravity and satisfying the Planck scale criteria of force equality. A derived scaling factor produces the gravity effect experienced by the observer and the GRT-QED unification issue is thereby largely resolved.
Microbial study of pre and postoperative mastoid cavities: a comparative study
Authors: Kishore Hari Krishna , Reddy C. Mallikarjuna
Published: October 2016

Background: This was a comparative microbial study of pre and postoperative mastoidectomy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate various causes responsible for discharging mastoid cavity.

Methods: Total of 160 patients of which 100 cases were of preoperative group and 60 cases were postoperative group included in the study.  

Results: Mono infection was seen in 95% and 86.7% in pre and postoperative cases respectively; where as 5% of preoperative and 13.3% of postoperative cases were diinfections. Pseudomonas (32%) was found in highest number followed by Staphylococcus aureus (16%), Klebsiella spp. (16%), Escherichia coli (15%), Proteus mirabilis (14%), Aspergillus fumigatus (2%), Candida (1%), and Cladosporium (1%) in preoperative cases. In postoperative cases, 46.7% of Pseudomonas spp, followed by 16.5% Staphylococcus, 16.7% Klebsiella spp, 11.7% Proteus mirabilis, 10% Escherichia coli, 8.3% Aspergillus fumigatus and 5% Candida were isolated.

Conclusions: Multiple factors were responsible for otorhhoea with significant contribution from the microbes.
Understanding Student Anti-racism Activism to Foster Social Justice in Schools
Authors: Lund Darren E. , Nabavi Maryam
Published: October 2016

The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of students and teachers who form voluntary coalitions or school projects to address issues of racism and discrimination. The authors draw on several years of experience of facilitating student activism and findings from a recent collaborative research project. This research documents and analyzes experiences from a number of school settings across western Canada but has implications for student social justice activism everywhere. The study examines how students get involved with voluntary coalitions to undertake anti-racism initiatives to enhance the social acceptance of marginalized students and how they can overcome sources of resistance to promote inclusion.
Stereotypes in Disguise: The Dual School Lives of Japanese Immigrant Students
Authors: Amos Yukari Takimoto
Published: October 2016

This study investigated how Japanese adolescents behaved and performed in differing educational contexts. A qualitative analysis of 12 male and 11 female students revealed that they were quiet and reserved and fit the model minority stereotype while attending public/private schools in an urban region of the northwestern part of the United States. In contrast, at a Japanese weekend school the same students were relaxed, loud, and careless about academic performance. The findings of the study suggest a unique function of an ethnic language school beyond the maintenance of language and culture.
An Infused Approach to Multicultural Education in a Pre-service Teacher Program: Perspectives of Teacher Educators
Authors: Potts Ann Dorothy , Triplett Cheri Foster , Rose Dana Gregory
Published: October 2016

The purpose of the research was to examine a 5-year graduate elementary education program which holds the possibility of providing an “infused approach” leading to a transformative understanding of multicultural education. Through close evaluation we sought to understand the various learning experiences faculty members implemented to enhance pre-service teachers' understandings of how to teach in diverse contexts. The experiences include community-based experiences, school-based experiences, aesthetic experiences, and storytelling. In addition, we highlight frustrations, barriers, and tensions that teacher educators encountered over time as they participated in discussions and experiences related to multicultural education with pre-service teachers. With this knowledge we can address multicultural issues and enhance and transform pre-service teacher education.
Culturally Competent and Socio-politically Conscious Teaching: A Teacher Educator Works to Model the Journey to Critical Cultural Competence
Authors: Ross Diane Alice
Published: October 2016

The purpose of this article is to present the self-study of a teacher educator who is concerned about cultural competence, socio-political consciousness, social justice, and peace in her preparation of teacher candidates. She recounts her experiences at the European Peace Institute (EPU) in Stadtschlaining, Austria, and how experiences with these students impact her perspective on teacher education in the United States. Sharing the voices from students at EPU provides a means of consciousness-raising for the teacher educator. She provides examples of ways to bring a more culturally competent and socio-political awareness to teacher education programs in the United States.
Using Human Universals to Teach Multicultural Persepctives
Authors: Stork Elizabeth
Published: October 2016

