title: What gets in the way? A new conceptual model for the trajectory from teacher professional development to impact

authors: McChesney, Katrina

subjects: Social Sciences

abstract: Although school and education system leaders can mandate teachers’ participation in professional development activities, various school-related, teacher-related and student-related factors influence the degree to which professional development opportunities ultimately result in the desired teaching and learning impacts. This study examined teachers’ perceptions of the factors that influenced the impacts of a range of professional development activities in which they had participated. Constructivist grounded theory analysis of qualitative data provided by 131 teachers (reflecting 15 nationalities) led to the development of a new conceptual model for the trajectory from teacher professional development activities to student impacts. The model involved five stages: intended professional development, received professional development, accepted professional development, applied professional development and student impacts. Various barriers influenced whether professional development was able to progress to each successive stage; the current data provided particular insight into the structural barriers that determined whether intended professional development was actually received by teachers and the acceptance barriers that determined whether received professional development was actually accepted by teachers. The new model extends existing frameworks by highlighting the importance of contextual influences on teacher professional development and providing further specificity regarding some of the gatekeeping factors that influence the outcomes of teacher professional development.

text: What gets in the way? A new conceptual model for the trajectory from teacher professional development to impact Although school and education system leaders can mandate teachers’ participation in professional development activities, various school-related, teacher-related and student-related factors influence the degree to which professional development opportunities ultimately result in the desired teaching and learning impacts. This study examined teachers’ perceptions of the factors that influenced the impacts of a range of professional development activities in which they had participated. Constructivist grounded theory analysis of qualitative data provided by 131 teachers (reflecting 15 nationalities) led to the development of a new conceptual model for the trajectory from teacher professional development activities to student impacts. The model involved five stages: intended professional development, received professional development, accepted professional development, applied professional development and student impacts. Various barriers influenced whether professional development was able to progress to each successive stage; the current data provided particular insight into the structural barriers that determined whether intended professional development was actually received by teachers and the acceptance barriers that determined whether received professional development was actually accepted by teachers. The new model extends existing frameworks by highlighting the importance of contextual influences on teacher professional development and providing further specificity regarding some of the gatekeeping factors that influence the outcomes of teacher professional development.

year: 2019

title: Marks of conscious engagement when performing a motor task with or without a robotic arm

authors: Wright, Madison

subjects: conscious control

abstract: Utilizing prosthetic limbs effectively and alleviating the conscious burden through
minimizing conscious control is important to address and understand in the ever-changing
world of technology. Prosthetics can be difficult to learn how to use effectively and using them
increases conscious awareness which is termed a burden. The conscious burden prosthetics
have on users is consistently addressed by a multitude of studies and garners for more in depth
research to understand and identify solutions to alleviate this burden. Conscious motor control
is defined as the level of awareness of an individual performing a movement related skill or
task, where the higher the conscious control the more an individual is thinking of their
movements while executing them. The aim of this thesis was to measure conscious burden
objectively by examining the marks of conscious engagement when performing a reaction time
task with and without a robotic arm.

Chapter 1 is an introduction to this thesis including a literature review of relevant topics
such as prosthetic limbs, conscious movement control, subjective and objective measurements
of conscious movement control and electroencephalography (EEG). Prosthetic rejection rates,
conscious burden and prosthetic limb learning are also addressed. The outline of the experiment
for this thesis is included and discussed more in depth in Chapter 2.

Chapter 2 is the experiment in full examining the level of conscious control while
participating in a reaction time based motor learning task using a robotic arm versus own arm.
There were two conditions, the complex condition (multi-choice) and simple condition (single
choice). A secondary task of tone counting was included in half the trials to examine whether
more conscious processing is involved when working with the robotic arm versus normal arm
while doing the reaction time task. It was expected that there would be higher conscious control
and slower reaction times when participants used the robotic arm compared to their own arm.

EEG was used to assess the connectivity between the left temporal verbal-analytical (T7) site
and the motor planning mid-frontal (Fz) site of the brain. Connectivity of T7-Fz is used to
measure the verbal-analytical engagement in motor planning which is then used to measure
conscious control. The results revealed the complex condition had a significantly higher
reaction time dual-task cost for arm compared to robotic arm and a higher T7-Fz connectivity
dual-cost (difference in performance for single versus dual task) for the robotic arm in the
complex condition compared to simple condition. We concluded that use of a robotic arm
increases verbal-analytical engagement when performing a motor task compared to using the
own arm.

