Michele Haynes

An analysis of peer, self, and tutor assessment in problem-based learning tutorials

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore self-, peer-, and tutor assessment of performance in tutorials among first year medical students in a problem-based learning curriculum. Methods: One hundred and twenty-five students enrolled in the first year of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Program at the University of Queensland were recruited to participate in a study of metacognition and peer- and self-assessment. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the assessment of PBL performance within the tutorial setting, which included elements such as responsibility and respect, communication, and critical analysis through presentation of a case summary. Self-, peer-, and tutor assessment took place concurrently. Results: Scores obtained from tutor assessment correlated poorly with self-assessment ratings (r = 0.31–0.41), with students consistently under-marking their own performance to a substantial degree. Students with greater self-efficacy, scored their PBL performance more highly. Peer-assessment was a slightly more accurate measure, with peer-averaged scores correlating moderately with tutor ratings initially (r = 0.40) and improving over time (r = 0.60). Students consistently over-marked their peers, particularly those with sceptical attitudes to the peer-assessment process. Peer over-marking led to less divergence from the tutor scoring than under-marking of ones own work. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, first-year medical students in a problem-based learning curriculum were better able to accurately judge the performance of their peers compared to their own performance. This study has shown that self-assessment of process is not an accurate measure, in line with the majority of research in this domain. Nevertheless, it has an important role to play in supporting the development of skills in reflection and self-awareness. Practice points Self-assessment results in substantial under-marking compared to tutor assessment. Scores obtained from peer-assessment are significantly more generous than those scores arising from tutor assessment. Self-assessment is a less accurate means of assessing student performance than peer-assessment.

Neighborhood Disadvantage and Physical Activity: Baseline Results from the HABITAT Multilevel Longitudinal Study

PURPOSE To examine the association between neighborhood disadvantage and physical activity (PA). METHODS We use data from the HABITAT multilevel longitudinal study of PA among middle-aged (40-65 years) men and women (N = 11,037, 68.5% response rate) living in 200 neighborhoods in Brisbane, Australia. PA was measured using three questions from the Active Australia Survey (general walking, moderate, and vigorous activity), one indicator of total activity, and two questions about walking and cycling for transport. The PA measures were operationalized by using multiple categories based on time and estimated energy expenditure that were interpretable with reference to the latest PA recommendations. The association between neighborhood disadvantage and PA was examined with the use of multilevel multinomial logistic regression and Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation. The contribution of neighborhood disadvantage to between-neighborhood variation in PA was assessed using the 80% interval odds ratio. RESULTS After adjustment for sex, age, living arrangement, education, occupation, and household income, reported participation in all measures and levels of PA varied significantly across Brisbanes neighborhoods, and neighborhood disadvantage accounted for some of this variation. Residents of advantaged neighborhoods reported significantly higher levels of total activity, general walking, moderate, and vigorous activity; however, they were less likely to walk for transport. There was no statistically significant association between neighborhood disadvantage and cycling for transport. In terms of total PA, residents of advantaged neighborhoods were more likely to exceed PA recommendations. CONCLUSIONS Neighborhoods may exert a contextual effect on the likelihood of residents participating in PA. The greater propensity of residents in advantaged neighborhoods to do high levels of total PA may contribute to lower rates of cardiovascular disease and obesity in these areas.

Robustness of ranking and selection rules using generalised g-and-k distributions

A new class of distributions, including the MacGillivray adaptation of the g-and-h distributions and a new family called the g-and-k distributions, may be used to approximate a wide class of distributions, with the advantage of effectively controlling skewness and kurtosis through independent parameters. This separation can be used to advantage in the assessment of robustness to non-normality in frequentist ranking and selection rules. We consider the rule of selecting the largest of several means with some specified confidence. In general, we find that the frequentist selection rule is only robust to small changes in the distributional shape parameters g and k and depends on the amount of flexibility we allow in the specified confidence. This flexibility is exemplified through a quality control example in which a subset of batches of electrical transformers are selected as the most efficient with a specified confidence, based on the sample mean performance level far each batch

The Association Between Objectively Measured Neighborhood Features and Walking in Middle- Aged Adults

