Extending validation of tools and analyses in CSCL situations: How to collaborate on interaction analysis?

The Mulce Project aims at developing a server that would allow researchers to share Learning and Teaching Corpora (Letec). Our main goals are: first, to facilitate the work of researchers in the CSCL field by reusing existing corpora instead of creating new experiments, collecting and organizing data, and secondly, to connect these corpora to shared analyses and visualization tools. We also hope that this process of sharing would deepen and widen the validity of research tools and analyses. The limited space of our publications generally does not allow the authors to include their data nor the detailed context of their source experiments, which means that these results cannot be reused nor reproduced

Une Station d'Observation pour des Situations d'Apprentissage Collaboratif Instrumenté

International audienceToute activité d'apprentissage collaboratif requiert naturellement un suivi de l'évolution de l'apprenant. L'observation de ces activités est donc indispensable pour tous les acteurs des situations d'apprentissage collaboratif instrumenté (SACI). Dans cet article, nous présentons un exemple de résultat, issu d'expérimentations in situ, de l'opérationalisation de modèles centrés sur les traces d'activité des différentes parties d'un prototype de station d'observation. Nous montrons la difficulté qu'il y a à exploiter les traces d'activité existantes, qui peuvent être trop nombreuses ou au contraire insuffisantes. Nous tentons ainsi d'apporter des réponses aux problèmes de bruit et de silence, et à l'expressivité des traces par rapport aux niveaux d'observation souhaités

The validity of interactive peer play competencies for Latino preschool children from low-income households

In accord with a strength-based, eco-cultural model, the present study examined the validity of the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale-Teacher report (PIPPS-T; Fantuzzo, Coolahan, Mendez, McDermott, & Sutton-Smith, 1998) for use with Latino preschool children from low-income backgrounds. Capitalizing upon a large, statewide sample of Latino children (N = 824, M age = 52.54 months (SD = 8.73)), exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified three reliable and distinct dimensions of peer social competence: Play Interaction, Play Disruption, and Play Disconnection. Findings from multilevel models controlling for program, family, and child demographic variables, provided criterion-related validity for the three dimensions with some differential associations to concurrent assessments of children's learning-related and pre-academic skills at the end the Head Start year. Study findings extend prior research, supporting the utility of the PIPPS to assess the construct of peer social competence for Latino children from low-income backgrounds. Implications for early childhood research, practice, and policy are discussed

Synthesis of Functionalized Aromatic Heterocyclic Compounds and its Applications in Organized Self-assemblies

1,2,3-triazoles due to their structure, possess good optical properties and are capable of molecular recognition by their supramolecular capabilities of utilizing weak forces of interaction (such as hydrogen bonding, dipole interaction) in establishing a close association with targets. They are easy to synthesize, which opened the opportunity for a wide pharmaceutical application, mostly as pharmacological scaffolds. However, challenges such as poor water solubility, inefficient drug delivery and increased toxicities due to frequent dosing of drugs are commonly faced which reduces the efficacy of the drugs. It is therefore important to have “delivery vehicles” which could help transport the drugs to target sites retaining the original physicochemical properties. Surfactants are amphipathic in nature and have found tremendous applications as drug delivery systems (DDS) as well as help mimic the properties of a biological system. Understanding the interaction between bioactive fluorophores and surfactants is a continually growing area of research as it has so far helped to shed more light on variation of relationships that can possibly exist when these molecules are in a biological system. The fluorophores can also serve as a probe for micellar systems of various surfactants to establish more differential characteristics that exist among them. Our study involves the synthesis of potential bioactive 2- and 4-amino derivatives of 2-(4-phenyl 1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl) phenol (2-aminoPTP and 4-aminoPTP) using microwave assisted organic synthesis alongside copper catalyzed cycloaddition (CuAAC). Non-ionic micelles (such as Tween 20, Tween 80, Triton X-100) with variations in either their polar or non-polar compartment were being explored as DDS for hydrophobic 2-aminoPTP molecule. The physicochemical changes of the molecules within the micelle environment were evaluated using spectroscopic techniques (such as UV/Vis and fluorescence). Hence, discovering the behavior of these triazole based molecules in such media can help predict their behavior in a biological environment. Fluorescence quenching technique was used to determine the approximate location or position of the triazole molecule within the micelles

Traversing the funambulist’s fine line between nursing and male identity : a systematic review of the factors that influence men as they seek to navigate the nursing profession

Nursing has seen a dominance of women within the profession, and today, the presence of men in the role remains less understood and appreciated. Males considering or entering nursing face challenges concerning role misconception, marginalization, and gender bias. With a looming shortage of nurses on the horizon, it is more important now than ever before to find better ways of engaging males into nursing. The aim of the study was to examine the psychological constructs that influence male perceptions of nursing as they seek to navigate the profession, and what aspects influence men to consider nursing as a career. To achieve this, a systematic review and mixed research synthesis (integrated design) was conducted. English language research published between 1999 and 2019 was eligible. The methodological rigor of qualitative articles followed the Critical Appraisal Skills Program, while the Best Evidence Medical Education guided the quantitative review. Among the 24 publications identified, three sub-themes emerged from the overarching theme of the funambulist or tightrope walker. Sub-themes included societal, inner and collective voices that inform men’s place in nursing or their decision making about entering the profession. There is a need to re-visit what it means to be a nurse in order to address the gendered stereotypes that impact men entering the nursing profession. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Going beyond defining: Preschool educators\u27 use of knowledge in their pedagogical reasoning about vocabulary instruction

