Practice makes better? Testing a model for training program evaluators in situation awareness

Evaluation approaches should be appropriate for their contexts. Scholars and practitioners alike have widely acknowledged this view for at least four decades, and the ability to respond to context is clearly established as a core evaluator competency. Outside of evaluation, this knowledge of context, known as situation awareness, is seen as a critical feature of good decision making and as a factor that distinguishes experts from novices across a wide range of domains. Yet there are few opportunities for evaluators to explicitly build their skills in situation awareness. This study addressed that gap by examining the potential for one online training program, informed by research on deliberate practice, to accelerate evaluators’ progress towards expertise in situation awareness. Built to align with evidence on developing situation awareness skills, the EvalPractice portal combined (1) an extensive ‘case bank’ of real-world evaluation scenarios, (2) repetitive practice that allowed novice evaluators to practice interpreting these evaluation scenarios, and (3) immediate feedback on the accuracy of these efforts based on events from the real-life version of the scenario. Findings from a small EvalPractice pilot suggest that it may be possible to improve foundational situation awareness skills using deliberate practice, but that further research is required to understand strategies for building higher-level situation awareness skills in evaluation.     

Understanding the transfer of knowledge and skills from training to preventive action using ergonomic work analysis with 11 female VDT users

A qualitative evaluation of 11 VDT users, who participated in a training program for the prevention of musculoskeletal and visual problems, investigated the extent of the application of the taught principles in everyday work. Data were collected over a 2 to 3 day period for each trainee, through an ergonomic work analysis in situ and semi-structured interviews, followed by recommendations, when appropriate, corresponding to the taught principles. A case analysis and a cross analysis of the data provided information about the developed ability for self-analysis of work regarding posture and visual comfort and what influenced it. A model depicting the process of transfer of knowledge and skills, from the training program to preventive action, was abstracted from data analysis. This model allows both the identification of problems in applying taught principles and the means to readjust the training program.     

Eternal work place change: Chaplains' response

A detailed chronology of a unique response to organizational change is explored and discussed through the example of the Chaplaincy Staff Support Service at Hamilton Health Sciences. Highlighted are the corporate and staff benefits of using chaplains' skills, training and existing roles in hospital life. A summary of the specific methodologies are provided to clarify the theoretical discussion. It is concluded that this is a fiscally efficient means of supporting staff to live out the highest organizational principles in difficult times.     

Skills of novices early trained or traditionaly trained versus experienced drivers confronted to simulated urban accidents' scenarios

In order to prevent the over-representation of young drivers in car crashes, France instated an early driver training from the age of 16, but the positive effects of this opportunity have not yet been proven. Three groups of male drivers (12 subjects each) were confronted with some prototypical accident scenarios introduced in a simulated urban circuit. The first and second groups were composed of young drivers having less than one month of driving licence; twelve have had a traditional learning course, and twelve had followed, in addition to the initial course, an early driver training under the supervision of an adult. The third group was composed of experienced drivers. Strategies of the three groups were analyzed through their response time, speed and maneuvers. No difference appeared across groups regarding obstacle detection. But traditionally-trained drivers' position control was more conservative than the two others groups, which were more likely to involve efficient evasive action. The exposure gained during early training could thus increase the development of visuo-motor coordination and involve better skills in case of difficult situations. Others accidents' scenarios could be used to confront young drivers with difficult situations not commonly encountered in natural driving.     

myCourtroom: Rosie’s family go to court; the use of simulations in preparing social workers for court

The role of social workers in court, how they prepare, train, write and present their reports, has been the focus of much debate. Key messages from research tell us that social workers often find court work stressful; they can lack confidence in writing reports giving evidence and being cross-examined. Pre-qualification training in this area can be patchy, with many workers reporting they often learn ‘on the job.’ This article documents the journey from analysing primary and secondary research findings, via a partnership between the University of Kent Centre for Child Protection and Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), to develop a training simulation for practitioners to increase their knowledge, preparation and practice for court. The partnership turned these research findings into an interactive, immersive simulation to give practitioners the space to reflect upon and critique their experiences of court. Findings from an initial evaluation of the simulation were positive with participants highly rating its usefulness in developing courtroom skills and knowledge.     

