Does the Pro-Environmental Behavior of Household PV Installation Contribute to the Shaping of Users' Green Purchasing Behavior?-Evidence from China

In order to achieve the "dual carbon goal", the Chinese government is actively encouraging the adoption of household photovoltaic (PV) systems. While there has been considerable research on residents' inclination to install PV, limited attention has been given to understanding how the installation and utilization of PV systems influence pro-environmental behaviors. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the potential impact of pro-environmental behavior resulting from household PV installation on users' green purchasing behavior. Based on the "learning by doing" theory, a survey was conducted with 1249 participants, and the generalized structural equation model was employed as our analytical approach. The findings of this research indicate that the adoption and utilization of household photovoltaic (PV) systems have a positive impact on green consumption. The test results demonstrate that the overall effect coefficient is 0.03, indicating that current PV promotion policies have an indirect impact on green consumption. Moreover, economic incentive policies have a more substantial influence than environmental publicity policies, with total indirect effect coefficients of 0.005 and 0.002, respectively. Based on the findings above, the following recommendations are proposed: (1) It is recommended to maintain stable economic incentives to promote the adoption of household PV systems. (2) Emphasizing the dissemination of knowledge and skills for promoting environmental protection should be prioritized. (3) Efforts should be made to align personal interests and societal interests with low-carbon policies.

Learning and assessment strategies to develop specific and transversal competencies for a humanized medical education

Introduction: Medical education should promote the development of skills and abilities that can be applied to real-world work performance. The aim of this study is to evaluate technical and methodological knowledge, as well as physician-patient communication skills, as one of the most important transversal competencies that a good physician should acquire; all this in a reliable, accurate and objective way. Methods: We present a rubric specifically designed and implemented for the evaluation of specific and transversal competencies in the physiology practical sessions, during the second year of the medical degree. The assessment consists in two evaluation tests: 1) a theoretical test that consists of multiple-choice questions. Students must demonstrate that they have acquired adequate theoretical knowledge (specific competency "to know"); 2) a practical test, in which students are evaluated by the rubric through the simulation of a medical consultation. Thus, demonstrating their ability to execute/apply what they have learned in class (specific competency "to know how to do"). They are also evaluated on the transversal competencies that we call "communication with the patient" (transversal competency "to know how to be there") and "dealing with the patient" (transversal competency "to know how to be"). Results: We evaluated whether there were differences in the grades obtained by students when the transversal competencies were not assessed (academic years 2017-2018 and 2018-2019; n = 289), and when the transversal competencies were assessed by applying the rubric in the academic years 2019-2020, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023 (n = 526). Furthermore, we present a student perception that supports the use of clinical simulation and our rubric as a good method within the competency learning process. Discussion: The acquisition of these competencies, starting from the first courses of undergraduate education, helps to raise the students' awareness in the development of a more humanized medicine, allowing a better response to the patients' needs. Our rubric, which clearly indicate the performance criteria, have become an excellent method to carry out the assessment of competencies, both for students and teachers, since they allow to obtain clear evidence of the level of acquisition and application of knowledge.

Becoming chaplains: How and why chaplains enter the field, factors involved and implications

Many questions arise concerning how and why chaplains enter the field. Interviews of ∼1 one hour each were conducted with 23 U.S. chaplains. Chaplains vary widely in professional and personal backgrounds and experiences, which they often draw on in their work. Personal experiences can lead them to enter the field, enhance their empathy and strengthen their commitment. They have frequently faced significant trauma (e.g., parent's death) or helped family and/or friends with end-of-life challenges. Chaplains often entered other fields first (e.g., clergy, business or healthcare), but they often had incomplete or incorrect prior knowledge about the field. Prior experiences can also affect their work (e.g., in recognizing the power of silence). A sense of personal "calling" frequently leads chaplains to find their work deeply rewarding and sustaining. These data, the first to explore how and why chaplains enter the field, have critical implications for future practice, education and research.

Design My Music Instrument: A Project-Based Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics Program on The Development of Creativity

Creativity is an essential factor in ensuring the sustainable development of a society. Improving students’ creativity has gained much attention in education, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education. In a quasi-experimental design, this study examines the effectiveness of a project-based STEAM program on the development of creativity in Chinese elementary school science education. We selected two fourth-graders classes. One received a project-based STEAM program (the experimental group, n = 33), and the other received a conventional science teaching (the control group, n = 33) over 6 weeks. Students’ creativity was assessed before and after the intervention using a multi-method approach, including a test of divergent thinking, a story completion through the Consensus Assessment Technique (CAT), a creative self-efficacy (CSE) measure, and a group-based creative project. Moreover, all students received a test of their science knowledge after the intervention. The results showed that compared with the control group, the creativity of the experimental group students improved significantly for 6 weeks at both individual and group level, even though their knowledge in science were comparable. This result confirmed the effectiveness of a project-based STEAM educational program improving elementary school students’ creativity. Implications are discussed.

