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Purpose: Sexuality education is essential for children and adolescents to make better choices regarding their sexual well‐being. Parents, teachers, and healthcare providers are not always comfortable talking to school‐age children about sex, making sexuality education a concept of interest to be explored. The purpose of this paper is to explain the concept of sexuality education in school‐aged children and adolescents. Design and Methods: This paper uses Walker and Avant's concept analysis to help clarify its meaning. The sexuality education concept is explored in this article in the views of educating school systems K‐12 with three types of sexuality education (abstinence‐only, abstinence‐plus, and comprehensive sexuality education). Literature from 1990 to 2023 was retrieved using PubMed, Google Scholar, and CINAHL. Results: A model case is used to demonstrate the importance of sexuality education. A borderline case and a related case are proposed to explain other uses of the concept. Defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents are explored. Antecedents of sexuality education are grouped into three categories: resources, political environment, and social beliefs. Practice Implications: A conceptual understanding of sexuality education can foster nurses' confidence in talking to their patients about this topic and encourage nurses to advocate for comprehensive sexuality education nationwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Providing students with worked out problem solutions is a beneficial instructional technique in STEM disciplines, and studying examples that have been worked out incorrectly may be especially helpful for reducing misconceptions in students with low prior content knowledge. However, past results are inconclusive and the effects of incorrect worked examples alone or in combination with correct examples remains unclear. Objectives: We aim to address whether studying incorrect examples alone or in combination with correct examples can support the reduction of students' fraction misconceptions, operationalized as errors made with high confidence. Methods: After incorrectly solving a sampling problem, 130 students in 4th through 11th grade in the U.S. were randomly assigned to a condition in an online problem set focused on fraction equivalence. Students studied either single‐type worked examples (i.e., correct or incorrect; n = 49) or combination‐type worked examples (correct and incorrect; n = 41) or engaged in a problem‐solving control (n = 50). Results: Studying a combination of correct and incorrect worked examples was as effective as the problem‐solving control with feedback at improving fraction equivalence knowledge and reducing the rate of high‐confidence errors. Students in both the combination condition and the problem‐solving with feedback condition outperformed those who studied either correct or incorrect worked examples alone. Conclusions: Results support the inclusion of a combination of correct and incorrect worked examples when teaching students with low prior content knowledge. Studying a combination of example types within an online tutor helps to reduce misconceptions about fractions, a topic students commonly struggle with. A problem‐solving task with corrective feedback worked equally well. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Studying worked examples of mathematical solutions improves student learning.Incorrect examples, either alone or in combination with correct examples, are particularly effective for improving learning for students with low prior knowledge in the target content.Comparing correct and incorrect examples is also effective at improving problem‐solving but this effect may be specific to those with high prior knowledge.Still unknown are the impacts of these different combinations of examples on misconceptions in particular. What this paper adds: We show that studying a combination of correct and incorrect examples reduces math misconceptions.Problem‐solving with corrective feedback within an online tutor also has this effect. Implications for practice and/or policy: Using a combination of example types will help reduce students' misconceptions about fractions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has demonstrated that becoming vaccinated with the Coronavirus vaccine may lower mental distress. However, it remains uncertain whether this relationship holds amid concerns of vaccine side effects and doubts of the vaccine's protective capabilities. We presented three studies that showed how vaccine confidence negatively influences the relationship between vaccine uptake and mental distress. Using two‐way fixed effects regression models, Study 1 analyzes longitudinal survey of respondents from Los Angeles County in the US, while Study 2 uses the same analytical strategy but generalises findings by analysing longitudinal data of participants across all 50 US states. Main results of both studies show that (i) vaccination uptake is linked with reduced mental distress among individuals with high vaccine confidence (ii) vaccine uptake has no effect on mental distress among individuals with low vaccine confidence. Lastly, Study 3 applies multilevel analysis to a large‐scale pseudo‐panel study of 15 developed countries. Results for the third study corroborate finding (i) but not (ii) in that the multinational study finds that vaccine uptake is actually associated with higher mental distress among individuals with low vaccine confidence. In sum, our paper shows that the palliative effect of vaccination on mental health only exists when vaccine confidence is high. Results are mixed on whether vaccination affects mental distress when individual vaccine confidence is low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The sudden growth in online instruction due to COVID‐19 restrictions has given renewed urgency to questions about remote learning that have remained unresolved. Web‐based assessment software provides instructors an array of options for varying testing parameters, but the pedagogical impacts of some of these variations has yet to be examined. Objectives: The current study examines whether question order affects student performance on online college math assessments. Drawing on the literature of testing and math anxiety, we hypothesized that difficult questions near the beginning of an assessment would have a