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PubMedDate not supplied

Use of computer technology to help students with special needs.

Millions of students across the United States cannot benefit fully from a traditional educational program because they have a disability that impairs their ability to participate in a typical classroom environment. For these students, computer-based technologies can play an especially important role. Not only can computer technology facilitate a broader range of educational activities to meet a variety of needs for students with mild learning disorders, but adaptive technology now exists than can enable even those students with severe disabilities to become active learners in the classroom alongside their peers who do not have disabilities. This article provides an overview of the role computer technology can play in promoting the education of children with special needs within the regular classroom. For example, use of computer technology for word processing, communication, research, and multimedia projects can help the three million students with specific learning and emotional disorders keep up with their nondisabled peers. Computer technology has also enhanced the development of sophisticated devices that can assist the two million students with more severe disabilities in overcoming a wide range of limitations that hinder classroom participation--from speech and hearing impairments to blindness and severe physical disabilities. However, many teachers are not adequately trained on how to use technology effectively in their classrooms, and the cost of the technology is a serious consideration for all schools. Thus, although computer technology has the potential to act as an equalizer by freeing many students from their disabilities, the barriers of inadequate training and cost must first be overcome before more widespread use can become a reality.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Microcomputer authoring systems: valuable tools for health educators.

Writing courseware with the aid of an authoring system is a bold step that can bring together the health education content expert and the power of the microcomputer. The microcomputer can be programmed to present essential knowledge to students in a low pressure setting, specifically geared to their levels of comprehension and rates of progression. Microcomputer-based simulations and patient management problems seem suited to the task helping students develop adequate problem-solving skills in health education (Lewis, 1983; Peterson, 1984). Furthermore, many lecture hours can be replaced by an infinitely patient tutor with which students can interact at their convenience. Creating self-study materials delivered via microcomputer is also a step toward providing the most effective type of learning experiences for individual students. Despite the fact that putting authoring systems in the hands of well-informed content specialists may meet a number of pressing needs in health education, there is one drawback. Authoring systems have a built-in pedagogical structure that, to some extent, dictates the design of the lesson. However, spending time in the evaluation process prior to purchase will enable educators to identify a system that can be used to develop courseware that very closely matches the desires of the author. Integrating microcomputer courseware into health education courses is certainly an attractive solution to some of the educational problems faced in health education today. An authoring system can be used to develop courseware that can substituted for lectures on basic concepts. In addition, students will have more opportunities to develop the ability to apply, in problem-solving situations, the factual knowledge they are learning before they are responsible for making judgments in real-life situations. The time is ripe, then, for health educators to investigate how authoring systems can help them utilize the technology of the microcomputer to improve health education.

Computer Literacy↗
PubMed2002

Theater as a mechanism for increasing farm health and safety knowledge.

BACKGROUND: The agricultural industry has one of the highest injury and fatality rates of all industries in the US. Hispanic farm workers constitute the largest percentage of farm workers on Eastern Washington farms. Literacy levels, language skills, and migration patterns need to be considered when developing farm health and safety education. Theater was chosen as a method to provide health education and farm safety training to farm workers and their families living in a three county region of Eastern Washington. METHODS: The most urgent health and safety education needs of Hispanic farm workers were identified by a series of focus groups and key informant interviews. The resulting data was used to develop four Spanish one-act plays, which were presented in each of the three counties. To test the effectiveness of theater as an educational tool each of the plays was accompanied by pre-and post-play self-report questionnaires. These were analyzed using two-tailed Chi-square (chi(2)) tests of significance and a one-tail Marginal Homogeneity statistic. RESULTS: A total of 301 persons completed pre-test post-test questionnaires; 185 were farm workers and 115 were local community members. Thirteen of seventeen questions designed to measure information gained directly from the plays showed a significant degree of positive knowledge change (P = < 0.10). Follow-up interviews conducted 2 months after play viewing suggest that participants retain some of the health and safety messages in the plays. CONCLUSIONS: The hypothesis, "appropriate farm health and safety knowledge increases as a result of attendance at a one-act Spanish play enacted by a community players' group" was validated since 13 of 17 questions showed a significant degree of positive knowledge change. Overall, participants indicated that they liked the plays, recalled the story lines easily, and would attend additional plays if given the opportunity.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Prevalence of refractive error in Bangladeshi adults: results of the National Blindness and Low Vision Survey of Bangladesh.

