DTheses (Athabasca University)
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Professional Development Education use by Pharmacists: Exploring Organizational Context in Knowledge Translation to Practice
Get PDFPharmacists are required to engage in professional development activities to maintain their professional licenses. The greater purpose of professional development or continuing education (CE) is to maintain and enhance competency to improve patient care. The context in which knowledge gained through CE is most effectively utilized by pharmacists for patient care has not been extensively studied. This exploratory quantitative study examines Alberta pharmacists’ perceptions of their workplace context and the organizational factors they perceive influence utilization of knowledge gained through participation in CE in this setting. It explores the contextual workplace factors that hamper, enhance, or influence pharmacists’ perceived utilization in clinical practice of knowledge gained.
This study determines the extent to which Alberta pharmacists perceive that their research-based learning, acquired through CE, is actually translated into clinical practice, known as knowledge translation (KT), and what aspects of their organizational workplace facilitate or hamper this process. Change theory, supported by a KT framework, forms the theoretical basis in which this study is embedded. The study gathered data from an online questionnaire of Alberta hospital and community pharmacists drawn from the Alberta College of Pharmacists, Alberta Health Services, and the Alberta Pharmacists’ Association. The study used the Alberta Context Tool to gather pharmacist’s perceptions.
A factor analysis of the survey tool resulted in a 14 factor solution explaining 65.67% of the total variability. These results support the validity of the tool in the pharmacist population. There was a statistically significant difference between hospital and community pharmacists on all dimensions of the ACT except for space and time, indicating that their perceptions differ regarding organizational influences on knowledge translation in clinical care. Multiple regression examining the ACT dimensions and demographic covariates appeared to have some predictability on the informal and formal interactions dimensions of the ACT and type of pharmacy practice. Qualitative data indicated that pharmacists perceived that time and staffing were the most important factors influencing their use of CE in patient care but other factors not addressed in the survey were also perceived to be important.2016-0
Substitute decision-making for individuals under public guardianship involved with the criminal justice system in New South Wales, Australia
Get PDFThis qualitative study investigated the decision making process and subjective experiences of guardianship staff. Specifically, grounded theory was utilized to examine the central research question: “What is the decision-making process of guardians of adults under the care of the NSW Public Guardian, who are charged and proceed through the criminal justice system?” Another question based on the central research question was, “What decisions are required, how are these decisions made and implemented, and what are the outcomes of those decisions?” Eleven participants were interviewed using an open-ended interview format. The results are represented in 8 themes and 35 categories. It was hoped that the description of these processes could assist in future decisions being made on behalf of individuals under Guardianship by: specifying what information is considered and valued when making decisions; how the decisions are implemented; how the guardians felt about the decisions; and the outcome of those decisions. From there, recommendations would be provided for guardianship staff, legal and justice practitioners, support workers, and researchers who work with individuals involved with criminal justice system.2016-0
Investigating the Effect of Direct Instruction of Argument Mapping Strategies on Cognitive Presence among Participants in the Online Community of Inquiry
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of direct instructions of argument mapping strategies on students’ perception of their cognitive presence in the online community of inquiry. The intervention in this study consisted of a one-hour long lesson on argument mapping strategies. It is proposed that providing awareness of argument mapping strategies would enhance students’ text-based discourse competencies. From the population of communities of inquiry of online higher education students, a convenience sample of distance learners were drawn from a Master of Distance Education program that is offered completely online at Athabasca University. A quasi-experimental design consisting of pretest-posttest comparison was used. Key findings suggest that direct instructions of argument mapping strategies changed participants’ perceptions of their own discussion skills, improving their awareness of the text-based critical discourse process and thus paving the first step towards improved cognitive presence in the online community of inquiry.2016-0
Change in Systems: Theory and Implications
Get PDFCounselling psychologists are being asked, increasingly, to intervene on problems of human functioning that relate to cultural values held by groups, under the banner of social justice. However, counsellor education tends to privilege the dimensions of paradigms that deal with reality and how we can know it (ontology, epistemology, methodology), over the dimension that deals with values (axiology). Using a grounded theory approach to existing texts, this work is an attempt to integrate systemic thinking with recent developments in the social sciences related to change processes. Three questions are addressed: (1) What is the nature of the relationship between self and culture? (2) How is this relationship relevant to issues of systemic change? And (3) What are the implications for the field of counselling psychology? The literature suggests that culturally-situated moral identities are at the interface between self and society, and that these identities impact change processes in systems.2016/0
The lived experience of geographically separated healthcare students practicing interprofessional teamwork in a synchronous virtual world simulation.
