Taylor W. Acee

Is Educational Intervention Research on the Decline

The authors examined intervention studies that appeared in 4 educational psychology journals (Cognition & Instruction, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Experimental Education) and the American Educational Research Journal (AERJ) in 1983 and from 1995 to 2004. The majority of studies included adults (age 18 and older) as participants, administered brief (less than 1 day) interventions, assessed intervention effects immediately following the intervention, and did not report treatment integrity. Most studies included multiple outcome measures and exhibited an increase in effect-size reporting from 4% in 1995 to 61% in 2004. The percentage of total articles based on randomized experiments decreased over the 21-year period in both the educational psychology journals (from 40% in 1983 to 34% in 1995 to 26% in 2004) and AERJ (from 33% to 17% to 4%). Limitations of the study and future research issues are discussed.

Effects of a Value-Reappraisal Intervention on Statistics Students' Motivation and Performance.

The authors investigated the effects of an exploratory value-reappraisal intervention on students’ motivation and performance in an undergraduate introductory statistics course. They sampled 82 students from 2 instructors’ sections during both the fall and spring semesters. Students were randomly assigned within each section to either the Value-Reappraisal (VR) or Control condition (C). VR presented messages about the importance of statistics and guided students in exploring potential values of learning statistics. Results showed positive effects of VR on task value, endogenous instrumentality, and a choice-behavior measure of interest. The authors found VR to affect exam performance, but only for students who had a particular instructor. This research helps broaden literature on self-regulation and expectancy-value models of motivation by focusing on the regulation of value perceptions.

The SeniorWISE study: improving everyday memory in older adults.

We tested whether at-risk older adults receiving memory training showed better memory self-efficacy, metamemory, memory performance, and function in instrumental activities of daily living than participants receiving a health promotion training comparison condition. We followed participants for 26 months. The sample was mostly female (79%) and Caucasian (71%), with 17% Hispanics and 12% African Americans; average age was 75 years, and average education was 13 years. The memory training group made greater gains on global cognition and had fewer memory complaints, but both groups generally maintained their performance on the other cognitive measures and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) throughout the 24-month study period. Black and Hispanic participants made greater gains than Whites did on some memory performance measures but not on memory self-efficacy. The unexpected finding that minority elders made the largest gains merits further study. This study contributed to the knowledge base of geropsychiatric nursing by providing evidence for an effective psychosocial intervention that could be delivered by advanced practice nurses.

Symptom management of affective and cognitive disturbance with a group of cancer survivors.

UNLABELLED Cancer survivors 65 years of age and older experience treatment-induced memory impairments. However, clinicians do not intervene for these cognitive problems. This article describes the findings from a pilot study of a memory versus health training intervention and its adaptability for cancer survivors for symptom management. DESIGN AND METHODS A convenience sample of older adults was enrolled in a longitudinal study of a memory and health training intervention and tested on five occasions for 2 years postintervention. The memory training was designed to increase cognitive performance, reduce anxiety, decrease negative attributions, promote health, and increase memory self-efficacy. In this analysis, we included change over time for the first four of the five data collection points. We calculated means and standard deviations on the memory measures for cancer survivors in the intervention (n = 8) and comparison (n = 14) groups. The analysis consisted of a mixed design analysis of variance comparing the two intervention groups across four periods for 12 months. RESULTS The typical cancer survivor in the sample was a 74-year-old Caucasian female; 14% were minorities. Because of the small sample, some of the effects were not statistically significant. Moderate to large effects were revealed in everyday and verbal memory performance scores, memory self-efficacy, strategy use, and memory complaints. There were also moderate effects for group-by-time interactions on the visual memory performance measure, the memory self-efficacy measure, the depression, the trait anxiety measure, and the complaints subscale. The memory intervention group tended to improve more than the health training group, although this was not always consistent. The results suggested that the participants benefited from the memory training intervention. IMPLICATIONS Clinicians are often at a loss on how to intervene with cancer survivors who are experiencing cognitive problems following chemotherapy treatment. Evidenced-based interventions for this aspect of symptom management are almost nonexistent. The Cognitive Behavioral Model of Everyday Memory (CBMEM), derived from Self-Efficacy theory provides an evidence-based intervention for symptom management.

The Revised Direct Assessment of Functional Status for Independent Older Adults

PURPOSE The original version of the Direct Assessment of Functional Status (DAFS), a measure of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), was found to have a ceiling effect in older adults living independently in the community. This suggested that the tasks measured, although relevant, do not require full use of this populations abilities, and thus, the instrument may not be sensitive to the early decrements in IADLs that can signal initial cognitive impairment and may not detect improvements in IADLs over time, which is especially important in intervention research. DESIGN AND METHODS By removing items with little to no variation and adding more difficult subscales that emphasized medication management skills, we designed the DAFS-Extended (Direct Assessment of Functional Status-Revised [DAFS-R]) to be more challenging for elders living independently. RESULTS Analysis with a sample of 45 older adults suggested that scores on the DAFS-R appear to be more normally distributed than on the original version. The DAFS was able to differentiate individuals with varying standard profile scores on the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test memory performance instrument (normal, poor, and impaired). In addition, the reliability and validity of the DAFS-R were supported in this sample. IMPLICATIONS Given the large number of older adults who regularly take multiple prescription medications, deficits in medication management skills can have serious consequences. A performance measure that emphasizes these higher level daily living skills can help providers screen for initial signs of functional decline.