destructive effect on student confidence, which would in turn have a deleterious effect on their performance. Methods: We employed an observational 'big data' methodology, analysing 23,468 final exams completed by students in 10 different courses over eight semesters at a Math Emporium in a large technical university in the eastern United States. Students were freshmen and sophomores enrolled in non‐engineering math courses. We regressed the final score on the difficulty level of the first and second questions, controlling for several other factors. Results and Conclusions: We found that several factors—day of the week, amount of time before the deadline, number of minutes spent on the exam—have more of an impact on score than question order. This pattern was consistent across sexes. Takeaways: Our findings contradict some previous studies, which have found that difficult early questions degrade student performance, and that this affect is more pronounced in females. This work enriches our understanding of how students respond to online assessment. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Previous studies have had mixed results about the effect of question difficulty ordering on student performance.Furthermore, few studies have examined this issue for computer assessments. What this paper adds: We employ a novel methodology with a uniquely large data set.Our findings indicate that difficulty ordering has no effect on student performance. Implications for practice: Math instructors can use the random ordering feature of computer assessment generating tools because question order does not affect performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: No fatigue‐specific programs exist for people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) despite the burden of fatigue and negative impact on daily activities. This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design to evaluate the impact of an adapted virtual intervention, Fatigue and Activity Management Education in Systemic Sclerosis (FAME‐iSS), in the United States. Methods: Eighteen people with SSc participated in three separate six‐week FAME‐iSS programs. Participants completed the modified Fatigue Impact Scale (m‐FIS), the Self‐Efficacy for Performing Energy Conservation Strategies Assessment (SEPESCA), the Patient‐Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Self‐Efficacy for Managing Symptoms, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) before, immediately after, and three months post intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive and nonparametric inferential statistics. Participants' perceptions of the program and their use of fatigue management strategies were qualitatively analyzed using content analysis. Results: Eighty‐nine percent of participants were women with a mean ± SD age of 52.0 ± 11.6 years and a mean ± SD disease duration of 13.7 ± 14.5 years, and more than 70% had a college degree. Significant improvements were observed for self‐efficacy on the PROMIS Self‐Efficacy for Managing Symptoms (P = 0.002) and SEPESCA (P = 0.016) immediately post intervention, which continued to significantly improve up to the three‐month follow‐up (P = 0.006 and 0.035, respectively). Significant improvements were also observed for the m‐FIS between baseline and the three‐month follow‐up (P = 0.029). Participants reported a deeper understanding of fatigue and that they liked sharing strategies and experiences with each other along with the facilitator, citing that "there was a power in our group because we had a common condition." Conclusion: FAME‐iSS resulted in improvements in the impact of fatigue and self‐efficacy for managing symptoms and performing energy conservation strategies. Feedback was positive, and the virtual format allowed for greater accessibility and sharing of strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This paper examines how negative experiences with the health-care system create a lack of confidence in receiving medical care in seven countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Methods The empirical analysis is based on data from the Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey 2007, with nationally representative samples of adults aged 18 and over. For the analysis of the experience of cost barriers and confidence in receiving medical care, we conducted pairwise comparisons of group percentages as well as country-wise multivariate logistic regression models. Results Individuals who have experienced cost barriers show a significantly lower level of confidence in receiving safe and quality medical care than those who have not. This effect is most pronounced in the United States, where people who have foregone necessary treatment because of costs are four times as likely to lack confidence as individuals without the experience of cost barriers (adjusted odds ratio 4.00). In New Zealand, Germany, and Canada, individuals with the experience of cost barriers are twice as likely to report low confidence compared with those without this experience (adjusted odds ratios of 1.95, 2.19 and 2.24, respectively). In the Netherlands and UK, cost barriers are only a marginal phenomenon. Conclusions The fact that the experience of financial barriers considerably lowers confidence indicates that financial incentives, such as private co-payments, have a negative effect on overall public support and therefore on the legitimacy of health-care systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) face barriers and disparities at end of life. Among these barriers are limited educational opportunities and a paucity of targeted training materials on palliative care for staff who provide their day-to-day care. This paper reports on a three-phase project undertaken to develop, implement, and evaluate a palliative care curriculum and educational program that is responsive to the unique learning needs of staff providing services and supports for individuals with I/DD living in long-term care settings. Participants' ratings of their levels of preparation and confidence to provide palliative care improved from pretraining to posttraining. Posttraining use of materials and practice changes in palliative care occurred. When training is developed in partnership with the staff who will use these training resources, it has the potential to sustain its use and to alter the care practices to address the palliative care needs of persons