Get PDF3-D virtual world (VW) simulations are one example of an emerging technology in healthcare education where distance or blended learning students can participate together and practice the necessary teamwork skills that they require for the real world prior to graduation. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the essence and meaning of the lived experiences of geographically separated healthcare students from two post-secondary institutions when exposed to the instructional strategy of a synchronous VW simulation for the purpose of learning and practicing IP teamwork. Not understanding the overall experience of primary stakeholders such as the students themselves with the use of VW simulations for the purpose of practicing IP teamwork may result in poor uptake and negative learning outcomes. Four overarching themes along with several sub-themes emerged from the data analysis, including Curricular Integration Considerations, Orientation and Preparation Requirements, VW Technology…Capabilities and Constraints for IP Teamwork Practice, and Achievement of Positive IP Teamwork Learning and Practice.2016-0
Interpreting Fair Dealing: An Exploration of Distance Instructors' Perceptions of Canadian Copyright Law
Get PDFCopyright law in Canada has been confusing for content users for many years. Educators and course developers need to understand these laws to ensure they take full advantage of their user rights, while not infringing on author copyright. Little is known about how Canadian post-secondary instructors interpret copyright law and the fair dealing clause. This qualitative, case study research explored interpretations of copyright law and fair dealing with instructors in a single mode Canadian distance education institution in order to discover issues that affected their use of content in course development and book authoring. Seven instructors were purposively selected to obtain a maximum variation sample and interviews were conducted. Thematic qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that the participants displayed high levels of confusion and lacked understanding of Canadian copyright law and fair dealing.2016-1
REFLECTIVE FUNCTIONING: AN ANALYSIS OF MEASURES AND THE 18- ITEM PARENT REFLECTIVE FUNCTIONING QUESTIONNAIRE
Get PDFThe purpose of this thesis was 1) to conduct a systematic literature review of reflective functioning (RF) measures to identify the most appropriate parent RF tool for Circle of Security Parenting (COS-P) program evaluation, and 2) to examine the factor structure and test the discriminant and construct validity of the Parent Reflective Functioning Questionnaire-18 (PRFQ-18). The literature review identified 86 studies containing 11 RF measures. The psychometrics of the PRFQ-18 were tested in a sample of 306 Canadian parents via an online survey called “Experiences in Parenting.” A confirmatory factor analysis of the PRFQ -18 supported a 3-factor structure with 3 subscales: 1) pre-mentalizing, 2) interest and curiosity, and, 3) certainty of mental states. Theoretically consistent relationships were found between the PRFQ-18 and stress, parental coping, parental competence and social support. These results confirm that the PFRQ-18 is a suitable measure to assess parent RF pre and post COS-P.2016-1
East coming west: Stories of implementing YES! for Schools in a Cree community
Get PDFThe YES! (Youth Empowerment Seminar) for Schools program, taught by the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) is a six-week, school-based biopsycho-social intervention with a strong emphasis on yogic breathing practise. From late February to April 2014, the program was taught to students and staff at a school on a Cree reserve in Canada. This narrative inquiry explored the question: What do the stories of participants reveal about how this program fits within the particular cultural and socio-economic situation of this First Nations reserve community? This thesis shares the stories of four research participants as they described their experience of the YES! program to the researcher: a student, the school counsellor, an Elder and addictions counsellor at the school, and the mother of one of the students. Nine threads that run throughout the stories are identified: spirituality, youth, school, breathing, helping, resilience, non-interference, stones, and moving forward.2016-0
A necessary evil? Patients' experiences with tube feeding in acute care
Get PDFTube feeding (TF) for adults admitted to acute care is frequently prescribed for managing malnutrition, yet little is known about patients' experiences receiving this therapy, including their information and support needs. Based on an Interpretive Description approach, 12 unstructured interviews were conducted with participants admitted to acute care hospitals in Canada. Findings revealed variations in participants’ perceptions about the NECESSITY for TF and the DISCOMFORT resulting from this therapy that were influenced by the inter-related themes: a) the additional Meaning of TF, b) the Trust held in Dietitians and Health Care Providers, and c) participant Resilience. Collectively, these findings are subsumed within a central theme phrased as a question about the experience of TF as: A NECESSARY EVIL? Participants’ answers to this question influenced their engagement throughout TF therapy. The range of responses and the complexity of patients’ experiences during TF necessitate that Dietitians be supportive and flexible, applying a patient-centered approach to care.April 14th, 201
Envisioning Sino-Foreign University Partnerships and Strategies in 2030
Get PDFThis dissertation involved a Delphi study to envision the qualities of successful Sino-Foreign University partnerships and strategies in 2030. To envision the future of Sino-Foreign Universities, data was collected from an elite set of participants representing the senior management of type 3 and 4 Sino-Foreign University partnerships. This dissertation includes a proposed typology that merges the typologies of the 4 partnership types in Mainland China, the 4F Framework, and the GATS typology with the findings of this dissertation. The findings also suggest a review of the Ministry of Education’s preference for type 4 partnerships (stand-alone model) given the advantages of type 3 partnerships (embedded model) toward 2030. The findings of this dissertation also provides further insight related to the intervention of foreign resources in developing countries’ higher education systems towards 2030. Separate contributions of this dissertation include a methodological framework for conducting a Sino-Foreign University Delphi study and practical contributions related to the strategic planning of current and prospective Sino-Foreign Universities. This dissertation also provides knowledge for further futures research related to Sino-Foreign Universities.2016-0