Search Results (2,604)

Past reviews have found home visiting interventions to be successful at improving caregiver outcomes. Though, no review has looked specifically at the effect of home visiting interventions on caregivers with high vulnerability and complex needs. This review aimed to examine and synthesis the literature on the impact of home visiting programs administered to caregivers with young children, high vulnerability and complex needs by professionals/paraprofessionals. Interdisciplinary databases, reference lists, and the Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness database were searched for articles that fit the inclusion criteria. Together searches resulted in a total of 623 articles, 34 of these articles were included in the final review, all from high-income countries. Twenty-five interventions were implemented across the 34 studies. Findings showed that these interventions were effective at improving a range of mental health, parenting, and family violence outcomes in caregivers with high vulnerability and complex needs. However, weighted mean standardized effect sizes ranged from 0.01–0.24 (small effect), with only one (i.e., practical parenting skills) of the five significantly different from 0 (standardized mean difference 0.24; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.38; z = 3.39, p = 0.00) and results favoring the control group. Missing information together with considerable variation in interventions, meant that identifying a clear pattern in treatment components that lead to effective verses non-effective interventions was not possible. Further research is therefore needed to assess the effectiveness of these interventions. Trial registration: The University of York Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (PROSPERO) registration number CRD42023460366. Full article

An effective response to the socio-environmental crisis requires the education of critical citizens, capable of articulating local action with collective socio-political engagement. Teachers occupy a central position in educating for Environmental Citizenship (EC), yet in-service professional development models in this area remain scarce. Within a Design-Based Research framework, this article discusses the expert evaluation of a training prototype. 32 experts—comprising EC researchers, TPD researchers, and specialist teachers—responded to a qualitative questionnaire regarding the model’s design. Data underwent inductive content analysis, with categories emerging directly from the responses. While results strongly validate the prototype’s structure, crucial recommendations emerged for its improvement. Pedagogically, experts suggested focusing on structuring methodologies like Problem-Based Learning and Case Studies to avoid fragmentation. Conceptually, they highlighted the need to deepen critical theoretical foundations and incorporate explicit training in activism and communication skills, enriched by ethical considerations. These findings inform the redesign of a model whose implementation aims to reduce the gap between ecological awareness and transformative civic action, preparing teachers to foster genuine agency in their students. Full article

Quality Teaching is essential for preparing learners for the 21st century. This study proposes a conceptual framework for Quality Teaching embedded in three domains, identifying its focuses and characteristics. We address two questions: What are the focuses of the literature describing Quality Teaching? What are the main characteristics of Quality Teaching in the three domains? A systematic literature review involving 152 articles published between 2000 and 2025, based on the PRISMA guidelines, was conducted to identify key characteristics and theoretical constructs regarding three focuses: teachers, learners, and the education system. The thematic analysis yielded 740 themes related to Quality Teaching. Over half of the themes were related to pedagogy, approximately a quarter to technology, and less than a fifth to social–emotional learning/teaching (SEL/SET). The results suggest that Quality Teaching involves quality pedagogy and high-level socio-emotional proficiency. Professionalization in digital learning technologies also contributes positively to advancing Quality Teaching. Therefore, Quality Teaching requires ongoing training leading to high proficiency in skills, methods, and practices. This study outlines essential components for teacher education and professional development programs. Its novelty lies in systematically highlighting both the distinctive and integrative combined contributions of three professional domains—pedagogy, SEL/SET, and technology—to the enhancement of Quality Teaching in educational systems (focuses), narrowing the gap between theory and practice. Full article

This study aimed to examine the effects of online, video-based teacher professional development on changes in classroom instruction and student achievement in biology. The professional development program included organizing lessons based on prepared materials aligned with national curriculum outcomes, asynchronous participation in an online forum for (self-)analysis of lesson videos using the Teaching Observation Form (TOF), and synchronous participation in online communities of practice. Teachers and their eighth-grade students participated in this quasi-experimental study, which involved control and experimental student groups and pre- and post-tests of knowledge. The results indicate that students in the experimental group achieved statistically significantly higher post-test scores than those in the control group (d = 0.26), with the largest differences observed in tasks requiring higher-order cognitive skills. The findings suggest that even a relatively short professional development intervention—including continuous online support for teachers—can lead to improvements in student learning outcomes. Full article