with I/DD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Social engagement is an important active aging strategy to promote older adults' mental health. The purposes of this study were to compare social engagement in older populations around the world and explore associations with mental health outcomes. Materials and methods: An international cross‐sectional survey was conducted from 2017 to 2019. Data were retrieved from The International Social Survey Programme for a secondary data analysis across 30 countries. This study applied the Taxonomy of Social Activities and its six levels as operational definitions for a consistent concept of social engagement for international comparisons. Results: In total, 9403 older adults with a mean age of 72.85 ± 6.40 years responded. The highest levels of older adults' social engagement were found in Switzerland, Thailand, and New Zealand. Older adults of a higher age, with a lower educational level, who were permanently sick or disabled, who had no partner, who were widowed or whose civil partner had died, who lived alone, and who had lower self‐placement in society had significantly lower social engagement than did their counterparts. In the regression model, older adults' social engagement positively predicted general health, self‐accomplishment, and life satisfaction, but negatively predicted loneliness and depression. Conclusions: In aging societies worldwide, encouraging older adults' social engagement would be beneficial to promote mental health. Implications for nursing practice and health policies: Community professional nurses can develop strategies of social engagement based on the needs and sociodemographic factors of older adults to improve their mental health. Developing efficient strategies and local policies by learning from successful experiences in other countries is important to promote social engagement in aging societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gender and sexual harassment in emergency medicine (EM) is persistent in the workplace but remains underreported. Barriers to reporting in EM are largely unknown. This study explored barriers to reporting gender and sexual harassment among EM faculty and residents and potential improvements to reporting systems. Methods: We conducted semistructured interviews with EM faculty and residents across the United States, utilizing purposive sampling to ensure diverse representation. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded by two independent investigators. Interviews were conducted until thematic saturation and prominent themes were identified from coded data. Results: A total of 32 interviews were completed with women and men faculty and residents. Prominent themes were identified representing compounding barriers to reporting. Participants described confusion over what constitutes a reportable definition of gender and sexual harassment, unfamiliarity with reporting processes, and multiple avenues (both informal and formal through departmental, hospital, and institutional systems) for reporting. Participants expressed limited confidence in formal reporting systems and related several perceived and actual negative outcomes of reporting. A number of improvements were recommended centering around creating reporting systems that supported, empowered, and protected survivors; improving transparency about reporting processes; and ensuring accountability at a departmental and institutional level. Conclusions: Significant barriers to reporting exist and deter individuals from reporting. Given the negative consequences of ongoing gender and sexual harassment, emergency departments and institutions must take responsibility to reduce barriers and support individuals throughout the reporting process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While information evaluation is an essential component of evidence based practice, it remains unclear how nurses perceive their own source evaluation skills and what evaluation criteria they typically apply. Objectives: This study aims to determine nurses' self‐reported confidence in their evaluation skills and their actual source evaluation ability. The findings will guide information literacy instruction. Methods: A questionnaire asked recently graduated nurses from four institutions in the Intermountain West (USA) to rate their confidence in evaluating information and to provide examples of evaluation criteria they typically applied. The quality of these criteria was rated by nursing librarians, then compared with reported confidence in evaluation, years employed as a nurse and highest degree level. Results: While nurses' self‐reported confidence levels about source evaluation largely matched their ability, their evaluation criteria showed a low level of sophistication and did not match the recommended criteria by professional organizations. Graduate education, not years of work experience, was predictive of the quality of criteria used by nurses, suggesting the importance of more instruction on source evaluation for nursing students. Conclusions: Nursing educators, including librarians, need to teach evaluation skills at the undergraduate level. Further investigation into building evaluation skills in nurses is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does the fairness of the democratic process influence public perceptions of corruption? This article demonstrates the ways that elections can influence broader confidence in democracy. Corruption is often described as one of the most serious problems facing democracy today, and citizen confidence in democracy has implications for system support and legitimacy. What constitutes corruption, however, is not always obvious. We focus on the importance of citizens' feelings about electoral integrity for shaping their attitudes about corruption more broadly. Using survey data from Latin America and an experimental survey in the United States, we show that when asked to evaluate political practices as corrupt or not, people who are more confident in the fairness of their electoral process are generally less concerned about corruption, compared with people who are less confident in elections. These effects hold across a range of practices, experiences, and electoral contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Implementing task specific training is a commonly reported challenge for less experienced therapists. A potential method to