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Another Piece Of The “Silence In Pbl” Puzzle: Students’ Explanations Of Dominance And Quietness As Complementary Group Roles, Vicki J. Skinner, Annette Braunack-Mayer, Tracey A. Winning

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

A problem-based learning (PBL) assumption is that silence is incompatible with collaborative learning. Although sociocultural studies have reinterpreted silence as collaborative, we must understand how silence occurs in PBL groups. This essay presents students’ explanations of dominance, leadership, and silence as PBL group roles. An ethnographic investigation of PBL groups, informed by social constructionism, was conducted at two dental schools (in Australia and Ireland). The methods used were observation, interviews, and focus groups. The participants were volunteer first-year undergraduates. Students attributed dominance, silence, and members’ group roles to personal attributes. Consequently, they assumed that groups divided naturally into dominant leaders …

Evaluating The Prevalence And Effectiveness Of Breed-Specific Legislation, Felicia E. Trembath

Open Access Dissertations

Dog bites pose a persistent public health problem, which some jurisdictions pass breed-specific legislation (BSL) to address. However, very little non-anecdotal evidence regarding the efficacy of BSL has been presented. Currently, BSL research is hampered by the absence of standard terminology, an established prevalence, or a scientific consensus on its effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to propose standardized terminology for BSL, establish the prevalence of each type of BSL in the USA, and conduct a systematic review of the effectiveness of BSL.

After review of terminology currently in use, as well as review of the regulatory actions of …