Construction 4.0 refers to the integration of automation, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT) in the construction industry, which has changed traditional construction practices. MSc courses play a crucial role in developing the next generation of leaders within the construction industry by equipping graduates of these courses with advanced technical, managerial, and strategic skills, including the arrival of Construction 4.0. As future professionals and construction industry leaders, it is necessary to identify the current level of awareness and understanding of Construction 4.0 amongst master’s level students. As such, this paper studies these areas to help identify the gaps in education and training requirements—essential for matching academic programs with industry needs. Through the use of a survey-based approach with 112 MSc students on various Construction Management courses, a series of revealing results were obtained. The results presented herein indicate that there is a shared definition of what constitutes Construction 4.0 amongst engineering management students. However, while they are relatively aware of Construction 4.0 technologies, they do not differentiate strongly between Industry 4.0 and Construction 4.0. Therein, they are ambivalent as to the role of Education 4.0 in improving this situation. Key to this is the requirement to keep up with industry needs. The lack of application of Construction 4.0 means students lack the necessary ‘practical skills’ to implement innovations on real construction sites. Students advocated for more hands-on training, industry-linked projects, and guest lectures within the curriculum, alongside developing the essential skills of critical thinking and problem-solving. Changes in the curricula are suggested, achievable through readily existing 4.0 Frameworks. Full article

Background/Objectives: Maternal mental health concerns are a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, disproportionately impacting Black mothers in the United States. Structural racism and social determinants of health contribute to increased risks of perinatal mental health issues, limited access to formal services, and adverse health outcomes for Black mothers. While formal mental health services are underutilized, Black mothers employ a variety of culturally relevant and context-specific strategies to support their mental health. This study seeks to understand the barriers, preferences, and experiences that guide their decision-making and inform culturally responsive care. Methods: This qualitative study employed thematic analysis of in-depth interviews conducted with 12 Black mothers aged 20–39 residing in a midwestern metropolitan area. The research explored individual experiences, preferences for support, and perspectives on healthcare to identify pathways for advancing mental health equity. Results: Three major themes emerged: (1) Expanding conceptions of mental health support beyond traditional services, emphasizing preferences for culturally congruent, convenient, and stress-decreasing interventions; (2) The salience of past experiences and identities in shaping support preferences and decisions; (3) What healthcare professionals can do, the knowledge and skills healthcare professionals can gain, and the actions that they can to become more helpful to Black mothers. The importance of healthcare professionals embodying nonjudgmental, patient, and caring attributes, as well as strengths-based, culturally responsive approaches in care. Conclusions: Advancing mental health equity for Black mothers requires increased awareness of existing disparities, barriers to care, and the strengths embedded within their communities. This research provides actionable insights for healthcare providers, policy makers, and researchers to identify, assess, and respond to the unique needs of Black mothers through culturally responsive and participatory approaches. Findings have implications for intervention design, theory development, and policy reform to improve mental health outcomes. Full article

The need to automate the disease identification processes is frequent because manual identification is time-consuming and needs professional skills to be performed; hence, it may improve effectiveness and precision. This paper has resolved the problem by using image classification with deep learning to detect silkworm diseases. A Kaggle-sourced dataset of work of 492 labelled samples (247 diseased and 245 healthy) was used with a stratified division into 392 training and 100 testing samples. The transfer learning method was performed on two Residual Network models, ResNet-18 and ResNet-50, in which pretrained convolutional layers were frozen and the last fully connected layer was trained to conduct binomial classification. Performance was measured by standard evaluation metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and confusion matrices. Full article

Retrofitting the UK building stock is a key priority due to the importance of achieving sustainability goals, preferably before 2050. This goal will not be achieved without reducing energy consumption and making houses more comfortable, healthier, and cheaper to heat. One of the key challenges of building retrofit is skill shortage. The retrofit industry will need a number of professionals under the roles of retrofit assessors, coordinators, and designers. However, the existing university programmes do not directly produce retrofit professionals. Most construction-related university programmes do not emphasise or introduce retrofits. To address this skill shortage, this paper proposes a master’s programme in retrofit, which is directly aimed at producing retrofit professionals. Two specialisations are recommended under the master’s programme, namely architectural design and project management, with accreditations from relevant professional bodies. The objective is to produce a market-ready graduate who can be directly employed as a retrofit assessor, coordinator, or designer. Ten syllabuses related to retrofit professional courses were analysed to design the syllabus of the proposed master’s programme. The master’s programme will help to produce industry-ready retrofit professionals through either physical or online delivery methods. Full article