Social Inclusion of Refugee and Native Peers Among Adolescents: It is the Language that Matters!

This study investigated the role of refugee status and language skills for adolescents’ inclusion or exclusion decisions in hypothetical intergroup scenarios. 100 German adolescents (Mage = 13.65 years, SD = 1.93) were presented three scenarios in which groups of adolescents are planning leisure time activities, and peers from their own country (Germany) versus another country (Syrian refugees) with either good or bad German skills want to join them. Whereas adolescents’ inclusion decisions did not differ between the German protagonist and the Syrian one with good German skills, the Syrian protagonist with bad German skills was less likely to be included than either of the other two. These findings have implications for understanding the role of language in adolescents’ inclusion decisions.     

COMPONENT ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIORAL MARITAL THERAPY: 2-YEAR FOLLOW-UP AND PREDICTION OF RELAPSE

The present study provides 2-year follow-up data for a comparison between a complete behavioral marital therapy treatment package (CO) and two of its major components, behavior exchange (BE) andcommunication/problem-solving training (CPT). Data are reported for 34 couples who were randomly assigned to one of these three treatments, completed the treatment to which they were assigned, and were available for the 2-year follow-up. The effects of therapy at the 2-year follow-up were evaluated using a global measure of marital satisfaction and a checklist of presenting marital problems. Statistically significant differences between the three treatments were not in evidence on any of the measures. However, couples in the CO treatment condition were most likely to be happily married and least likely to be separated or divorced. Attempts to identify variables which predicted long-term outcome were largely unsuccessful. Ananalysis based on standardized telephone interview indicated that, while neither therapist attributes nor maintenance of treatment-derived relationship skills were associated with long-term marital satisfaction, stressful life events subsequent to therapy termination were negatively related to marital satisfaction.     

Identification of non-technical skills from the resilience engineering perspective: a case study of an electricity distributor

Training in non-technical skills (NTS) does not usually question the design of the work system, and thus focuses narrowly on workers as the unit of analysis. This study discusses how the identification of NTS, a major step for developing an NTS training program, might be re-interpreted from the perspective of resilience engineering (RE). This discussion is based on a case study of identifying NTS for electricians who perform emergency maintenance activities in an electricity distribution power line. The results of the case study point out that four data analysis procedures might operationalize the RE perspective: (a) identifying factors that make the work difficult and which could be integrated into NTS training scenarios; (b) identifying recommendations for re-designing the system, in order either to reduce or eliminate the need for NTS; (c) classifying the NTS into pragmatic categories, which are meaningful for workers; and (d) regarding the identification of NTS as an opportunity to give visibility to adaptations carried out by workers.     

Establishing verbal repertoires: Toward the application of general case analysis and programming

A great deal of clinical and experimental work in past decades has focused on establishing functional verbal repertoires that are used across various settings and situations by persons with moderate and severe disabilities. Such work has not always involved a careful analysis and programming approach for structuring training to achieve the desired range of stimulus control relationships. General case analysis and programming procedures, which are based on behavior analytic and Direct Instruction principles and techniques, have proven effective in recent years for teaching a variety of community-based skills to learners with moderate and severe disabilities. This paper outlines the general case process and discusses its application to establish verbal repertoires.

     

Developing Family Therapy Skills on a Shoe String Budget: A Peer Supervision and Training Approach

Family therapy skills are an essential tool when working with young children and their families, yet accessing family therapy training and supervision in workplace settings has become more difficult. Skills enhancement may be obtained through formal training in accredited courses, a costly undertaking, in which clinicians most often carry the entire cost for the training. In this paper, we propose that specific family therapy skills relevant to working with families of young children can be developed within a peer group format. The peer training described in this paper is extremely cost effective, easy to set up, specifically tailored to our unique training needs and the characteristics of the population of families we are working with. Further, the training allows us to develop fresh and creative ways of skills acquisition, our own ‘curriculum’, with flexible use of training techniques, depending on our particular needs at a given time. We conclude with some of the disadvantages of the model and propose ideas for future development.     