Purpose. Explore the role of the neighborhood environment in supporting walking. Design. Cross-sectional study of 10,286 residents of 200 neighborhoods. Participants were selected using a stratified two-stage cluster design. Data were collected by mail survey (68.5% response rate). Setting. Brisbane City Local Government Area, Australia, 2007. Subjects. Brisbane residents aged 40 to 65 years. Measures. Environmental: street connectivity, residential density, hilliness, tree coverage, bikeways, and streetlights within a 1-km circular buffer from each residents home; and network distance to nearest river or coast, public transport, shop, and park. Walking: minutes walked in the previous week: <30 minutes, ≥30 to <90 minutes, ≥90 to <150 minutes, ≥150 to <300 minutes, and ≥300 minutes. Analysis. The association between each neighborhood characteristic and walking was examined using multilevel multinomial logistic regression, and the model parameters were estimated using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation. Results. After adjustment for individual factors, the likelihood of walking for more than 300 minutes (relative to <30 minutes) was highest in areas with the most connectivity (odds ratio [OR] = 1.93; 99% confidence intervals [CI], 1.32–2.80), greatest residential density (OR = 1.47; 99% CI, 1.02–2.12), least tree coverage (OR = 1.69; 99% CI, 1.13–2.51), most bikeways (OR = 1.60; 99% CI, 1.16–2.21), and most streetlights (OR = 1.50; 99% CI, 1.07–2.11). The likelihood of walking for more than 300 minutes was also higher among those who lived closest to a river or the coast (OR = 2.06; 99% CI, 1.41–3.02). Conclusion. The likelihood of meeting (and exceeding) physical activity recommendations on the basis of walking was higher in neighborhoods with greater street connectivity and residential density, more streetlights and bikeways, closer proximity to waterways, and less tree coverage. Interventions targeting these neighborhood characteristics may lead to improved environmental quality as well as lower rates of overweight and obesity and associated chromic disease. (Am J Health Promot 2011;25[4]:e12–e21.)PURPOSE To identify worksite practices that show promise for promoting employee weight loss. DATA SOURCE The following electronic databases were searched from January 1, 1966, through December 31, 2005: CARL Uncover (via Ingenta), CDP, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Library, CRISP, Dissertation Abstracts, EMBASE, ERIC, Health Canada, INFORM (part of ABI/INFORM Proquest), LocatorPlus, New York Academy of Medicine, Ovid MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, PapersFirst, PsycINFO, PubMed, and TRIP. STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA Included studies were published in English, conducted at a worksite, designed for adults (aged ≥ 18 years), and reported weight-related outcomes. DATA EXTRACTION Data were extracted using an online abstraction form. DATA SYNTHESIS Studies were evaluated on the basis of study design suitability quality of execution, sample size, and effect size. Changes in weight-related outcomes were used to assess effectiveness. RESULTS The following six promising practices were identified: enhanced access to opportunities for physical activity combined with health education, exercise prescriptions alone, multicomponent educational practices, weight loss competitions and incentives, behavioral practices with incentives, and behavioral practices without incentives. CONCLUSIONS These practices will help employers and employees select programs that show promise for controlling and preventing obesity.

Cognitive Development and Down Syndrome: Age-Related Change on the Stanford-Binet Test (Fourth Edition)

Growth models for subtests of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, 4th edition ( R. L. Thorndike, E. P. Hagen, & J. M. Sattler, 1986a , 1986b ) were developed for individuals with Down syndrome. Models were based on the assessments of 208 individuals who participated in longitudinal and cross-sectional research between 1987 and 2004. Variation in performance among individuals was large and significant across all subtests except Memory for Sentences. Scores on the Memory for Sentences subtest remained low between ages 4 to 30 years. Greatest variation was found on the Pattern Analysis subtest, where scores continued to rise into adulthood. Turning points for scores on the Vocabulary and Comprehension subtests appeared premature relative to normative patterns of development. The authors discuss development at the subdomain level and analyze both individual and group trajectories.

