Background:In the context of decreasing breastfeeding rates and unsuccessful breastfeeding promotion campaigns, a qualitative research project in the Northern part of the Netherlands was initiated.Objectives:As part of the overall project, the aim of this study was to explore the content and sources of breastfeeding knowledge among primiparous women. Identifying and categorizing the content and the sources of breastfeeding knowledge could guide professionals such as midwives and maternity nurses as well as others in the women’s surroundings to engage in disseminating knowledge and therefore support women in achieving their breastfeeding goals.Methods:We conducted 26 in-depth interviews from the emic perspective with 13 new mothers pre- and postpartum, up to saturation level. Transcripts were analysed applying thematic analysis. As sensitising concepts, the themes identified were divided into two categories: those gained from 'professional' sources and those obtained from 'popular' sources.Results:Five knowledge content themes were identified: (1) pros and cons of breastfeeding, (2) how breastfeeding works, (3) individual breastfeeding practice, (4) expressing milk, and (5) formula feeding. ‘Professional’ sources are perceived as more helpful than ‘popular’ sources, whereas ‘intuition’ was inductively identified as an important knowledge source.Conclusion:Limited breastfeeding practice exposure, along with the recommendations to breastfeed for six months and perceptions of breastfeeding as ‘natural’ at the same time, generates much pressure in women. Emphasizing all knowledge content in campaigns, addressing a variety of target groups in women’s social environment, and recognizing intuition as an adequate source of knowledge supported by professionals will facilitate women in making informed infant feeding decisions.
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Objectives: This study assesses social workers’ orientation toward the evidence-based practice (EBP) process and explores which specific variables (e.g. age) are associated. Methods: Data were collected from 341 Dutch social workers through an online survey which included a Dutch translation of the EBP Process Assessment Scale (EBPPAS), along with 13 background/demographic questions. Results: The overall level of orientation toward the EBP process is relatively low. Although respondents are slightly familiar with it and have slightly positive attitudes about it, their intentions to engage in it and their actual engagement are relatively low. Respondents who followed a course on the EBP process as a student are more oriented toward it than those who did not. Social workers under 29 are more familiar with the EBP process than those over 29. Conclusions: We recommend educators to take a more active role in teaching the EBP process to students and social workers.
When preparing students for the industry’s global context, publishing degrees aim to provide them with experience of cooperating and doing business with colleagues internationally. In order to achieve this, Oxford Brookes University and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences have designed a module on trading in translation rights that gives students both a theoretical framework and real-world insights into book fairs and intercultural collaboration.In this module, students of both universities work collaboratively in a game that simulates the trading of intellectual property rights at an international event designed to resemble a major book fair. They team up in international groups of five or six students that each represent a publishing company in order to prepare for and to participate in an event called the Oxdam Book Fair. Preparation for the fair involves the development of plans and appropriate materials to sell translation rights for the company’s titles and to buy rights to titles which fit the company’s profile and strategy. During the event students partake in several rounds of rights trading activities, including pitching, strategy meetings, making offers, and networking.In this proposed paper, that contributes to the best practices-strand of the conference, lecturers of Oxford Brookes University and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences will provide a ‘behind the scenes’-look at this collaborative module. They will talk about the simulation game that is the core of the module, provide background on the theoretical framework, address educational design challenges they encountered, and share outcomes of the collaborative module.
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