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of refractive errors and to investigate factors associated with refractive error in adults 30 years of age and older in Bangladesh. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: A nationally representative sample of 12 782 adults 30 years of age and older. METHODS: The sample of subjects was selected based on multistage, cluster random sampling with probability-proportional-to-size procedures. The examination protocol consisted of an interview that included measures of literacy, education, occupation, and refractive correction. Visual acuity testing (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]), automated refraction, and optic disc examination were performed for all subjects. Subjects with <6/12 (0.3 logMAR) acuity in either eye were graded additionally for cataract and underwent a dilated fundal examination. Subjects for whom no refractive error was recorded (312 subjects; 2.7%) or who had undergone cataract surgery (123 subjects; 1.1%) were excluded from the analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Refractive error and socioeconomic variables (literacy, education, occupation). RESULTS: Eleven thousand six hundred twenty-four subjects were examined (90.9% response rate; mean age+/-standard deviation, 44+/-12.6 years). Five thousand four hundred eighty-nine subjects (49.1%) were men and 5700 subjects (50.9%) were women. Mean spherical equivalent was -0.19 diopters (D; +/-1.50 D). Six thousand four hundred twelve subjects (57.3%) were emmetropic, 2469 (22.1%) were myopic (<-0.5 D), and 2308 (20.6%) were hypermetropic (>+0.5 D). Two hundred six subjects (1.8%) were highly myopic (<-5 D). Myopia was more common in men (26.3%) than in women (21.0%), whereas hyperopia was more common in women (27.4%) than in men (15.8%). Overall, myopia increased with age (17.5% of those aged 30-39 years were myopic, compared with 65.5% of those age 70 years and older). A subanalysis of subjects without cataract showed increasing hyperopia with age and an association between myopia and higher education. Myopia was more common among the employed than in unemployed subjects. Astigmatism (>0.5 D), present in 3625 subjects (32.4%), was more common among women, illiterate subjects, and unschooled subjects. Against-the-rule astigmatism was more common (58.7%) than oblique astigmatism (29.3%), which was more common than with-the-rule (WTR) astigmatism (12.1%). Against-the-rule astigmatism and oblique astigmatism increased with age, unlike WTR astigmatism. Of 830 (7.5%) subjects, women were more commonly anisometropic (>1.0 D). Anisometropia increased with age. CONCLUSIONS: Refractive error data are described for a country and region that previously have lacked population-based data. Prevalence and factors associated with refractive error are presented, with a detailed comparison with other population-based surveys regionally and internationally.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Measurement properties of Tai Chi exercise self-efficacy among ethnic Chinese with coronary heart disease risk factors: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Improvement in aerobic capacity and reduction in blood pressure after Tai Chi exercise programs in persons with coronary heart disease (CHD) or with CHD risk factors have been reported. Self-efficacy has been shown to be a consistent predictor of behavioral outcomes, now being applied to Tai Chi exercise. AIM: To assess the utility and appropriateness of existing tools measuring aspects of Tai Chi exercise self-efficacy (TCSE) in a new population, ethnic Chinese with CHD risk factors. Specific objectives were: (1) examine acceptability and feasibility; (2) determine score distributions; (3) assess the reliability and known-groups validity; (4) translate tool into an equivalent Chinese version and determine if there were any differences between ethnic Chinese and non-Chinese. METHODS: Following a review of the literature, two existing tools used with Caucasians were found and modified; a 9-item exercise self-efficacy tool developed by Resnick and Jenkins [Resnick B, Jenkins LS, Testing the reliability and validity of the Self-Efficacy for Exercise scale. Nurs. Res. 49(3) (2000) 154-159], and a 3-item tool developed by Li et al. [Li F, McAuley E, Harmer P, Duncan TE, Chaumeton NR, Tai Chi enhances self-efficacy and exercise behavior in older adults. J. Aging Phys. Act. 9 (2001) 161-171] to assess gradations of the challenge to perform Tai Chi among elderly populations. The modified TCSE tool was translated into Chinese and back-translated. A pilot study was conducted to pre-test the modified 14-item TCSE tool in ethnic Chinese and non-Chinese. RESULTS: A total of 18 subjects (mean age = 60 years, S.D. = 18.4) participated. Seven subjects (39%) identified themselves as ethnic Chinese. Ten subjects (56%) had experience performing Tai Chi, ranging from 3 months to 17 years (mean = 5.0 years, S.D.=5.0). Half of the subjects reported having a history of hypertension (n = 9, 50%), while nearly one-third reported having high cholesterol (n = 5, 28%). No significant difference in TCSE mean scores was found between ethnic Chinese and non-Chinese (p > 0.05). Internal consistency estimates were very high (TCSE Barriers, r = 0.95; TCSE Performance, r = 0.97). A statistically significant difference was found in the TCSE mean scores between Tai Chi practitioners and non-practitioners (TCSE Barriers, t = -3.3, p = 0.01; TCSE Performance, t = -2.7, p = 0.03), with Tai Chi practitioners reporting higher self-efficacy; thus providing initial evidence of known-groups validity. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of self-efficacy to overcome barriers to Tai Chi exercise (TCSE Barriers) and self-efficacy to perform Tai Chi (TCSE Performance) functioned well in this sample. The acceptability and feasibility of this tool was established and known-groups validity was confirmed. Further research using this tool among ethnic Chinese with CHD or CHD risk factors, including those with less than high school education or low literacy, is recommended as the next step in development of TCSE.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Early childhood computer experience and cognitive and motor development.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between early computer experience (both accessibility and frequency of use) and cognitive and psychomotor development among young children. METHODS: The participants were 122 preschool children enrolled in a rural county Head Start program in the United States during 2001-2002. The following tests were administered to the children: the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test; the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts, Third Edition Preschool; the Test of Gross Motor Development, Second Edition; and a short form of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence-Revised. Information pertaining to family characteristics and children's early computer experience was collected from parents. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the association between early computer experience and cognitive and motor development. RESULTS: Of the participating children, 53% had a computer at home. Among families who had a computer, 83% had children's software on the computer. According to parents' reports, 29% of these children played on the home computer on a daily basis, and an additional 44% of the children played on the computer at least weekly. Of those families who did not have a home computer, 49% reported that their children had access to a computer somewhere outside home. Among these children, 10% had daily access to the computer and 33% had weekly access. The presence of a computer in the home was significantly associated with the family's income and the educational attainment of the parents. There was no gender difference in computer accessibility and frequency use among the participating children. Children who had access to a computer performed better on measures of school readiness and cognitive development, controlling for children's developmental stage and family socioeconomic status. The data in the current study did not suggest a relationship between computer experience and visual motor or gross motor skills among the participating children. CONCLUSION: The findings in the present study suggest that early computer exposure before or during the preschool years is associated with development of preschool concepts and cognition among young children. However, frequency of use did not reveal such a relationship; neither did the ownership of other child electronic or video games in the household.