Teaching college students about multicultural perspectives is now ubiquitous in college learning environments, especially in the humanities and social sciences. Methods employed, however, for bringing about the goals of social justice and commercial opportunity are somewhat superficial for internalizing and influencing long-term behaviors. The effects are more accessible when starting from the point of universal human fears and needs and then examining the behaviors and rationales for behaviors dissimilar peoples use to allay those fears and meet their needs. Learning outcomes that demonstrate an understanding of how universal fears and needs influence behaviors of human beings may be more likely to promote justice and opportunity in people’s daily work and lives and likely to be more enduring.
Native Women: Decolonization and Transcendence of Identity
Authors: Jaime Angela Marie
Published: October 2016

This article exposes the experiences of two Native women describing their acts of resistance against, and questioning, of the establishments in which they work. The Native women in this article redefine themselves outside of the dominant society’s socialization, and, especially, the boundaries of the institutions to which they belong. Through this redefinition, it becomes clear that the women have begun to decolonize the oppressive borders with which society and academia have tried to surround them. These Native women have defined the concept of transcending identities.
Mediating Athabascan Oral Traditions in Post-Secondary Classrooms
Authors: Leonard Beth
Published: October 2016

This article describes how three versions of a Deg Hit’an Athabascan narrative are used in a pre-service teacher education course entitled “Alaska Native Education” at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Use of both written and videotaped versions of this narrative, told by the late Belle Deacon, a Deg Hit’an storyteller formerly of Grayling, Alaska, facilitates students’ understandings of the roles of oral traditions in educational processes for Alaska Native people. Students also gain an understanding of Athabascan worldviews; emphasized within these worldviews are the values of learning and honoring relationships as part of Athabascan educational processes.
A University Serving the Oppressed: The Opportunity Afforded by Demographic Changes in Higher Education
Authors: Boyd Drick
Published: October 2016

The demographic makeup of the students who will be attending college in the future is undergoing significant changes, as more students of color and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds seek higher education. While presenting a major challenge, these changes also present an opportunity to rethink assumptions about the culture of higher education, and the pedagogical practices best suited to serve the student of the future. Higher education needs to undergo a dramatic paradigm shift if it is to successfully serve student populations that have historically been oppressed and marginalized by higher education.
Minority Language Policy and Practice in China: The Need for Multicultural Education
Authors: Wang Yuxiang , Phillion JoAnn
Published: October 2016

In this article, we examine minority language policy and practice in China and discuss the large gaps between what is stipulated by law and what occurs in practice. Based on a literature review and findings from our study, we contend

that adopting multicultural education in China would help law makers and local officials value and respect minority languages and culture and help teachers design culturally relevant curricula. The overall purpose for multicultural

education in China would be to create a culture and language environment for minority students to improve academic achievement and to address social injustice.
Heritage Language and Ethnic Identity: A Case Study of Korean-American College Students
Authors: Brown Clara Lee
Published: October 2016

The current study explores how heritage language proficiency affects the ethnic identity of four Korean-American college students who have maintained a high level of heritage language proficiency. Findings from in-depth interviews are consistent with previous studies which show close relationships between heritage languages and ethnic identity, yet the study reveals that a high level of heritage language proficiency is not necessarily associated with a heightened sense of ethnic identity for the selected students. Interview data suggest that participants’ perceived expectations from society in general contribute to identity conflicts. A path to maintaining heritage language should start from creating a safe environment, especially in schools where heritage language speakers are protected from negative stereotypes.
Interest Convergence in Intergroup Education and Beyond: Rethinking Agendas in Multicultural Education
Authors: Caraballo Limarys
Published: October 2016

Intergroup movements in the United States in the 1920s-50s provided leadership to schools and communities grappling with rising racial and ethnic unrest. C. A. M. Banks (1996, 2004, 2005) argues that the conceptual limitations of the movement’s scholarship and its decline yield important lessons for multicultural educators. Building upon her work, I use Bell’s (1980) interest-convergence principle to analyze the movement’s successes and failures given the interests and values of prominent political, socioeconomic, and educational constituencies of the time. As an analytic lens, the interest-convergence principle simultaneously clarifies and complicates future agendas in multicultural education research, pedagogy, and curriculum.
Different Drummers: International Perspectives on Multicultural Education
Authors: Yao Yuankun , Buchanan Dawna Lisa , Chang Joyce , Pecina Uzziel , Powell-Brown Ann
Published: October 2016

