BACKGROUND: Parents\' conceptualizations of adulthood for their emerging adults with Down syndrome have the potential to impact the transition planning process as families prepare for life after graduation.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore parent perceptions of the meaning of adulthood for their emerging adults with Down syndrome.
METHODS: In this qualitative study, we interviewed 11 parents of emerging adults with Down syndrome using phenomenological methodology and analysed these data using thematic analysis.
RESULTS: Three topics emerged: (1) Parents\' constructions of the meaning of adulthood; (2) Parents\' perceptions about the transition to adulthood; and (3) Parents\' perceptions of current adult life skills. Ten themes arose out of these topics.
CONCLUSIONS: Parents expressed ambivalence about the meaning of adulthood for their emerging adults with Down syndrome, sharing that in some ways they were adults and in others they were not. The meaning of adulthood was closely tied to obtained skills, particularly those related to personal safety.

UNASSIGNED: This article presents a research study that aims to explore sustainable approaches for developing professional skills in vocational education students in Thailand. This is the second phase of the research, which utilizes a qualitative research methodology.
UNASSIGNED: The key informants in this study are administrators of vocational education institutions, teachers, and students currently enrolled in vocational education institutions in Thailand, totaling 36 participants. The research uses a purposive sampling method and snowball sampling method. Data collection methods include document analysis, in-depth structured interviews, and observation. The results of the interviews are analyzed, and the content analysis is summarized. The research process consists of 4 steps: 1) literature review, 2) data collection, 3) data analysis, and 4) verification and confirmation.
UNASSIGNED: The research findings highlight several key considerations, including: 1) factors influencing the development of professional skills among vocational education students, such as curriculum design, support and counseling, practical training in workplaces, interactive learning, problem-solving and analytical thinking skills development, practical learning, and supportive learning environments, 2) approaches for sustainable professional skill development involve employing the appropriate approaches for self-development. The steps include setting clear goals and plans, active learning and training, technology skill development, experiential learning, problem-solving skill development, participation in professional activities, self-reflection, and continuous self-improvement.
UNASSIGNED: These approaches aim to enhance the competencies of vocational education students, ensuring quality and efficiency as part of lifelong learning and sustainable development.

High-impact practices (HIPs) are educational practices that foster student success. HIPs have not been widely used in cancer education and research despite the need for students to develop key transferable skills and cultivate social responsibility. Our study addresses this need by implementing four community-based learning HIPs within the context of cancer education and research. Each HIP was classified as having low, moderate, or high alignment with the traits of effective HIPs. Undergraduate science students participated in one to four HIPs as a Feedback Participant, General Volunteer, Student Leader, or Cancer Undergraduate Research and Education (CURES) Class Student. We then studied the effect of these HIPs on students\' development of knowledge and skills; career interest and preparedness; and social responsibility. Results from self-reported questionnaires showed that HIPs increased students\' cancer knowledge and developed their transferable and technical skills. Many students reported that these HIPs strongly impacted their career preparedness; positively influenced their interest in pursuing careers in health or biomedical sciences; and encouraged them to participate in community service activities. Thus, these findings provide new insights into the perceived benefits of HIPs in cancer education and research by undergraduate students.

This study examines whether parental emotional distress during the first pandemic-related school shutdown in 2020 in Germany affected the development of primary school students\' mathematical skills and investigates changes in parents\' working conditions as triggers of cascading stress processes.
The Family Stress Model (FSM) explains the mechanisms that mediate between families\' structural conditions and children\'s developmental outcomes. Foundational works for this approach focus on historic events that instigate rapid structural changes which, in turn, undermine families\' economic situation. The economic losses trigger stress processes. Research on the COVID-19 pandemic reports heightened levels of parental stress and negative impacts on children\'s cognitive and socioemotional development. This study examines the role of parental emotional distress during the COVID-19 shutdown on children\'s cognitive development. Expanding on the classical FSM, we hypothesize that changes in parents\' working situation, rather than economic changes, may have triggered family stress processes during the shutdown, as federal support largely cushioned economic cutbacks in Germany.
For the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), interviews were conducted with parents, and primary school students in Starting Cohort 1 were tested after the first shutdown in 2020. The database provides rich information from survey waves prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing a longitudinal analysis of a sample of 1512 primary school students with ordinary least squares regression.
Parents\' emotional distress during the pandemic had a robust negative effect on students\' mathematical skills, even when controlling for prior parenting stress. Changes in parents\' working conditions also had an effect on children\'s test scores, and the negative effect of working from home on the test scores was mediated by parents\' emotional distress.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a historic event which, at least in Germany, challenged the mental health of many parents and, in turn, impaired the skill development of primary school students. We introduce the role of changes in working conditions as triggers of such processes.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effectiveness of face-to-face (F2F) and online OralDETECT training programme in enhancing early detection skills for oral cancer.
METHODS: A total of 328 final-year dental students were trained across six cohorts. Three cohorts (175 students) received F2F training from the academic years 2016/2017 to 2018/2019, and the remaining three (153 students) underwent online training during the Covid-19 pandemic from 2019/2020 to 2021/2022. Participant scores were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, the Mann-Whitney test, Cohen\'s d effect size, and multiple linear regression.
RESULTS: Both F2F and online training showed increases in mean scores from pre-test to post-test 3: from 67.66 ± 11.81 to 92.06 ± 5.27 and 75.89 ± 11.03 to 90.95 ± 5.22, respectively. Comparison between F2F and online methods revealed significant differences in mean scores with large effect sizes at the pre-test stage (p < 0.001), while significant differences with small effect sizes were noted for post-test 1 (p = 0.002) and post-test 3 (p = 0.041). Regression analysis indicated that the delivery method is associated with the participants\' final scores.
CONCLUSIONS: F2F and online versions of the OralDETECT training programme significantly enhance participants\' knowledge and skills in oral cancer detection. Although F2F appeared to be more effective, the difference was not substantial enough to be considered educationally meaningful.