Previous research investigating both the knowledge of early childhood educators and the support for vocabulary development present in early childhood settings has indicated that both educator knowledge and enacted practice are less than optimal, which has grave implications for children\u27s early vocabulary learning and later reading achievement. Further, the nature of the relationship between educators\u27 knowledge and practice is unclear, making it difficult to discern the best path towards improved knowledge, practice, and children\u27s vocabulary outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to add to the existing literature by using stimulated recall interviews and a grounded approach to examine how 10 preschool educators used their knowledge to made decisions about their moment-to-moment instruction in support of children\u27s vocabulary development. Results indicate that educators were thinking in highly context-specific ways about their goals and strategies for supporting vocabulary learning, taking into account important knowledge of their instructional history with children and of the children themselves to inform their decision making in the moment. In addition, they reported thinking about research-based goals and strategies for supporting vocabulary learning that went beyond simply defining words for children. Implications for research and professional development are discussed

The Role of Language in the Environmental Movement: A Comparative Discourse Analysis of Spanish and English through an Ecolinguistics Framework

This study focuses on the role of language in producing and encouraging environmental frameworks and attitudes. Research within this sphere aims to determine the capacity of discourse analysis in influencing ecosophy. Within the current Anthropocene exist a variety of ideologies that shape human interaction with the environment. This paper considers an ecolinguistics framework with which to compare the linguistic structure and lexicon of two widespread languages, Spanish and English, through a comparative literature review. It takes a linguistic relativity approach to discourse analysis, examining the way in which corresponding environmental articles, written in Spanish and English, diverge. Findings within the scope of this research suggest that Spanish and English discourse differ substantially with regard to descriptions of agency, urgency, and pronouns, important components in the creation of ecological frameworks. Agency, urgency, and pronoun usage have the power to create a space in which the reader has a deeper connection with, and a more empathetic role regarding, the natural world. They also contribute to a heightened sense of perceived actionability. The results of this analysis illustrate how ecolinguistics can be used in future research and in sparking social action through intentional language use and messaging within the environmental movement

TRANSFORMING HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT INTO A STRATEGIC PARTNER

This thesis, in particular, includes three distinct qualitative and quantitative studies that examined different forms of HRM such as high-performance work practices and HR systems on various outcomes across levels within organizations. For example, corporate entrepreneurship and employee retention at the organizational level and employee creativity at the individual level. These studies were carried out using diverse research methods that encompass systematic literature review (1st study), fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (2nd study), and mixed method (3rd study) (e.g., questionnaire survey and multiple-case studies). All of these methods yielded valuable theoretical insights that advance our understanding of the topics covered. Further, practical implications were offered to help managers and practitioners to achieve success and competitive advantage. The first research paper analyzes empirical studies that explicitly examined the role of human resources management in fostering corporate entrepreneurship to determine the most effective HRM practices that enhance firms\u2019 entrepreneurship with an emphasis on the underlying mediating mechanisms and boundary conditions that moderate this relationship. A total number of 27 empirical research papers were identified in English peer-reviewed. Review analysis unfolded four high-performance work practices; selective staffing, extensive training, intensive compensation and rewards, and employee empowerment and participation. These practices were widely reported to have the strongest effects on encouraging corporate entrepreneurship. Furthermore, based on the extant empirical evidence, we suggested a theoretical moderated mediation model that explains the relationships between HRM, corporate entrepreneurship, organizational learning capability, and represents the entrepreneurial culture as a boundary condition. Theoretical contributions and implications along with future research paths are discussed. While the second study adopts a configurational perspective and applies fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis on a dataset of 232 Austrian and Hungarian manufacturing firms to explore how high-performance work practices combine to enhance employee retention. Results uncover five equifinal configurations of different high-performing skill, motivation, and opportunity-enhancing practices that could help companies and managers to retain employees effectively. The resultant configurations have been interpreted in terms of how each configuration fits different companies\u2019 HR strategies and policies. Our study raises advanced theoretical insights about the synergetic effects of HPWPs on employee retention through the configurational approach and fsQCA. Whereas the third study developed a multilevel model to examine the cross-level effects of interactions between HR systems and relational climates in predicting contexts for employee creativity. Using a mixed-method design and drawing on data obtained from survey questionnaires 282 employees nested in 69 teams and two exploratory case studies, our findings suggest noteworthy insights that the interactions effect between commitment-HR and communal-sharing climate are non-significant for employee creativity. Likewise, the interaction between compliance-HR and market-pricing climate. However, only a commitment-based HR system has been shown to be important to boost employee creativity. Nonetheless, based on the case studies findings, it is not sufficient by itself, instead, the relational climate that permeates the workplace is also vital for creative ideas generation.ENGLIS