Effect of a Group Intervention to Promote Older Adults’ Adjustment to Driving Cessation on Community Mobility: A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVES The UQDRIVE program, a group education and support program, was developed to meet the needs associated with driving cessation for older adults. The current study investigated the effect of the program on community mobility. DESIGN AND METHODS A prospective, parallel, stratified randomized controlled trial was undertaken with a waitlist control group receiving current clinical practice (no intervention). Data were collected pre, post, and 3 months following the intervention. Participants were adults aged 60 years or older who had ceased driving or planned to cease driving within 12 months. RESULTS A total of 131 participants were included in analyses (67 intervention, 64 control). Participating in the intervention was significantly associated with a higher number of episodes away from home per week at immediately postintervention (z = 2.56, p = .01). This was not significantly maintained at 3-month follow-up. Participation in the intervention also significantly predicted higher use of public transport at immediately postintervention (z = 2.12, p = .034), higher use of walking at immediately postintervention (z = 2.69, p = .007), increased aspects of community mobility self-efficacy (z = 3.81, p = .0001), and higher satisfaction with transport at 3-month follow-up (z = 2.07, p = .038). IMPLICATIONS The program increased community mobility immediately postintervention and transport satisfaction at 3 months postintervention. Due to a high attrition rate, further research is required to clarify the long-term impact of the intervention.

Pathways Into Marriage: Cohabitation and the Domestic Division of Labor

Does time spent in a cohabiting relationship prior to marriage lead to more egalitarian housework arrangements after marriage? Previous research has shown that housework patterns within cohabiting relationships are more egalitarian than in marital relationships. But do these patterns remain when couples marry? The findings from previous studies are mixed. This article uses three waves of data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey to examine changes in men’s and women’s time spent on housework as they transition into marriage. The results show that men’s housework hours remain stable regardless of life course pathway, and for women there is only minimal evidence that different pathways into marriage lead to different housework outcomes. The article concludes that the gender division of labor is developed well before the formation of a union and that the pathway to marriage has a relatively small effect on housework patterns after marriage.

Casual employment in Australia The influence of employment contract on financial well-being

This article uses data from Wave 1 of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) 2001 survey to examine whether there is a difference in financial well-being between casual and permanent employees. The study examines two measures of financial difficulty and one measure of financial satisfaction and finds that casual employees fare worse than permanent employees on all three measures. The results indicate that casual employees are less likely to afford basic costs of living, such as bills and mortgage/rent, and have higher levels of financial difficulty as well as lower levels of financial satisfaction. The article concludes that casual employment imposes significant financial strains on employees.

Bayesian Estimation of g-and-k Distributions using MCMC

SummaryIn this paper we investigate a Bayesian procedure for the estimation of a flexible generalised distribution, notably the MacGillivray adaptation of theg-and-k distribution. This distribution, described through its inverse cdf or quantile function, generalises the standard normal through extra parameters which together describe skewness and kurtosis. The standard quantile-based methods for estimating the parameters of generalised distributions are often arbitrary and do not rely on computation of the likelihood. MCMC, however, provides a simulation-based alternative for obtaining the maximum likelihood estimates of parameters of these distributions or for deriving posterior estimates of the parameters through a Bayesian framework. In this paper we adopt the latter approach. The proposed methodology is illustrated through an application in which the parameter of interest is slightly skewed.

Predicting steep escalations in alcohol use over the teenage years: age-related variations in key social influences

AIMS This study examined how family, peer and school factors are related to different trajectories of adolescent alcohol use at key developmental periods. DESIGN Latent class growth analysis was used to identify trajectories based on five waves of data (from grade 6, age 12 to grade 11, age 17), with predictors at grades 5, 7 and 9 included as covariates. SETTING Adolescents completed surveys during school hours. PARTICIPANTS A total of 808 students in Victoria, Australia. MEASUREMENTS Alcohol use trajectories were based on self-reports of 30-day frequency of alcohol use. Predictors included sibling alcohol use, attachment to parents, parental supervision, parental attitudes favourable to adolescent alcohol use, peer alcohol use and school commitment. FINDINGS A total of 8.2% showed steep escalation in alcohol use. Relative to non-users, steep escalators were predicted by age-specific effects for low school commitment at grade 7 (P = 0.031) and parental attitudes at grade 5 (P = 0.003), and age-generalized effects for sibling alcohol use (Ps = 0.001, 0.012, 0.033 at grades 5, 7 and 9, respectively) and peer alcohol use (Ps = 0.041, < 0.001, < 0.001 at grades 5, 7 and 9, respectively). Poor parental supervision was associated with steep escalators at grade 9 (P < 0.001) but not the other grades. Attachment to parents was unrelated to alcohol trajectories. CONCLUSIONS Parental disapproval of alcohol use before transition to high school, low school commitment at transition to high school, and sibling and peer alcohol use during adolescence are associated with a higher risk of steep escalations in alcohol use.