improve the ability of recent graduate and student therapists is to upskill regarding task specific training via an online education resource. Purpose: To evaluate the use and acceptability of the TRAIN program as an online learning resource for physiotherapists. Methods: Data from Google Analytics was sourced to determine use of the program and details about the users. Users of the TRAIN program were also invited to complete two surveys; prior to beginning and upon completion of the program. The surveys collected information about the demographics of the users, perceptions of usefulness of the online resource and overall sentiment. Results: Almost 6000 new users interacted with the TRAIN modules during the 15‐months study period. The surveys indicated a high level of usability (mean score 9/10, SD 1.5) and clinical utility (mean score 8.8/10, SD 1.6) of the TRAIN program. Perceived knowledge and user confidence in implementing task‐specific training was higher for those users completing the post compared to those completing the pre‐module survey (knowledge 1.9 and confidence 1.7 out of 10 points higher). Recurring comments in the open‐ended feedback pertained to the usefulness, clarity, and ease of use of the TRAIN program. Discussion and Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence supporting the use and acceptability of the TRAIN program as an online learning resource for physiotherapists. This further contributes to the growing body of literature indicating online learning is generally a well‐received teaching tool for physiotherapists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Effective contraception prevents unintended pregnancy which disproportionately affects women in the criminal justice system. This study examined selected variables associated with contraceptive use by women on probation and parole living on the United States–Mexico border. Design: This quantitative correlational study examined individual and interpersonal variables—age, parity, ethnicity, prior contraception, self‐efficacy, pregnancy attitudes, and reproductive autonomy—that may influence contraception among 52 women under community supervision. Measures: Variable were examined with bivariate, multivariate analyses, and hierarchical logistic regression. Data were collected from a demographic and contraceptive use survey, and validated scales measuring reproductive autonomy and pregnancy attitudes. Results: Contraceptive methods were used by 89% of the women; 65% used effective methods, but this decreased to 35% among those released within the past year. Reproductive autonomy was associated with effective contraceptive use. Prior contraception and contraceptive self‐efficacy were significant, but wide confidence intervals suggested instability. The remaining variables were insignificant. Conclusion: No known studies have examined contraception use among women on probation and parole on the border. More women used some form of contraception than might be predicted. Collaborative efforts between correctional facilities and the community are needed to expand access to contraception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Tom Kitwood's theoretical framework of person‐centred care is extensively and internationally referred to in healthcare services. However, despite the broad use of Kitwood's approach in clinical practice, the research examining experiences with the approach has not been mapped. Aim: To map the available literature on current empirical experiences in clinical practice of Kitwood's approach to person‐centred care for people with dementia, living in institutional settings in primary health care. Methods: A total of 154 studies concerning the experiences of people with dementia and their formal caregivers' use of Kitwood's framework of person‐centred care for residents living in institutional settings in primary health care were compiled from scientific databases. All three authors engaged in a systematic selection process, leading to nineteen articles being included in the review. Results: The results showed an overall tendency towards positive experiences gained from applying person‐centred approaches in clinical practice influenced by Kitwood's theoretical framework. Through the synthesis of data from the selected studies, six categories related to our research aim were identified 'Theoretical evaluation of Tom Kitwood's model of care', 'Models and frameworks', 'Interventions', 'Communication', 'Dementia Care Mapping' and 'Environment'. Conclusion: The present review included nineteen studies published from 1998 to 2016 and consisted mainly of peer‐reviewed scientific articles, followed by dissertations, conference posters and nonpeer‐reviewed articles. All studies were undertaken in Western countries. The vast majority of the studies considered Kitwood's theoretical framework to be beneficial and useful in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Speech–language therapists use counselling to address the psychological well‐being of people affected by post‐stroke aphasia. Speech–language therapists report low counselling knowledge, skill and confidence for working in post‐stroke aphasia which may be related to a lack of counselling training specific to the needs of this client group. Aims: To identify current training in counselling for speech–language therapists to address psychological well‐being in people affected by post‐stroke aphasia. Specifically, the intent was to establish the objectives, content, amount, teaching methods and outcomes of counselling training provided to speech–language therapists working with people affected by post‐stroke aphasia. Methods & Procedures: Eleven databases were searched from inception to January 2018 using terms relating to counselling, psychological well‐being, speech–language therapy, stroke, aphasia and training. Studies using any research methodology and design were included. Nine studies were critically appraised and synthesized as a systematic review using the Search, AppraisaL, Synthesis and Analysis (SALSA) framework. Main Contribution: Information on counselling training came from the UK, United States and Australia. Student speech–language therapists received training in goal‐setting and generic counselling skills. After qualification, speech–language therapists received counselling training from mental health professionals within stroke workplaces, from external providers and further education. A