Aptitude Tests↗
PubMed2002

Assessment of emergency medicine residents' computer knowledge and computer skills: time for an upgrade?

OBJECTIVE: To describe emergency medicine residents' (EMRs') personal computer (PC) use and educational needs and to compare their perceived and actual PC skills. METHODS: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study. Subjects were all EMRs at seven midwestern Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) residency programs. The EMRs completed a questionnaire about their PC use and ability to perform 23 tasks derived from two national retail-training programs. The tasks covered word processing, slide making, and Internet use. The EMRs then took a three-part test performing the skills in the questionnaire. Two independent raters scored the tests. Frequencies with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated for categorical data. Positive and negative predictive values were used to report information comparing residents' performance with their self-assessment of skills. Cohen's kappa was used to test agreement between raters. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-four of 158 (79%) eligible EMRs participated. Since not all participants engaged in all parts of the study, the sample size varies between 121 and 124. One hundred one of 122 (83%; 95% CI = 75 to 89) owned a PC. The EMRs use home PCs a mean of 3.8 hours/week for physician duties and use residency PCs 1.9 hours/week (range 0-20). Ninety-six of 122 (79%; 95% CI = 70 to 86) EMRs reported no formal PC training during residency. Thirty-five percent (43/122; 95% CI = 27 to 44) passed the word-processing test and 50% (62/123; 95% CI = 41 to 60) passed the slide-making test. Reasons for failure were because of errors and not having a presentable product. Thirty-eight of 122 (31%; 95% CI = 23 to 40) failed the literature search, including 33 who said they could perform it. One hundred fifteen of 123 (94%; 95% CI = 88 to 98) EMRs were able to find an Internet address, including ten who stated they could not. Twenty-one percent of the residents who attempted any test (26/124; 95% CI = 14 to 29) passed all three tests. There was no association between year of training and success on the tests (p = 0.374). Thirty-seven of 115 (32%; 95% CI = 24 to 42) EMRs said they had insufficient PC training to meet their physician needs. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency medicine residents have much access to computer technology and possess some computer skills; however, many are unable to produce a usable product or conduct a literature search. Emergency medicine residents have not had sufficient computer training prior to residency. The computer skills of EMRs should be assessed through skills testing rather than self-assessment, and computer training during residency should be improved.

Computer Literacy↗