(1) Background: Interprofessional supervision is an emerging approach in health professions education that strengthens collaborative practice competencies while maintaining profession-specific expertise. Understanding current evidence regarding supervision models, outcomes, and implementation factors is crucial for advancing this field. (2) Methods: This narrative review analyzed 28 studies, including quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods studies, and systematic reviews. Studies were analyzed for supervision models, outcome measures, evidence of effectiveness, and implementation factors. (3) Results: Six categories of interprofessional supervision models were identified: clinical practice-based, group supervision, competency-based training, skills training, case-based learning, and mentorship/coaching. Across models, interprofessional supervision consistently enhanced collaborative competencies, professional development, clinical skills, and organizational outcomes. Organizational support, structured curricula, interprofessional leadership, and individual readiness facilitated implementation success. Barriers included limited resources, professional silos, and challenges in curriculum integration. (4) Conclusions: Interprofessional supervision shows consistently positive outcomes across diverse models and settings, though more rigorous research designs and standardized outcome measures are needed. Successful implementation requires systematic attention to multiple factors at multiple levels, from organizational support to individual readiness. Interprofessional supervision is positioned for significant advancement through the application of implementation science frameworks and continued research on optimal model characteristics and implementation strategies. Full article

Project control in cost estimation, time scheduling, and resource accounting remains challenging, particularly when using the open-source Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs) format. This study aims to define the state of the art in integrating these three domains. A systematic literature review was conducted, using a bibliometric analysis to map and interpret scientific knowledge and research trajectories, and an inductive analysis for a detailed examination of relevant studies. The analysis highlights a lack of clarity in applying the IFC standard across project control domains, as current practices often rely on non-standardized procedures, including incorrect use of classes or properties, creation of unneeded user-defined PropertySets and properties, or reliance on proprietary software. Integration of cost, time, and resource management remains limited, and proposed technological solutions generally require coding skills that typical professionals do not possess. Additional challenges include fragmented data across multiple databases, manual assignment of time, cost, and resource information, and limited collaboration, all of which are time-consuming and error-prone. There is a critical need for clearer guidelines on IFC usage to enable standardized procedures and facilitate the development of IFC-based tools. Automating these labor-intensive tasks could improve efficiency, reduce errors, and support broader adoption of integrated project control practices. Full article

English-Medium Instruction (EMI) has become a central component of globalized education, allowing institutions to deliver courses in English to improve international competitiveness and accessibility for teachers and students. This paper reports the perspectives of five faculty members from a northern Taiwan private university who participated in an overseas short-term teacher training program at a Southern California State University, the United States, in 2025, aimed at enhancing their professional knowledge and teaching strategies in EMI. A qualitative research approach was adopted, including using the five semi-structured written open-ended questions and a focus group interview. This study captures insights of teachers into the professional development, instructional challenges, subject knowledge, language awareness, pedagogical shifts experienced, and self-reflection by these faculty members. Findings highlight the perceived impact of the professional development training on teachers’ language proficiency, pedagogical teaching skills in EMI, language awareness, intercultural communication competence, and the broader implications for EMI in Taiwanese higher education. Full article

Background: Malnutrition is common among older adults with cognitive impairment and contributes to frailty and poorer health outcomes. Many individuals with dementia require mealtime assistance, yet differences in caregiving practices across hospital and nursing home settings remain underexplored. Aim: The aim of this study was to compare eating encouragement practices, feeding skills, feeding difficulties, and nutritional status between family caregivers in hospitals and professional caregivers in nursing homes. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted between June 2020 and December 2023 in New South Wales, Australia. The study included 82 older adults (≥65 years) with cognitive impairment: 31 hospital patients supported by family caregivers and 51 nursing home residents supported by assistant nurses. Eating encouragement, feeding skills, and feeding difficulties were assessed using structured observation tools, and nutritional status was evaluated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment–Short Form (MNA-SF). Group differences were analysed using chi-square tests and independent t-tests (p < 0.05). Results: Family caregivers in hospitals demonstrated stronger relational and engagement-based practices, including consistent handwashing (χ² = 31.945, p < 0.001), encouraging self-feeding (χ² = 21.678, p < 0.001), verbal cueing (χ² = 12.083, p = 0.002), touch prompting (χ² = 51.817, p < 0.001), and sitting face to face (χ² = 38.697, p < 0.001). Nursing home caregivers showed more advanced technical skills, such as task simplification (χ² = 54.135, p < 0.001), mirroring (χ² = 78.456, p < 0.001), hand-over-hand guidance (χ² = 73.076, p < 0.001), mouth- and lip-opening techniques (both χ² = 81.000, p < 0.001), and stronger choking management (p < 0.001). Feeding difficulties also differed: refusal behaviours were more common in nursing homes, while distraction and oral–motor issues were more frequent in hospitals. Overall, nursing home residents had significantly poorer nutritional status (t = −12.592, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Family caregivers provide stronger relational support, whereas professional caregivers demonstrate superior technical competence. Integrating these complementary strengths may enhance mealtime care and reduce malnutrition among cognitively impaired older adults. Full article