range of teaching techniques and counselling approaches were described. Self‐report and themes from qualitative data were the primary measures of counselling training outcomes. Moderate correlations were reported between counselling training and levels of speech–language therapists' knowledge, comfort, confidence and preparedness to counsel people affected by post‐stroke aphasia. Conclusions: Research in counselling training for speech–language therapists working in post‐stroke aphasia is limited, with a small number of primarily low‐quality studies available. Training in generic counselling skills and brief psychological approaches with support from mental health professionals in the stroke workplace enabled speech–language therapists to feel knowledgeable, skilled and confident to address the psychological well‐being of people affected by post‐stroke aphasia. Evidence about the effectiveness of counselling training on speech–language therapists' confidence and competence in practice and on client outcomes in psychological well‐being in post‐stroke aphasia is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are female politicians disadvantaged by adverse economic conditions in ways their male counterparts are not? To examine this issue, we had participants read a news article about the current economic situation. The article emphasized either economic stability or volatility. Afterward, they evaluated an advertisement for either a female or a male candidate for the U.S. Senate. Exposure to news depicting economic instability caused devaluation of the female but not the male candidate. A second study provided a direct replication of this finding with a larger sample.  An omnibus analysis (N = 535) showed that this devaluation pattern occurred primarily among male participants. Study 2 also examined whether gender stereotypes play a role in this process.  Indeed, men's confidence in the female candidate's ability to handle stereotypically masculine issues decreased under economic instability and this tendency mediated their devaluation of the female candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the confidence the population (N = 4,003) has in the child welfare system in four countries - England, Finland, Norway and the USA (California). We find that about half or less of the population reports having confidence in the system, which is slightly higher than the confidence in the civil servants in the same countries. The Nordic countries display more confidence in the child welfare system than the Anglo-American countries. The similarity between the countries is, however, greater than anticipated. As for independent variables that can shed light on differences in confidence levels, we find three variables to be related to a higher confidence level, and these are a left wing political orientation, lower age, and higher education. This study contributes in filling a knowledge gap on studies about trust in the child welfare system, but we emphasize that we have studied an aspect of trust that rests on the population's impressions of a system, and not their substantial knowledge about, or identification with, this system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: While health promotion and patient education are central to the scope of practice of professional nurses, they often feel ill‐equipped to assume the role of sexual health educator and lack adequate knowledge and skills to effectively engage parents in adolescent sexual and reproductive health efforts. Design and Sample: Employing a mixed‐methods study consisting of both pre‐ and post‐test survey and exit interviews, a pilot study was conducted to assess the impact of implementing a parent‐based adolescent sexual health intervention on baccalaureate nursing student outcomes (N = 31). Results: We found statistically significant improvements in student outcome expectancies of parenting strategies, barriers to sexual health communication, self‐efficacy, and sexual health counseling experience. Using thematic content analysis of exit interview content, emerging themes were (1) need for increased sexual and reproductive health (SRH) preparation, (2) wanting greater experience and opportunity for involvement in nursing research, and (3) educational gaps in family‐focused community public health. Conclusions: Incorporating adolescent sexual health education into public health nursing clinical training can prepare nurses as parent‐based adolescent sexual health educators, a core competency for nurses working with families in communities and across all health care delivery settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The literature typically undervalues the economy-wide importance of confidence, despite a renewed interest since the recent financial crisis in considering also psychological factors such as confidence. This study empirically assesses whether confidence matters for current real GDP growth in the euro area and the United States in addition to a widely applied and reliable predictor, the Purchasing Managers' Index. Methods We add confidence indicators to a regression of real GDP growth on the composite PMI output index and check for a different impact of confidence during recessions as opposed to expansions by applying smooth transition regressions. Results Confidence matters for economic growth, both in good and bad times. This result is robust across sample periods, models, and proxies for confidence. Conclusions Confidence is essential for assessing the current stage of the business cycle. Analysts should therefore closely monitor sentiment swings, whereas private and public decisionmakers can boost growth by improving confidence in the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic information the U.S. government provides to the public on health issues may impact health literacy, suggested by indicators including the perception of quality and security of information and confidence in health information utilized. The study uses social cognitive theory (SCT) to develop a foundation for why patients are affected by sources of health information around them. A logistic regression is conducted on 2007 HINTS survey data in order to assess how trust in different types of information sources (e‐government, the Internet, charitable organizations, television, etc.) impact health literacy indicators. The result of the study suggests that greater trust in health information from