ENVIRONMENTAL AND BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON INTELLIGENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT

Intelligence tests are controversial, partly because they sometimes determine important aspects of people’s lives. For example, intelligence test scores have factored into determining school placement, identifying giftedness, and diagnosing mental retardation and learning disabilities. Even when an intelligence test shows that a child has normal intelligence, there might be speculation of a learning disability due to him or her falling behind in academic achievement. A child’s biology and environment influences his or her academic achievement, as well. Children from different cultures and socioeconomic status have diverse experiences, beliefs, and attitudes that affect their academic achievement. There are also differences in skills that caregivers emphasize during a child’s development that contribute to a child’s school readiness, which influences intelligence and academic achievement.

Intelligence and academic achievement are often used to determine many aspects of a person’s life, including the diagnosis of a learning disability. Most identifiers of learning disabilities are seen within the realm of intelligence and achievement. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 is an example of a federal mandate that allows for identification of indicators of learning disabilities, such as limited response to intervention or a meaningful discrepancy between a student’s intelligence and achievement scores. When diagnosing a learning disability in determining a child’s intelligence, a combination of indicators is more accurate than a single test score.

For this Discussion, you will explore the differences between intelligence and academic achievement (as opposed to other types of achievement). You also will examine environmental and/or biological influences on intelligence and academic achievement.

RESOURCES

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources. 

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources related to intelligence and academic achievement and consider environmental and biological influences.
• Select two influences: environmental and/or biological (you can select two of either category or one of each) that have been associated with intelligence and academic achievement.

Post an explanation of the difference between intelligence and academic achievement. Then, briefly describe the two environmental and/or biological influences you selected. Explain the effects of each influence on intelligence and academic achievement. Be specific and provide examples from your Learning Resources. Use proper APA format and citations.

REFERENCES/RESOURCES

• Berk, L. E. (2023). Development through the lifespan (7th ed.). Sage.
  • Chapter 7, “Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood” (pp. 214–253)
  • Chapter 9, “Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood” (pp. 292-331)
• Liu, J., Li, L., Wang, Y., Yan, C., & Liu, X. (2013). Impact of low blood lead concentrations on IQ and school performance in Chinese children Links to an external site.. Plos ONE, 8(5), e65230. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065230
• Nisbett, R. E., Aronson, J., Blair, C., Dickens, W., Flynn, J., Halpern, D. F., & Turkheimer, E. (2012). Intelligence: New findings and theoretical developments Links to an external site.. American Psychologist, 67(2), 130–159. doi:10.1037/a0026699

What are the behaviors and dispositions associated with your professional environment regarding childhood trauma?

• How does childhood trauma manifests in the educational setting
  • What types of trauma are most prevalent in the educational setting?
• What are the commonly used practices for responding to childhood trauma?
  • What are the current strategies used?
  • Are there any new techniques currently under consideration or implementation? 
• How can you apply these practices to develop potential strategies to mitigate the impact of trauma?

Consider three pages for each bulleted area.

Keep in mind to weave in eight scholarly sources 

I have the sample discussion started and attached!