Exploring Physiology Through Working Model Preparation by Undergraduate Students

BACKGROUND

Physiology is a foundation for studying medicine. Student-centred learning methods are needed for a better understanding of the subject. Preparation of working models by students in Physiology is expected to provide better understanding of the subject since they learn by doing these themselves. The present study was designed to understand the effectiveness of a working model making activity for first-year undergraduate medical students.

METHODS

The participants were 97 first-year medical undergraduate students. These students were divided into teams. The topics to prepare working models were chosen by the students according to their interests. The models were prepared by using clay, thermocol, batteries, motors, etc. by the students. These models were displayed in an exhibition organized by the department and marks were awarded to the students according to their performance. A feedback questionnaire form was provided to the students, which they had to complete individually. The questionnaires were analyzed to understand the perception of students regarding the activity.

RESULTS

Of the students, 35% strongly agreed and 52% agreed that model making was a useful exercise and helped them in understanding Physiology. Of the students, 27% strongly agreed and 50% agreed that their understanding improved with this assignment and 32% of students strongly agreed and 58% agreed that this activity allowed them to analyze the topic and think logically. Of the students, 36% strongly agreed and 50% agreed that they gained confidence in the topic while they were preparing the model and seeing it functioning. Of the students, 37% strongly agreed and 46% agreed that they had the opportunity to work in a team. Of the students, 39% strongly agreed and 47% agreed that faculty had supported them appropriately. Most of the students agreed that they would recommend such activities to their friends studying in medical colleges elsewhere.

CONCLUSION

The students found the activity not only interesting but useful and would encourage their friends studying elsewhere to participate in such activities.

Conservation practitioners' understanding of how to manage evolutionary processes

Both academics and practitioners consider a lack of knowledge about evolutionary theory to be a general barrier to effectively managing genetic diversity. However, it is challenging to judge practitioners' level of understanding and how this influences their management decisions. Knowledge built through experience may be difficult for practitioners to articulate, but could nonetheless result in appropriate management strategies. To date, researchers have assessed only the explicit (formal) knowledge practitioners have of evolutionary concepts. To explore practitioners' understanding of evolutionary concepts, it is necessary to consider how they might apply explicit and implicit knowledge to their management decisions. Using an online survey, we asked Australian practitioners to respond to 2 common management scenarios in which there is strong evidence that managing genetic diversity can improve outcomes: managing small, isolated populations and sourcing seeds for restoration projects. In describing their approach to these scenarios, practitioners demonstrated a stronger understanding of the effective management of genetic diversity than the definitions of the relevant concepts. However, their management of genetic diversity within small populations was closer to best practice than for restoration projects. Moreover, the risks practitioners described in implementing best practice management were more likely to affect their approach to restoration than translocation projects. These findings provide evidence that strategies to build the capacity of practitioners to manage genetic diversity should focus on realistic management scenarios. Given that practitioners recognize the importance of adapting their practices and the strong evidence for the benefits of actively managing genetic diversity, there is hope that better engagement by evolutionary biologists with practitioners could facilitate significant shifts toward evolutionarily enlightened management.

Adapting operational research training to the Rwandan context: the Intermediate Operational Research Training programme

Background: Promoting national health research agendas in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) requires adequate numbers of individuals with skills to initiate and conduct research. Recently, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have joined research capacity building efforts to increase research leadership by LMIC nationals. Partners In Health, an international NGO operating in Rwanda, implemented its first Intermediate Operational Research Training (IORT) course to cultivate Rwandan research talent and generate evidence to improve health care delivery.

Objective: This paper describes the implementation of IORT to share experiences with other organizations interested in developing similar training programmes.

Methods: The Intermediate Operational Research Training utilized a deliverable-driven training model, using learning-by-doing pedagogy with intensive hands-on mentorship to build research skills from protocol development to scientific publication. The course had short (two-day) but frequent training sessions (seven sessions over eight months). Trainees were clinical and programme staff working at the district level who were paired to jointly lead a research project.

Results: Of 10 trainees admitted to the course from a pool of 24 applicants, nine trainees completed the course with five research projects published in peer-reviewed journals. Strengths of the course included supportive national and institutional research capacity guidelines, building from a successful training model, and trainee commitment. Challenges included delays in ethical review, high mentorship workload of up to 250 hours of practicum mentorship, lack of access to literature in subscription journals and high costs of open access publication.

Conclusions: The IORT course was an effective way to support the district-based government and NGO staff in gaining research skills, as well as answering research questions relevant to health service delivery at district hospitals. Other NGOs should build on successful programmes while adapting course elements to address context-specific challenges. Mentorship for LMIC trainees is critical for effectiveness of research capacity building initiatives.

Attitudes to legalizing cannabis use

In this paper, we investigate the relationship between cannabis use and attitudes to legalizing the use of cannabis. Predictions from theory provide a means of learning about the roles of information, self interest and regret in explaining differences in attitudes to legalization between those who currently use, those who have used in the past and those who have never used. Our empirical investigation suggests that users have a greater awareness of cannabis not being as harmful as abstainers think it is. This may explain why individuals are more inclined to be in favor of legalizing cannabis once they have used it themselves. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.