This study compares social studies textbooks used in elementary schools of Canada, China, Mexico, Taiwan, and the U.S. in terms of how multicultural education is integrated into the curriculum. Based on Banks’ framework of multicultural curriculum reform, the researchers examined the dimensions of content integration, knowledge construction, and prejudice reduction to assess the level of multicultural education represented in each textbook. The results were interpreted in the cultural, historical, and political contexts of each society.
Monocultural Education in a Multicultural Society:The Case of Teacher Preparation in Botswana
Authors: Molosiwa Annah Anikie
Published: October 2016

In several policy documents reviewing the country’s education system, the Ministry of Education has made noteworthy pronouncements on how to improve teacher education in Botswana. This mainly concerns equipping teachers with pedagogical skills to better address the learning needs of the linguistically and culturally diverse student population. Even though at policy level it is acknowledged that Botswana is a multicultural society, at implementation stage there is no such evidence. This article argues that lack of implementation of policy pronouncements contradicts the government’s aspirations to provide equal learning opportunity to all learners. The infusion of courses in multicultural education at teacher education level is seen as an alternative.
The Varieties of Conceptualizing Culture: A Case of Jewish Israelis
Authors: Bukobza Gabriel
Published: October 2016

Cultural Episteme (CE) is a concept meant to represent a mental framework that systematically organizes cultural knowledge and choice. In the present study 80 Jewish Israeli participants from four adult age groups were interviewed regarding two cultural dilemmas which probed their CEs. Interpretation of the interviews supported the existence of four distinct, self-consistent CEs. These were named Monoculturalism, Pluralistic Relativism, Dialectic Multiculturalism, and Integral Uniculturalism. Distribution of the various CEs varied by age. The significance of the CE is discussed in terms of cultural orientations, identities, and development, and in the context of multicultural environments.
Multicultural Education in a K-12 Modern Language Department: Reconciling the Professional Development Experience
Authors: Bigelow Martha , Wesely Pamela , Opsahl Lora
Published: October 2016

This paper explores how teachers in a K-12 foreign language (FL) department experienced a school-wide, sustained professional development program designed to integrate multicultural curriculum across all disciplines using James Banks’ (2005) framework while simultaneously revamping assessment practices through Wiggins and McTighe’s (1999) backward design for classroom assessment. Data reveal that the initiative challenged and affirmed teachers in terms of what is “multicultural” in a FL curriculum. While sustained and embedded professional development is touted as best practice in professional development, some teachers in this study experienced weariness from the process, which was sometimes perceived as having an unclear vision. Data also suggest some important differences in how the professional development initiative was perceived by U.S.-born, native English speakers and non-U.S.-born, nonnative English speakers. Challenges of and recommendations for meeting the disciplinary and individual teacher’s needs within a school-wide curriculum transformation initiative are discussed.
Middle School Students as Social Theorists: Using a Short-Term Unit to Engage Students in Thinking Critically about Gender
Authors: Tosolt Brandelyn
Published: October 2016

Because middle school is a time of identity development, it may also be an appropriate time to focus on students’ conceptions of social roles. This article examines a unit focused on gender roles taught to a group of seventh grade language arts students at a private, urban school. The students deconstructed and reconstructed their gender schemas, gained awareness of gender as a lens, and began to question the adequacy of the male/female binary model. The findings suggest that ideas typically found in college-level courses may have appropriate applications in classrooms of much younger students.
Immigrants in Appalachia: Educational Implications for Meeting the Needs of All Children
Authors: Cowdery Joy R
Published: October 2016

As rural Appalachian schools in Ohio in the United States struggle to overcome institutional bias and lack of understanding to accommodate the needs of the growing population of immigrant students from diverse countries, immigrant parents struggle to fit into a new cultural environment and to secure the best education for their children. This qualitative study of 29 southern Ohio counties examines the barriers and opportunities that each faces.
Moving Beyond “Dance, Dress, and Dining” in Multicultural Canada
Authors: Sensoy Ozlem , Sanghera Raj , Parmar Geetu , Parhar Nisha , Nosyk Lianne , Anderson Monica
Published: October 2016