• Create an abstract (100-250 words) and a poster for a presentation with voice-over for a quality improvement plan to executive-level leadership.
  Introduction
• TOPIC- DIABETES MELLITUS
  Note: Each assessment in this course builds on the work you completed in the previous assessment. Therefore, it is recommended that you complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.
  As a master’s-level nurse you will be responsible for promoting equitable quality of care. In the biopsychosocial model of care, there are a number of areas where you can have an impact on improving the quality, safety, and equitability of care. One example area where equitable quality of care is an issue is with medications, especially considering the cost of various medications to treat the same condition versus the effectiveness and potential side-effects of the medications. A further pharmacological concern for safe and quality care is medication errors. This could include considerations like a patient getting the wrong medication or a dangerous interaction due to other aspects of a patient’s health and treatment situation. An example could be vitamin or herbal supplements the patient has not disclosed as part of the medication reconciliation process.
  The ability to propose and promote quality improvements in care is a vital skill for a master’s-prepared nurse. One aspect of this is understanding strategies for implementing best practice changes in a team, department, or care setting. Another is understanding how best practices can help lead to a continuous quality improvement cycle. Additionally, it is important to grasp how successful change strategies can be leveraged to help in the creation or implementation of clinical best practices. Part of this is considering the audience when proposing quality improvement projects or new best practices. Another part of this is being able to effectively communicate the goals, rationale, and benefits of a project.
  One way to communicate the need for quality improvements, and your plans for achieving specific improvements, is through a presentation poster. This type of communication tool is used both in the work place and at professional and academic conferences. Being able to convey the essence and value of a project in a compelling and succinct way is a valuable skill, and it is vital within the constraints of a single poster.
  Professional Context
  As a master’s-level nurse, you will be responsible for promoting equitable quality of care. In the biopsychosocial (BPS) model of care, there are a number of areas where you can have an impact on improving the quality, safety, and equitability of care. One example area where equitable quality of care is an issue is with medications, especially considering the cost of various medications to treat the same condition versus the effectiveness and potential side-effects of the medications. A further pharmacological concern for safe and quality care is medication errors. This could include considerations like a patient getting the wrong medication or a dangerous interaction due to other aspects of a patient’s health and treatment situation. An example could be vitamin or herbal supplements the patient has not disclosed as part of the medication reconciliation process.
  Scenario
  For this assessment, you may take any number of approaches. Two suggestions are:
  • Build upon the clinical issue that was the focus of your Change Strategy and Implementation assessment, and turn it into a full, organization- or community-wide quality improvement (QI) initiative.
  • Or, identify a new issue related to a BPS clinical issue. The focus here should be on a specific patient or health care setting
  • As a master’s-level nurse, your specific focus is on reviewing the implications of the data relevant to the clinical issue you are trying to address. Once you research this, review the aggregate data, and understand the BPS considerations relevant to the clinical issue, you can suggest strategies for improving the quality, equitability, and safety of care around the issue. You should act as an advocate for the value and need to pursue quality improvements to leadership and executives, as well as be able to present potential projects to a wide range of colleagues and community stakeholders.
    Instructions
    Create an abstract and a poster for a presentation with voice-over to your colleagues that will sell them on your quality improvement plan.
    Abstract Requirements
  • Your abstract should be 100–250 words.
  • It should summarize the key information in your poster.
  • Do not put your abstract on the poster itself; submit it as a separate document. Or, if you are using PowerPoint to help create your poster, create a new slide that is clearly labeled as your abstract.
  • Poster Requirements
  • Your poster should include the following sections: 
    • Quality Improvement Methods.
    • Evidence Supporting QI Methods.
    • Change Strategy Foundation.
    • Interprofessional Team Benefits.
    • Overall Project Benefits.
  • There are templates in PowerPoint or on the Internet that can help you get a start designing your poster.
  • The bullet points below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Be sure that your presentation addresses all of the bullets below. You may also want to read the Quality Improvement Presentation Poster scoring guide and Guiding Questions: Quality Improvement Presentation Poster [DOCX] to better understand how each grading criterion will be assessed.
  • Propose quality improvement methods to promote continuous improvement related to a specific biopsychosocial consideration.
  • Evaluate specific evidence that supports the quality improvement methods proposed.
  • Explain how the project is grounded in successful change strategies.
  • Analyze the way in which interprofessional teamwork will improve the effectiveness or efficiency of the quality improvement project.
  • Communicate quality improvement considerations to relevant stakeholders in a way that is clear, concise, and compelling for the audience.
  • Integrate relevant sources to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and references using current APA style.
  • Example assessment: You may use the assessment example, Assessment 3 Example [PPTX], to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like.
    Submission Requirements
  • Length of submission:
    • Abstract: 100–250 words. Your abstract should be succinct and precise.
    • Poster: Make sure your poster fits entirely onto a single poster template page (or slide) and contains all of the sections described in the assessment instructions.
  • Number of references: Cite a minimum of 5–7 sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your considerations and plans. Resources should be no more than five years old.
  • APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style.
  • Competencies Measured
    By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
  • Competency 1: Design patient-centered, evidence-based, advanced nursing care for achieving high-quality patient outcomes. 
    • Evaluate specific evidence that supports the quality improvement methods proposed.
  • Competency 2: Develop change strategies for improving the care environment. 
    • Explain how the project is grounded in successful change strategies.
  • Competency 3: Apply quality improvement methods to practice that promote safe, equitable quality of care. 
    • Propose quality improvement methods to promote continuous improvement related to a specific biopsychosocial consideration.
  • Competency 4: Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of interprofessional care systems in achieving desired health care improvement outcomes. 
    • Analyze the way in which interprofessional teamwork will improve the effectiveness or efficiency of the quality improvement project.
  • Competency 5: Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with organizational, professional, and scholarly standards. 
    • Poster is presented in a way that is clear, concise, and compelling for the audience.
    • Integrate relevant sources to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and references using current APA style.

Develop your interview questions and save them in a Word document.

Post in your unique thread a brief explanation of how you developed your questions. Start with the research question and then describe the concepts that you wanted to explore. Attach your interview guide to your Workshop post. Be sure to cite the sources of your ideas for the questions.