Relationships among Properties of College Students' Self-Set Academic Goals and Academic Achievement.

The major purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among properties of college students’ self-set academic goals and academic achievement, using multiple theoretical perspectives. Using a personal goal-based research methodology, college students enrolled in a learning-to-learn course (N = 130) were asked to list 20 of their goals (academic and/or non-academic). For each of their goals, goal specificity, value, expectation of success and autonomous and controlled motivation were measured and then ratings on each goal property were averaged across students’ academic goals (24.75% of all goals) to predict students’ grade point average (GPA) for the semester. Regression results suggested a positive affect on students’ semester GPA for goal specificity and a negative effect for controlled motivation; the model explained 19% of the variation in GPA. This research may help to inform motivation researchers and educational practitioners who assist college students with goal setting.

Differential Benefits of Memory Training for Minority Older Adults in the SeniorWISE Study

PURPOSE Cognitive training improves mental abilities in older adults, but the benefit to minority elders is unclear. We conducted a subgroup analysis of subjects in the SeniorWISE (Wisdom Is Simply Exploration) trial to examine this issue. DESIGN AND METHODS SeniorWISE was a Phase 3 randomized trial that enrolled 265 nondemented community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and older between 2001 and 2006. Participants were randomly assigned to 12 hr of either memory or health training. RESULTS The sample was 79% female, 71% Caucasian, 17% Hispanic, and 12% African American. On the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test (RBMT), 28% of the sample scored normal, 47% scored poor, and 25% impaired. Memory performance changed differently over time depending on the demographic characteristics of participants. Both Hispanics and Blacks performed better than Whites on visual memory, and Blacks performed better over time on instrumental activities of daily living. On all performance measures, lower pretest scores were associated with relatively greater improvements over time. IMPLICATIONS Our analyses suggested that minority participants received differential benefits from the memory training; however, this remains speculative because the 3 ethnic groups in the sample were not equivalent in size. The question of why Black and Hispanic participants often made greater improvements needs further exploration.

Alcohol use and older adults: A little goes a long way

We examined the relationships between alcohol use, cognitive and affective variables, and the potential differential benefits of training for older adults drinkers and non-drinkers who participated in a randomized trial implemented between 2001-2006. Participants, who were living independently in the community, were randomly assigned to either twelve hours of memory training or health promotion classes. Outcomes included depression, health, cognition, verbal, visual, memory, and performance-based IADLs. The sample was 79% female, 17% Hispanic and 12% African-American. The typical participant had an average age of 75 years with 13 years of education. In the memory intervention group, there were 135 individuals (63 drinkers, 72 non-drinkers). In the health promotion condition, there were 129 individuals (58 drinkers and 71 non-drinkers). At baseline, drinkers scored higher on cognition, verbal memory, and lower on depression than non-drinkers. Alcohol use was positively related to physical health at baseline as measured by the Physical Component Summary Score of the Medical Outcomes Health Scale (SF-36). We found significant effects for the time*drinking*treatment group interaction in the repeated measures ANCOVA for the Mini Mental Status Examination, the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test, and the SF-36 Mental Health sub-scale. The time*drinking*group interactions were not statistically significant for any of the other outcomes; This study demonstrated that older adults benefited from targeted psychosocial interventions on affective, cognitive and functional outcomes. In addition, the SeniorWISE study provides empirical support to the research evidence emphasizing the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption in older adults.

Health-Training Intervention for Community-Dwelling Elderly in the SeniorWISE Study

This article describes the outcomes of a psychosocial intervention that tested whether health training could improve health and functional ability in a group of community-residing elderly persons. The health-training intervention consisted of eight 90-minute lecture and discussion classes conducted twice a week for 1 month. In 3 months following the posttest, an additional four booster sessions were delivered once per week for 1 month. Participants received a total of 20 hours of health training. The National Institutes of Health-funded SeniorWISE (Wisdom is Simply Exploration) study was advertised in the community as a program to learn strategies for successful aging. We describe the health curriculum and the health and functional outcomes for a 6-month period at preintervention, postintervention, and postbooster sessions. Complete data were available for 110 individuals. There was a statistically significant change on the Direct Assessment of Functional Status, F(2, 107) = 4.69, P < .012. Health variables remained stable over time. This intervention demonstrated that health training has the potential for noticeable improvement in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living function.

Motivation for Staying in College Differences Between LEP (Limited English Proficiency) and Non-LEP Hispanic Community College Students

The study investigated motivational differences and higher education outcomes between limited English proficiency (LEP) Hispanic students compared with non-LEP Hispanic students. With a sample of 668 Hispanic community college students, we measured various forms of achievement motivation informed by self-determination theory, grade point average (GPA), and first-semester and 1-year persistence outcomes. Using ANCOVA and logistic regression, we found that LEP students had significantly higher retention rates and levels of external regulation, or motivation out of compliance or extrinsic rewards. Moreover, LEP students with moderate levels of external regulation persisted longer in their first semester of community college. Implications for understanding the complex motivations of Hispanic community college students are discussed.