Gail R. Luera

Types of spiritual well-being among persons with chronic illness: Their relation to various forms of quality of life

OBJECTIVES Derive a spiritual well-being classification and thereby enhance understanding of the relation between spiritual well-being, quality of life (QOL), and health among persons with chronic illness or disability. DESIGN Cluster analyses were performed to develop a spiritual well-being classification. Analysis of variance was used to compare cluster groups on various dimensions of QOL. SETTING Part of a larger QOL study conducted at a midwestern medical center. PATIENTS A convenience sample of 216 inpatients: amputation (n = 74), postpolio (n = 37), spinal cord injury (n = 34), breast cancer (n = 36), and prostate cancer (n = 35). Minors were excluded from the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT), Functional Living Index-Cancer (FLIC), Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), Medical Outcome Survey-Short Form (SF-36), and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). RESULTS Three types of spiritual well-being were identified: religious (n = 146), existential (n = 37), and nonspiritual (n = 30). Significant cluster differences (p < .03 to p < .001) were observed across all QOL domains and life satisfaction. Compared with the other cluster groups, the nonspiritual group reported significantly lower levels of QOL and life satisfaction and the highest proportion of health status change with respect to both improvement and decline in health. CONCLUSIONS Three types of spiritual well-being were empirically identified in this sample. Subtypes differed significantly with respect to various aspects of QOL. Further research is needed to validate this classification and to determine if type of spiritual well-being has a causal effect on treatment outcome or on the recovery process.

Development and Evaluation of an Inquiry-Based Elementary Science Teacher Education Program Reflecting Current Reform Movements.

The National Science Education Standards (National Research Council 1996, National science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press) and various other national and state documents call for teachers who possess science content knowledge, employ an inquiry approach in teaching, and engage in reflective practices. This paper describes a rationale for choosing particular recommendations to implement and how we incorporated those as we revised our elementary science education program. An analysis of the impact of the reformed inquiry-based content courses revealed that students who take more than one reformed content course improve their science content knowledge and efficacy towards teaching science significantly more than students who take fewer courses.

What Type and Level of Science Content Knowledge of Elementary Education Students Affect Their Ability to Construct an Inquiry-Based Science Lesson?.

Although various governmental and professional organizations recommend that teachers use, an inquiry-based approach to science education, most teachers do not use this pedagogy. Lack of content knowledge and/or insufficient skills in planning inquiry-based lessons may contribute to teachers’ reluctance to utilize this methodological approach. This study explores the relationship between science content knowledge and inquiry-based lesson planning ability. The authors found a significant positive relationship between content knowledge and the ability to create an inquiry-based science lesson. These data are of great interest since proficiency in lesson-planning is believed to contribute significantly to the ability to teach an inquiry-based lesson.

Technology and Pedagogical Renewal: Conceptualizing Technology Integration into Teacher Preparation.

Abstract Research indicates that, if future teachers are to effectively use technology, their pre-service preparation should employ multiple components. These components include core course work in educational technology, faculty modeling, and clinical experiences. This paper describes and analyzes one model for drawing these three components coherently together in a teacher preparation program. The paper further reports on a research project that applies this model at a major Midwest research university. In the conclusion section the paper identifies and discusses ways in which the model presented responds effectively to the need for a comprehensive program for preparing a technology-proficient teaching force.

An Innovative Course Featuring Action Research Integrated with Unifying Science Themes

In this article, we describe an innovative capstone course for preservice K-8 teachers integrating action research and a unifying theme in science (AAAS in Science for all Americans. Oxford University Press, New York, 1989; NRC in National science education standards. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1996). The goals of the capstone course are to increase student knowledge of the unifying theme, improve written communication skills, and introduce students to educational research. We provide evidence that each of these goals is met. Student growth in theme knowledge is demonstrated through concept maps, questionnaires, and previously reported assessments. Improved writing ability is demonstrated using the spelling and grammar checking feature of Microsoft Word. The analysis of action research reports demonstrates that students are able to connect their action research project results to previous research.

Broadening Diversity in the Geosciences Through Teacher-Student Workshops That Emphasize Community-Based Research Projects

ABSTRACT The Geosciences Institute for Research and Education at the University of Michigan–Dearborn has been an example of a successful and effective model in increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in the geosciences. The program emphasizes involving middle school and at-risk high school students from the Detroit area public schools, along with their teachers in geoscience research projects, through a series of spring and summer workshops. The workshops introduce students to the geosciences by emphasizing how geology can be used as a tool to solve community-based environmental problems. Students work alongside their teachers and university faculty on projects ranging from an assessment of brownfield sites in southwestern Detroit to the installation of groundwater monitoring wells to the evaluation of how former land use is impacting groundwater and surface water quality. Spring workshops focused on students from three African-centered middle schools in Detroit, while the summer workshops focused more on middle school and high school teacher training, but included a small group of middle school and high school students. Instruments used to evaluate the effectiveness of the workshops included the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument, the Geoscience Concept Inventory, and survey questions from the Watershed Task. Pre- and postworkshop questionnaires and separate teacher–student focus groups demonstrate that we have not only increased student awareness of the geosciences, but we have also motivated students to pursue career opportunities in science. For example, more than half of the students completing the workshop (boys and girls alike) have expressed a strong interest in pursuing a career in the geosciences. Since its inception in 2005, we have reached over 100 middle and high school students, and 75 teachers. During this same period, the Earth Science major at the University of Michigan–Dearborn has tripled in size, and we have quadrupled the number of minority students taking introductory geology courses.

Drawings as a Component of Triangulated Assessment.

Action research (AR) in an educational setting as described by Tillotson (2000) is an approach to “classroom-based problems” or “specific school issues” (p. 31). His process involves identification of the issue or problem, development and implementation of an action plan, gathering and interpreting data, sharing the results within the community, and “action planning” as a cyclical endeavor (Tillotson, 2000, p. 32). AR is utilized as a key component of developing pre-service teachers in the University of Michigan-Dearborn certification program. Illustrating the five components of Tillotson’s approach, pre-service elementary teachers develop and analyze pre-assessments of K-8 student knowledge about a specific science topic to identify prior student understanding; they create and teach two lessons to provide applicable scientific content, post-assess to determine the impact of their teaching and write a research journal style report describing their project. The AR assignment is more structured than a typical action research project in order to support the pre-service teachers, many whom have never conducted a literature review, created assessments linked to research, or completed an AR project (Luera & Otto, 2005).