Culture as a barrier to rural women's entrepreneurship: experience from Zimbabwe

This article identifies the important issues addressed by programs and projects that are aimed at promoting women's equality through entrepreneurship and suggests several actions for future focus of gender programs and training. Culture was seen as a barrier to the self-confident and autonomous economic activities of women in Zimbabwe. Likewise, structural barriers such as lack of marketable skills, time and ability to travel, land and assets, education, and position as primary family providers all compounded to the problem of entrepreneurship among women. Establishment of policy approaches for women like vocational skills training augmented by training in business skills and marketing, however, are insufficient since it failed to discuss and transfer behavioral skills necessary to make one an entrepreneur. To conclude, programs must be designed to empower personal skills and self-awareness, as well as address the constraints to entrepreneurship, and macroeconomic policy change.     

Using MSD prevention for cultural change in mining: Queensland Government/Anglo Coal Industry partnership

Queensland Mining has a strong focus on safety performance, but risk management of health, including Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) continues to have a lower priority. The reliance on individual screening of workers and lower level approaches such as manual handling training is part of the coal mining 'culture'. Initiatives such as the New South Wales and Queensland Mining joint project to develop good practice guidance for mining has allowed for a more consistent message on participatory ergonomics and prevention of MSD. An evidence based practice approach, including the introduction of participatory ergonomics and safe design principles, was proposed to Anglo American Coal operations in Queensland. The project consisted of a skills analysis of current health personnel, design of a facilitated participatory ergonomics training program, site visits to identify good practice and champions, and a graduated mentoring program for health personnel. Early results demonstrate a number of sites are benefiting from site taskforces with a focus on positive performance outcomes.     

The Impact of Experiential Exercises on Communication and Relational Skills in a Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper-Training Program for College Resident Advisors

Abstract

Objective: In an effort to identify students at risk for suicide, many colleges are implementing suicide prevention training for campus gatekeepers. This study evaluated the efficacy of a 3-hour, experiential-based gatekeeper training that included an emphasis on enhancing communication skills and relational connection in addition to the didactic foci of standard gatekeeper training. Participants: Sixty-five college student resident advisors (RAs) were trained with Campus Connect. Methods: The training was dismantled to examine the specific contribution of experiential exercises on training outcomes. Results: Compared to didactic training alone, following participation in experiential exercises RAs’ training outcome scores exhibited additional improvement on the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory–2 and a 14-item self-report measure of self-efficacy for specific suicide- and crisis-related knowledge and skills. Conclusions: In gatekeeper training, experiential exercises emphasizing awareness and empathic responding and practice of these skills contribute to an improvement in crisis response skills above and beyond that of didactic training alone.     

Innovation in user-centered skills and performance improvement for sustainable complex service systems

In order to leverage individual and organizational learning and to remain competitive in current turbulent markets it is important for employees, managers, planners and leaders to perform at high levels over time. Employee competence and skills are extremely important matters in view of the general shortage of talent and the mobility of employees with talent. Two factors emerged to have the greatest impact on the competitiveness of complex service systems: improving managerial and employee's knowledge attainment for skills, and improving the training and development of the workforce. This paper introduces the knowledge-based user-centered service design approach for sustainable skill and performance improvement in education, design and modeling of the next generation of complex service systems. The rest of the paper cover topics in human factors and sustainable business process modeling for the service industry, and illustrates the user-centered service system development cycle with the integration of systems engineering concepts in service systems. A roadmap for designing service systems of the future is discussed. The framework introduced in this paper is based on key user-centered design principles and systems engineering applications to support service competitiveness.     

Mindfulness: The Present Moment in Clinical Social Work

Mindfulness-based psychotherapies are increasingly found in the evidence-based practice realm of clinical social work. This paper provides an understanding of the concept of mindfulness as well as the research into the neurological and behavioral benefits of mindfulness skills training. Mindfulness skills training is explored as both the foundation of specific therapy protocols and as a method to foster clinician attention, affect regulation, attunement and empathy. Clinical case examples are provided to demonstrate the impact of mindfulness skills training on both clients and on the helping relationship.     