Chapter 3 is the overall discussion of the experimental findings for the use of robotic
arms in reaction time tasks measuring conscious control and what it may mean for future
research. Implicit motor learning is discussed as well as implicit motor learning interventions
such as dual-task learning, analogy learning and errorless learning. There are also other
learning interventions to promote intuitive control in prosthetic limb learning such as gaze
training and neurofeedback.

text: Marks of conscious engagement when performing a motor task with or without a robotic arm Utilizing prosthetic limbs effectively and alleviating the conscious burden through
minimizing conscious control is important to address and understand in the ever-changing
world of technology. Prosthetics can be difficult to learn how to use effectively and using them
increases conscious awareness which is termed a burden. The conscious burden prosthetics
have on users is consistently addressed by a multitude of studies and garners for more in depth
research to understand and identify solutions to alleviate this burden. Conscious motor control
is defined as the level of awareness of an individual performing a movement related skill or
task, where the higher the conscious control the more an individual is thinking of their
movements while executing them. The aim of this thesis was to measure conscious burden
objectively by examining the marks of conscious engagement when performing a reaction time
task with and without a robotic arm.

Chapter 1 is an introduction to this thesis including a literature review of relevant topics
such as prosthetic limbs, conscious movement control, subjective and objective measurements
of conscious movement control and electroencephalography (EEG). Prosthetic rejection rates,
conscious burden and prosthetic limb learning are also addressed. The outline of the experiment
for this thesis is included and discussed more in depth in Chapter 2.

Chapter 2 is the experiment in full examining the level of conscious control while
participating in a reaction time based motor learning task using a robotic arm versus own arm.
There were two conditions, the complex condition (multi-choice) and simple condition (single
choice). A secondary task of tone counting was included in half the trials to examine whether
more conscious processing is involved when working with the robotic arm versus normal arm
while doing the reaction time task. It was expected that there would be higher conscious control
and slower reaction times when participants used the robotic arm compared to their own arm.

EEG was used to assess the connectivity between the left temporal verbal-analytical (T7) site
and the motor planning mid-frontal (Fz) site of the brain. Connectivity of T7-Fz is used to
measure the verbal-analytical engagement in motor planning which is then used to measure
conscious control. The results revealed the complex condition had a significantly higher
reaction time dual-task cost for arm compared to robotic arm and a higher T7-Fz connectivity
dual-cost (difference in performance for single versus dual task) for the robotic arm in the
complex condition compared to simple condition. We concluded that use of a robotic arm
increases verbal-analytical engagement when performing a motor task compared to using the
own arm.

Chapter 3 is the overall discussion of the experimental findings for the use of robotic
arms in reaction time tasks measuring conscious control and what it may mean for future
research. Implicit motor learning is discussed as well as implicit motor learning interventions
such as dual-task learning, analogy learning and errorless learning. There are also other
learning interventions to promote intuitive control in prosthetic limb learning such as gaze
training and neurofeedback.

year: 2024

title: A survey of psychologists’ opinions and behaviours on aspects of Maori mental health

authors: Sawrey, Richard

subjects: Maori

abstract: In the majority of settings where psychologists work, particularly in State health and justice settings, Maori people are substantially over represented relative to their numbers in the general population (Durie, 1987). This situation has raised serious questions about the adequacy of both mental health services and professionals in their provision of appropriate services for Maori people. (Hui Whakaoranga, 1984; Durie, 1985). Recommendations have been given to address these deficiencies. Te Hui Whakaoranga (l984) recommended a recruitment programme for Maori into health professions and training for health workers in Maori culture. The Committee of Inquiry into Procedures used in Psychiatric Hospitals (1988) pointed out that health professionals are rarely educated in taha Maori or the application of taha Maori to the service they provide. They stated that many current training programmes create a barrier to Maori people entering the health professions. They recommended that changes occur in both the in - service and basic training of health professionals.

text: A survey of psychologists’ opinions and behaviours on aspects of Maori mental health In the majority of settings where psychologists work, particularly in State health and justice settings, Maori people are substantially over represented relative to their numbers in the general population (Durie, 1987). This situation has raised serious questions about the adequacy of both mental health services and professionals in their provision of appropriate services for Maori people. (Hui Whakaoranga, 1984; Durie, 1985). Recommendations have been given to address these deficiencies. Te Hui Whakaoranga (l984) recommended a recruitment programme for Maori into health professions and training for health workers in Maori culture. The Committee of Inquiry into Procedures used in Psychiatric Hospitals (1988) pointed out that health professionals are rarely educated in taha Maori or the application of taha Maori to the service they provide. They stated that many current training programmes create a barrier to Maori people entering the health professions. They recommended that changes occur in both the in - service and basic training of health professionals.

year: 1993