Perceived learning environment and academic motivation: An explanatory mixed methods study in a Molecular Biology and Genetics program.

Lack of motivation of students is a major concern for the instructors and administration in universities, and it is in their interest to address these issues in the most effective and efficient way. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-method study is to examine the predictive power of the learning environment on student academic motivation and to learn students' opinions on this issue. One hundred twenty students enrolled at the Molecular Biology and Genetics program completed the Academic Motivation and Learning Environment Perception scales, Quantitative findings indicated that only the activities dimension of the learning environment has a predictive power on academic motivation. Focus group interviews conducted with 16 students validated the quantitative findings. Students particularly drew attention to activities that foster active participation in the learning process, emphasizing the vitality of being engaged and of having real-life experiences in their learning environment.

The role of elastography in the assessment of chronic liver disease in children.

BACKGROUND: Conventional ultrasonography is a method preferred for the investigation of chronic liver diseases in pediatric groups, as it is non-invasive, cheap, feasible and available. The purpose of this study is to present the role of Share-wave Elastography (SWE) in terms of diagnostic value in children diagnosed with "chronic liver disease." METHODS: We studied patients who had been diagnosed with chronic liver disease between March 2012-September 2015, and who had undergone liver biopsy and had their pathology results, compared with 26 healthy subjects. Statistical analysis was performed with IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0. "Pearson Correlation Analysis" was performed in order to measure the relationship between elastography values and Brunt level. RESULTS: This study had 107 subjects in total, consisting of 81 patients between 0-204 months of age Pearson correlation coefficient level was determined as r = 0.644. Since the correlation coefficient is positive, there is a same-directional relationship between Elastography level and Brunt degree. This means that while one of the variables is increasing, the other one will also increase. CONCLUSION: Since it is known that development of hepatic fibrosis is a dynamic process, and that many hepatic fibrosis etiologies are known to continue throughout the course of life, the application of Real time SWE method instead of repeated liver biopsies on patients is a much simpler and smart method. Increasing the clinical use of Real Time SWE method with future studies might provide an opportunity for preventing unnecessary liver biopsies since the patients are evaluated in a shorter time and in a cost-effective manner.