The mainstream curriculum is extremely efficient in furthering a neoliberal multicultural discourse, what is described as the dance, dress, and dining, or heroes and holidays, or Taco Tuesday approaches to diversity. Given this, doing anything else is an ongoing challenge. This paper shares details of a government-university-school collaboration in which the authors were participants in a national project to digitize ethnic group archives and create lesson plans based from those archives. The authors share insights and challenges about what worked for resisting the “zoo” approach.
Multicultural and Global Citizenship in a Transnational Age: The Case of South Korea
Authors: Moon Seungho
Published: October 2016

Transnational flows and influx influence perspectives about the concepts of citizenship limited within nation-state borders. The author challenges liberal assimilationist conceptions of citizenship education in order to explore possibilities for the advancement of both multicultural citizenship and global citizenship education. He situates South Korea’s case within this discourse and suggests multicultural citizenship and global citizenship education as alternative, defensible, and appropriate paradigms at the transnational and global age. In the final part of the paper, he discusses the implications of this paradigm for citizenship education in South Korea.
Engaging in Travesuras: A Latino Fifth-Grader’s Disassociation from the Schoolboy Label
Authors: Cuero Kimberley Kennedy , Kaylor Maria
Published: October 2016

This case study examines José, a bilingual Latino fifth-grader, and his complex and dynamic engagements in travesuras (mischievous behaviors). José’s travesuras served to disassociate him from being labeled a “schoolboy.” This disassociation was evident in how José: (1) renounced “school-like” work and (2) downplayed his intelligence. José had been pigeonholed—for the most part—as a smart student who should have known better than to behave inappropriately. Implications point to how to create more nurturing and enriching experiences for urban Latino youth such as José.
Biculturalism and Multiculturalism: Competing Tensions in Visual Arts Education in Aotearoa-New Zealand
Authors: Smith Jill Elizabeth
Published: October 2016

New Zealand has become an increasingly multicultural society since the 1990s. But multicultural education is complicated in this nation by its position on biculturalism, a commitment founded in its postcolonial history. The finding of an investigation in secondary schools, which showed that national and visual arts curricula emphasize biculturalism over multiculturalism, was reflected in art teachers’ pedagogies. In this paper I discuss how multicultural art education could be strengthened within the existing bicultural framework. Bridging the gap between policies and practices would require art teachers to review their practices and implement strategies which take into account the cultural diversity of students to enhance understandings of their own and other multicultural societies.
Levels of Community Cohesion; Theorizing the UK Agenda and the Implications for Policy and Practice in Schools
Authors: Parker-Jenkins Marie , Glen Meli
Published: October 2016

This paper explores the concept of “community engagement,” a central theme within a British research project examining the issues of cultural sustainability among faith-based schools. Discussion is informed by the views of Muslim and Jewish school community stakeholders at the time when the policy of social cohesion was being legally introduced into schools in the United Kingdom. The article provides: (a) an introduction to the context of the British government agenda on “community cohesion” (promoting greater knowledge, respect, and contact between groups within the community) in the aftermath of 9/11, the riots in northern towns in England in 2001, and the bombings in London; (b) an historical perspective on the establishment of denominational schooling in the UK with reference to Muslim and Jewish schools; (c) explication of the research design; (d) exploration of the theory and conceptualisation of community cohesion drawing on qualitative data from the study; and (f) the implications raised for policy and practice in all schools.
Aha Malawi! Envisioning Field Experiences that Nurture Cultural Competencies for Preservice Teachers
Authors: Talbot Patricia A
Published: October 2016

This theoretical study uses the context of the writer’s personal encounters in Malawi, Africa, to propose a conceptual model for creating diverse field experiences based on best practices in critical pedagogy, service learning, and the underpinnings of transformational learning theory, for the purpose of increasing the probability of meaningful and sustainable personal growth that impacts classroom practice over time. The visual framework proposed illustrates the overlap and the unique qualities of these three often-used perspectives for building cultural competencies for teachers and makes the case for incorporating all three when designing experiential learning opportunities with recommendations for how to do so.
Immigrant Narratives: Power, Difference, and Representation in Young-Adult Novels with Immigrant Protagonists
Authors: Clifford Elizabeth Joyce , Kalyanpur Maya
Published: October 2016

