Integrating the teaching role into one's identity: a qualitative study of beginning undergraduate medical teachers.

Beginning medical teachers often see themselves as doctors or researchers rather than as teachers. Using both figured worlds theory and dialogical self theory, this study explores how beginning teachers in the field of undergraduate medical education integrate the teacher role into their identity. A qualitative study was performed, involving 18 beginning medical teachers at a Dutch medical school.

Informal teacher communities enhancing the professional development of medical teachers: a qualitative study.

Background: Informal peer learning is a particularly powerful form of learning for medical teachers, although it does not always occur automatically in the departments of medical schools. In this article, the authors explore the role of teacher communities in enhancing informal peer learning among undergraduate medical teachers. Teacher communities are groups of teachers who voluntarily gather on a regular basis to develop and share knowledge.

Using a pants alarm for the treatment of day wetting: problems with compliance.

A treatment of day wetting was evaluated in four normally capable children (ages 4:9, 4:10. 6:3, and 10:1 years). The treatment combined the use of a pants alarm with rewards (praise and tokens) for urinating in the toilet.

Presence and place of main ideas and examples in study texts.

Background: How indispensable are examples and main ideas in study texts? In research into comprehension of expository texts examples are sometimes considered as cognitive support, sometimes as seductive details. According to the cognitivist view, text comprehension is based on main ideas, whereas the constructivist view holds that examples are the basis of understanding.

Aims: This study explored how text comprehension is influenced by main ideas and examples in study texts, in relation to Vermunt's (1992, 1998) 'concrete elaboration' learning style.

Understanding abstract expository texts.

Background: This study dealt with the question whether abstract concepts and rules can be directly taught or can only be explained by using examples. The issue, known as Meno's Paradox, was addressed in the context of understanding expository texts.

Aims: We set out to show the indispensability of examples in the process of acquiring knowledge of concepts and rules.