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Occupational gender stereotypes develop from early age and contribute to occupational gender imbalance. Previous research used questionnaires or interviews to investigate children's explicit stereotypes and where drawings have been used, mostly men‐dominated occupations have been considered. This study used drawings and interviews to assess implicit stereotypes of both men and women‐dominated occupations and whether children's sex, age and cultural background predicted these stereotypes. Two hundred and forty‐three 6‐to‐7‐year‐olds and 10‐to‐11‐year‐olds in Britain and Argentina‐encompassing both Global South and Global North perspectives‐ drew five human figures: (i) person of their choice, (ii) dancer, (iii) nanny (iv) firefighter and (v) pilot. In interviews, children confirmed and justified their gender choices for each drawing. Results indicate gender stereotypes in children from both countries, especially towards women‐dominated occupations. Girls exhibited more rigid gender views than boys. These findings suggest widespread and culturally consistent occupational gender stereotypes, potentially limiting children's future job choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Test anxiety is prevalent among adolescents. Some potentially successful mindfulness-based coloring interventions have been identified in previous research, however, conclusions have been based on self-report measures only. In the current study, 150 17- to 18-years-olds taking final school exam completed measures of state anxiety (STAI) and Mindfulness (SMS) prior to and directly after completing 12 min of either (1) free drawing, (2) mandala coloring, (3) mandala coloring paired with pre-recorded mindfulness instructions. Heart rate (HR) was recorded prior to and directly after the 12-min coloring intervention.

The process of drawing is a creative endeavor, often beginning with ideas of what to draw. This exploratory study aimed to explore these creative intentions of pupils from mainstream schools (tending to focus on observational, imaginative, and expressive drawing), and from Steiner schools (tending to focus on imagination and expression). Fifty-seven children (age 6-16 years) drew a single drawing at the request of the researcher. Before and after drawing, children completed a semi-structured interview about the content of their drawing. This interview was first analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis to describe where children got the ideas for their drawings from. Four key themes were identified: (a) content from immediate surroundings, (b) content from memory, (c) representational content with element of imagination added, and (d) intention to express a mood or message. Content analysis was then used to quantify the interview responses and compare them between the school types. This indicated no difference in the frequency that mainstream and Steiner pupils referred to ideas based on real-world referents or imagination. However, Steiner pupils talked more about expressive ideas. The results suggest that children use a wide range of sources when generating ideas of what to draw, including their educational experiences.

Background: Lifelong management of phenylketonuria (PKU) centers on medical nutrition therapy, including dietary phenylalanine (Phe) restriction in addition to Phe-free or low-Phe medical foods/protein substitutes. Studies have reported low bone mineral density (BMD) in mixed-age PKU populations, possibly related to long-term Phe restriction. Therefore, a meta-analysis investigating BMD specifically in adults with PKU was conducted. Methods: Studies reporting BMD-related outcomes were identified from a systematic literature review evaluating somatic comorbidities experienced by adults with PKU on a Phe-restricted diet (searched February 1, 2022, updated November 1, 2023). Risk of study bias was assessed (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network checklists). The primary outcome of the meta-analysis was pooled mean BMD Z-scores of different bones. Secondary outcomes were the prevalence of low BMD Z-scores at pre-specified thresholds. Subgroup analyses of mean BMD Z-scores (decade of study publication, controlled versus uncontrolled blood Phe levels, gender) were conducted. Results: BMD-related data from 4097 individuals across 10 studies rated as at least acceptable quality were included. Mean BMD Z-scores were statistically significantly lower compared with an age-matched control or reference (non-PKU) population, across bones, but still within the expected range for age (> -2.0): lumbar spine (seven studies, n = 304), -0.63 (95% confidence interval (CI): -0.74, -0.52); femoral neck (four studies, n = 170), -0.74 (95% CI: -1.25, -0.22); radius (three studies, n = 114), -0.77 (95% CI: -1.21, -0.32); total body (four studies, n = 157), -0.61 (95% CI: -0.77, -0.45). The small number of observations in the subgroup analyses resulted in a high degree of uncertainty, limiting interpretation. Estimated prevalence of BMD Z-scores ≤ -2.0 was 8% (95% CI: 5%, 13%; four studies, n = 221) and < -1.0 was 42% (95% CI: 35%, 51%; five studies, n = 144). Conclusions: Adults with PKU had lower BMD Z-scores than the reference (non-PKU) population but < 1 in 10 were below the expected range for age. The low number of studies prevents identification of which population characteristics are most impacting BMD. This meta-analysis was supported by BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., Novato, CA and is registered with the Research Registry (reviewregistry1476). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractEngaging with feedback has been widely shown to support learning, but levels of engagement with feedback among individual students varies considerably. This study assessed educational identities to understand this variation, while also seeking to confirm the distinct but related role of perceptions of feedback. One hundred and seventy undergraduate students in the UK completed an online questionnaire to assess their perceptions of feedback, engagement with feedback, learner identity, consumer identity, and discipline identity, as well as provide age, gender, ethnicity, and level of study. As predicted, perceptions of feedback was significantly positively correlated with engagement with feedback, and learner identity and discipline identity were also significantly positively correlated with perceptions of feedback and engagement with feedback. Data were subsequently analysed to test various hypotheses about the interactions among these variables. Critically, we found support for the proposed mediating effect of perceptions of feedback on the relation between learner identity and engagement with feedback, however, consumer identity did not moderate this effect. These findings suggest that students who demonstrate the greatest engagement with feedback are those with a strong learner identity, thus, interventions to promote learner identity may increase students’ engagement with feedback and ultimately improve their outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education students' perception of and level of engagement with the feedback they receive has gained increasing attention in the literature to identify areas which require educators' attention. However, predictors of students' perception and engagement have yet to be identified. To address this, a survey measuring students' views and practices regarding feedback was completed. Characteristics of the individual student (gender, age and whether English is their first language), the learning environment (student living on or off campus) and course-related variables (year of study of the course and whether the second subject was the same or a different discipline) were analysed to assess whether these variables predict students' perception and engagement with feedback. Multivariate analysis established that the only significant predictor variable was year of study of the course, thus identifying a key predictor while ruling out numerous potential predictors. As the only significant predictor of students' relationship with feedback was their year of study, further analyses were conducted to establish which specific areas of perception of and engagement with feedback change as a function of this.