As of 2008, about 23% of children in the United States were immigrants or the children of immigrants. This paper examines how immigrants are portrayed in books aimed at teenagers. From a sample of 20 young-adult novels we look at the demographics of both protagonist and author and examine how three main themes are addressed: 1) experiences prior to immigration, 2) journeys of immigration, and 3) adjustments due to immigration. Finally, we explore how the issues of power, difference, and representation play out in these immigrant narratives.
Watering America’s Religious Roots: The Case for Religious Pluralism in American Public Schools
Authors: DeSantis Josh D.
Published: October 2016

The longest lasting and most intimate interaction with government for most Americans takes place in US public schools. The Court’s choice to enter into the national religious debate intensified the rhetoric and polarized many Americans into opponents and proponents of increasing religious instruction in public schools. This work narrates the positions of Christian Americanists, pluralists, and secularists in this debate. It argues that court-originated policy governing religion in schools is a failure. A return to Constitutional Pluralism would benefit all people in the United States.
Examining Teacher Candidate Resistance to Diversity: What Can Teacher Educators Learn?
Authors: Rose Dana Gregory , Potts Ann D.
Published: October 2016

How teachers interpret and respond to diverse students’ cultural identities is critical to students’ success. Therefore, teacher educators require candidates to gain experience with multicultural populations during fieldwork. What can teacher educators learn from candidate perceptions of these experiences? This study features a case analysis of a fascinating candidate’s descriptions of multicultural school experiences. The candidate negated the need to be culturally responsive by inaccurately simplifying culture and using the binary constructs of “same” and “different”. The article contends that educators must provide a platform for the deconstruction of “same” and “different” and offers a visual model as a pedagogical discussion tool.
Extending Support for English Language Learning: A University Outreach Program
Authors: Andrade Maureen Snow
Published: October 2016

As universities in English-speaking countries recruit and enroll international students, a variety of forms of support are typically offered on and off campus to help students make a successful transition. The most common challenges for non-native English-speaking international students are linguistic and cultural. In spite of meeting English proficiency score requirements for admission, students report struggling with the demands of academic English. This article describes a model for an on-site English language program to help students improve their levels of English proficiency prior to their arrival. Program effectiveness was assessed through pre and post test measures of students’ English language skills, interviews with stakeholders, and observations. Students’ gains in proficiency were moderate due to the limited amount of time they had available for course attendance and study, but gains in affective factors were strong. Challenges in the implementation of the program and how they were resolved are described.
Cross-Cultural Collaboration for Locally Developed Indigenous Curriculum
Authors: Putnam JoAnne W. , Putnam David E. , Jerome Bernard , Jerome Ramona
Published: October 2016

For over 400 years, Wabankaki children of Maine and eastern Canada have been assimilated into schools established by European immigrants. Low high school graduation rates, poor achievement outcomes, and overrepresentation of students in special education reveal an “invisible crisis” that threatens the survival of the indigenous culture and communities. Here we describe a collaborative cross-border project between the Gesgapegiag Mi’gmaq First Nation and northern Maine university professors that produced culturally based curricula in science and early childhood education. Our work involved indigenous ownership, cultural content, language, and instructional strategies.
Using Multiculturalism as a "New Way of Seeing the World": Ontario Aboriginal Educational Policy According to Foucault
Authors: Cherubini Lorenzo
Published: October 2016

<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;" lang="EN-US">By considering the Ontario First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Policy Framework (2007) from a Foucauldian perspective, the paper presents a policy discourse of knowledge, power, and identity from a multicultural education framework.  Through Foucauldian theoretical perspectives, the paper creates alternate possibilities in confronting the ways to understand public educational policy – considered the purpose of multicultural education. This paper invites teachers, administrators, district leaders, and policy makers to consider how educational policy in one Canadian province strategically situates Aboriginal peoples in a historical context, exercises Foucauldian notions of power and care and potentially endorses the subjectification of Aboriginal peoples through recommendations of self-identification practices.