Background: Many nurses and physicians report difficulties with breaking bad news to their patients due to the lack of adequate skills and training. This study aimed to explore the communication skills, knowledge, and self-perceived difficulties of healthcare professionals working in oncology and hematology settings in Italy, in relation to their self-perceived stress levels when communicating bad news. Methods: An “ad hoc” questionnaire and the Perceived Stress Scale were administered online to both physicians and nurses registered by two important professional associations between October 2023 and September 2024. Results: A total of 221 Italian physicians and nurses were enrolled in the study. Most participants reported learning how to conduct difficult conversations from a mentor (61.1%) or through specific courses (56.6%). However, many of the recruited subjects declared having difficulty in giving bad news to the patient and family members (84.2%), and many of them did not know the SPIKES method (63.8%). A moderate level of stress was perceived by the great majority of participants, and the stress level was significantly increased in healthcare professionals who had difficulties in using evidence-based tools (e.g., SPIKES) for bad news communication. Moderate stress was “often” experienced by participants when presenting themselves during the first approach (p = 0.006), when attempting to anticipate the patient’s reactions (p = 0.044), when the patient refused to receive information (p = 0.006), when they had to remain assertive and confident regardless of the patient’s response (p = 0.013), and when managing post-communication consequences (p = 0.012). Conclusion: The limited knowledge and application of specific tools for bad news communication could exacerbate stressful conditions at this sensitive time among healthcare providers. The present findings could be used by health institutions to develop ad hoc training programs for both physicians and nurses, as well as to strengthen their organizational culture. Full article

In Sweden, collaboration between families and preschools is strongly emphasized, yet little is known about how parents perceive preschool teachers’ education, qualifications, and professional skills. Through a socio-cultural lens, this article explores parents’ views on preschool teacher competence within the context of parent–teacher partnerships. It is guided by the central question: What skills, competencies, and qualifications do parents consider important in a preschool teacher? Based on interviews with 25 parents of preschool-aged children in Sweden, the findings revealed three key themes: (i) parents’ knowledge about the teachers’ formal education, (ii) formal education and curriculum as meaningful/important when working in preschools, and (iii) parents’ perceptions of teachers’ professional competence in practice. This study thus highlights that, while formal qualifications are not a primary concern for parents, they place significant value on interpersonal qualities that foster a sense of safety and emotional security for both children and their families. Full article

This article examines the maternal healthcare experiences of ten Brazilian women during Portugal’s obstetric crisis, focusing on access, use, and quality of care throughout the perinatal and childbirth periods. Using a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews, this study explores women’s perceptions of the adequacy and quality of maternal healthcare, contributing to a deeper understanding of their experiences within the Portuguese health system. Thematic analysis revealed persistent barriers to accessing services, linked to limited knowledge of the healthcare system, lack of awareness of legal rights, discrimination, and other structural obstacles. Participants expressed dissatisfaction with the clarity and quality of information provided by healthcare professionals, their communication skills, and the limited access to specialized care. They also described feeling undervalued by healthcare providers and reported an absence of emotional and psychosocial support during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Accounts of disrespectful and abusive practices highlight the vulnerability of migrant women. This study underscores the urgent need to recognize and address migrant women’s needs. Beyond access, policies should promote equity, cultural responsiveness, and intercultural dialogue to ensure respectful, person-centered maternal care. Full article