Refusal skills: learning to be positively negative

Many youth wishing to refuse drugs or alcohol offered to them are deficient in the interpersonal abilities which constitute such refusal skills. This article describes Skillstreaming, an interpersonal skill training approach of apparent effectiveness when used for such behavioral enhancement purposes. Presented are its constituent training procedures, specific skills content, and methods for promoting the transfer and maintenance of skill competence in real-world, refusal-relevant situations.     

A longitudinal evaluation of government-sponsored job skills training and basic employment services among U.S. baby boomers with economic disadvantages

Job skills training is a cost-effective strategy for improving employment among individuals who have low income and employment barriers, but few U.S. government-sponsored employment program participants have received such training. To better understand long-term gains from job skills training, this study compared employment and earnings trajectories between program participants who received job skills training and those who received basic services only. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, we estimated 33-year employment and earnings trajectories among U.S. baby-boomer cohorts while accounting for baseline group heterogeneity using inverse propensity score weighting. We found increases in employment rates over the life course, especially among Black women. Job skills training also increased earnings by up to 69.6 % compared to basic services only. Despite the long-term gains in employment and earnings, job skills training participation is not sufficient to address gender as well as racial and ethnic gaps in full-time employment. Findings reinforce the importance of incorporating job skills training as an essential service element of government-sponsored employment programs to improve long-term labor market outcomes among Americans with economic disadvantages.     

Ethical universals in practice: An analysis of five principles

This paper discusses the application of five general principles of moral reasoning to situations that are characteristic of negotiations and bargaining scenarios. The five moral theories discussed are: utilitarianism, Kantian reasoning, discourse ethics, the maximization of one's own expected utility, and the maximization of the predictability of the consequences for those involved in the bargaining or negotiation. These principles are individually introduced and criticized by examining how they ‘perform’ in individual test cases taken from common negotiation experience. The purpose of the analysis is to lay bare the difficulties faced by the moral philosopher, economist, psychologist or sociologist when attempting to explain, interpret or normatively endorse behavior in concrete cases of bargaining scenarios on the basis of general principles. Because bargaining underlies most of the phenomena of interest to the economist and sociologist, the analysis illuminates a problem of general interest to practitioners of economics and sociology. It is argued that the calculability of the consequences of acting in accordance to a norm and the communicability of the norm in actual negotiation sessions both sharply constrain the application of the principles in practice. The essay therefore represents a reasoned invitation towards further investigation and reflection about the application of moral principles in bargaining and negotiations.     

The Impact of the Within My Reach Relationship Training on Relationship Skills and Outcomes for Low‐Income Individuals

A federal grant was awarded to provide the Within My Reach healthy relationships curriculum to low‐income, at‐risk individuals involved with various social service agencies. The effectiveness of this curriculum was evaluated for 202 participants through measures of training and relationship outcomes pre‐, immediately post‐ and 6 months posttraining. Participants experienced high levels of training satisfaction; significant increases in knowledge, communication/conflict resolution skills, and relationship quality; as well as a trend in the reduction of relationship violence. An important implication of this research is that MFTs may broaden their service delivery to at‐risk individuals by collaborating with community agencies to adapt established relationship enhancement programs, evidence‐based tools, and principles that complement traditional couples therapy.     

Interdisciplinary team communications: TA as a tool

Social workers functioning within interdisciplinary settings are increasingly needful of good communication skills. This paper examines some basic principles of transactional analysis and suggests their application to interdisciplinary functioning. Important practice skill areas are outlined, along with suggestions for implementing these skills. Examples of interdisciplinary communication exchanges are given, as well as therapeutic inputs which can be made to facilitate good problem-solving communication. Special emphasis is given to the concepts of ego structure, contamination, communication transactions, importance of strokes, basic life positions, and games. The overall premise suggests that application of TA principles will enhance interdisciplinary communication.