This study is an attempt to bridge the gap between the understanding of strengths and challenges of people with autism to operationalize a strength-based approach to serve people with autism effectively. By virtue of being based on firsthand accounts by parents and practitioners the people who spend prolonged periods with people with autism in natural settings, and are privy to direct observation of abilities and challenges, the study yields in-depth information that addresses a continued gap in the existing literature on the subject. Twenty participants (13 parents and seven practitioners) took part in the study through a semi-structured questionnaire and face-to-face interviews. Data were analyzed following qualitative thematic analysis methodology. Strengths and related challenges experienced were extracted as the broad themes, based on which support needs were derived and future directions recommended. The paper recommends strategic home-school collaborations with crucial, concurrent roles played by parents and practitioners.

BACKGROUND: Medical undergraduate students receive limited education on scholarly publishing. However, publishing experiences during this phase are known to influence study and career paths. The medical bachelor Honours Program (HP) at Utrecht University initiated a hands-on writing and publishing course, which resulted in nine reviews published in internationally peer reviewed academic journals. We wanted to share the project set-up, explore the academic development of the participating students and determine the impact of the reviews on the scientific community.
METHODS: Thirty-one out of 50 alumni completed a digital retrospective questionnaire on for example, development of skills and benefit for their studies and career. Publication metrics of the HP review papers were retrieved from Web of Science.
RESULTS: This hands-on project provides a clear teaching method on academic writing and scholarly publishing in the bachelor medical curriculum. Participants were able to obtain and improve writing and publishing skills. The output yielded well-recognized scientific papers and valuable learning experiences. 71% of the participating students published at least one additional paper following this project, and 55% of the students indicated the project influenced their academic study and/or career path. Nine manuscripts were published in journals with an average impact factor of 3.56 and cited on average 3.73 times per year.
CONCLUSIONS: This course might inspire other medical educators to incorporate similar projects successfully into their curriculum. To this end, a number of recommendations with regard to supervision, time investment and group size are given.

This study examined the relationship between psychomotor abilities and baseball performance by analysing data from 379 athletes who participated in the USA Baseball, Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP). Hit and pitch metrics were generated during practice sessions using the RapsodoTM System. Data were compared through exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical regression. Factor analysis grouped batter\'s PDP evaluations into four latent variables accounting for 63% of variance. Pitcher performance grouped into three factors accounting for 51% of variance. Regression on batter data revealed a significant demographic/anthropometric base model with height, weight, and age that accounted for 58% of the batted ball speed (R2 = 0.581). Player position explained 2% of the variance (R2 = 0.604), and PDP evaluation scores contributed an additional 3% (R2 = 0.631). Regression of pitcher data showed a significant base demographic/anthropometric model accounting for 36% of fastball pitch speeds (R2 = 0.363), with the PDP evaluation scores adding 6% additional variance (R2 = 0.424). Uniformly, assessments of lower body strength added the greatest predictive information. Hand grip strength did not correlate with pitch metrics. While demographics/anthropometrics are major contributors to batted and pitched ball speed, position and psychomotor variables add statistically significant contributions and may be of practical value for player selection.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Professional identity (PI) is an important topic within modern healthcare curricula; presently, explorations of this topic focus on the impact of clinical experience. We sought to explore the impact of science education on PI from healthcare practitioners\' perspectives using a qualitative approach. While this work is still in relative infancy, we found an unexpected outcome - that healthcare workers perceive their science knowledge as a central component of their PI. This work begins to unpack the complicated and previously poorly explored interplay between the sciences and clinical contexts have on practitioners\' PI. Progression of this research area may help improve integration and explicit linking of healthcare sciences with both clinical education and PI development.

Learning curves can be used to design, implement, and evaluate educational interventions. Attention to key aspects of the method can improve the fidelity of this representation of learning as well as its suitability for education and research purposes. This paper addresses when to use a learning curve, which graphical properties to consider, how to use learning curves quantitatively, and how to use observed thresholds to communicate meaning. We also address the associated ethics and policy considerations. We conclude with a best practices checklist for both educators and researchers seeking to use learning curves in their work.