e‐government increases patient perception of information security and confidence in health information, but does not impact perception of quality of health information. The study suggests how e‐government information affects self‐efficacy and interest in e‐health literacy and provides policy analysis of direct and indirect initiatives that e‐government can take in the future to improve on current health literacy outcomes. The study summarizes the results and policy analysis on the impact of e‐government on e‐health literacy for the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The British Dietetic Association and the International Confederation of Dietetic Associations are developing an international model for dietetics practice as an aid in providing evidence-based practice. In the USA, undergraduate programmes are mandated by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) to incorporate the nutrition care process ( NCP) into the curriculum so that students can use the process during their dietetic internship and later practice. The present study aimed to assess interns' readiness in the NCP prior to beginning a dietetic internship. Methods Before starting the internship, the 40 interns in the 2009-2010 class of a university-based internship were sent an e-mail requesting they complete an online survey. Questions inquired about their NCP background with respect to: academic preparation, work or volunteer experiences, knowledge and confidence in ability to apply the NCP. Survey results were analysed with SPSS statistical software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results The 39 interns completing the survey indicated they had prior exposure to the NCP. All but one reported that their academic coursework covered the NCP. Approximately half of the interns worked or volunteered in settings that used the NCP. Overall, students correctly answered most of the questions assessing their basic knowledge in the NCP. Thirty-seven of the 39 interns had some confidence or felt confident in their ability to apply the NCP during internship rotations. Conclusions This distance internship attracts students from all over the USA, and so the findings of the present study shed light on current undergraduate preparation in the NCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People who feel comfortable defending their views-defensively confident-may also eventually change those views and corresponding behaviors. National Election Studies surveys showed that defensive confidence predicted defection in the 2006 U.S. House elections, above and beyond the impact of various demographic and political variables. Moreover, defensive confidence was also associated with political knowledge and attention to politics and government affairs, but not attention to the news. Finally, males, more educated citizens, ethnic minorities, and older respondents had higher reported defensive confidence than did females, less educated citizens, European Americans, and younger respondents. Defensive confidence may be a crucial factor for a deeper understanding of political behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2000 presidential election exposed serious election-administration deficiencies that affected the presidential election and the confidence of the American people in the way elections are administered. The ensuing controversies also exposed significant issues in judicial--administrative relations. This article examines the factors involved not only in Florida, but also in the nation, and discusses lessons for the future of election administration and for public administration generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much work has been done on the correlates of confidence in the United States Supreme Court. However, very little research has been undertaken to discern the correlates of confidence in state and local courts. Using survey data from Louisiana, we examine confidence in state and local courts. We focus on the role of experience, arguing that the opportunity for wide participation in these courts makes the confidence calculation different from that of a remote institution like the US Supreme Court. We find that, indeed, experience matters and further, that type of experience matters. Those with more stake in the outcome of the court case and less control over it (e.g., defendants) are least confident in state and local courts, while those with little stake and substantial control (e.g., jurors) are most confident in them. Procedural justice concerns also loom large in the confidence calculation for these lower courts. Timeliness, courtesy, and equal treatment all affect public confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the public's increasing distrust and perceived lack of confidence in American administrative leadership. The perception of confidence is linked to the concept of legitimacy. It is argued that American administrators in both government and business have indeed failed to demonstrate the characteristics on which legitimacy is based. We hold that if a "confidence gap" exists, it is reflected as an erosion in confidence in leadership, not in the American institutional status quo. The implications of this decline in confidence and legitimacy are discussed, and inferences are drawn about the relationship between leadership and institutional confidence in the American administrative state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on self-efficacy perceptions on sales performance. Self-efficacy is the judgment of one's capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performance. It is essential to identify factors which contribute to sales effectiveness. Of the studies which examined factors related to the effectiveness of salespeople, in a sample of insurance salespeople, it was found that the ability to generate intrinsic or task feedback resulted in higher sales performance only for salespeople with such feedback. It is possible that the ability to generate task feedback directs the salespeople to reduce the discrepancy between present behavior and their standard of comparison, which results in subsequent higher performance. Six attributes for sales success are--abounding self-confidence, a habit of perseverance, a high level of energy, a value system marked by a chronic hunger for money, more status, and a better standard of living, a habit of working hard and a tendency to be very competitive.