In search for a viable pedagogical agent in assistive applications for dyslexic children

TO attend to dyslexia, many studies have been conducted, and in the frontline is the design of assistive applications for dyslexic children. However, studies have not been focused on the nature and appearance of these pedagogical agents used in assistive applications, especially considering children’s preferences and their users’ experiences.Hence, this study employs Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology to collate and analyse the research-based and publicly-available assistive applications designed for dyslexic children.The findings present two categories of virtual assistants used in the analysed assistive applications, which are girl-like and animal-like objects.This girl-like object is used by 83.3% of the analysed works. We then proceed with and on-site experiment to collect the dyslexic children’s preferences.The result showed that boy-like objects are much more preferable, depending on their gender, which contradicts with previous works that present girl-like objects as avatar most of the time

Virtual Reality in Mathematics Education (VRiME):An exploration of the integration and design of virtual reality for mathematics education

This thesis explores the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in mathematics education. Four VR prototypes were designed and developed during the PhD project to teach equations, geometry, and vectors and facilitate collaboration.Paper A investigates asymmetric VR for classroom integration and collaborative learning and presents a new taxonomy of asymmetric interfaces. Paper B proposes how VR could assist students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in learning daily living skills involving basic mathematical concepts. Paper C investigates how VR could enhance social inclusion and mathematics learning for neurodiverse students. Paper D presents a VR prototype for teaching algebra and equation-solving strategies, noting positive student responses and the potential for knowledge transfer. Paper E investigates gesture-based interaction with dynamic geometry in VR for geometry education and presents a new taxonomy of learning environments. Finally, paper F explores the use of VR to visualise and contextualise mathematical concepts to teach software engineering students.The thesis concludes that VR offers promising avenues for transforming mathematics education. It aims to broaden our understanding of VR's educational potential, paving the way for more immersive learning experiences in mathematics education

The Use of the Mobile Phone Technology as an Instructional Tool for Lesson Delivery at Abura Asebu Kwamankese District

Technology has evolved over the years from being simple machines to complex ones which are making work easier and faster than usual. Despite the influx of the mobile technology with its functions into the Ghanaian society, most people are still stuck to its voice call and other basic functionalities neglecting the economic and productivity enhancement ones. It is for these reasons that this is being carried out to find out the educational benefits of teachers using their phone technology to teach, the cost benefits that major stakeholders stand to gain when teachers use their mobile phone technology to teach and last but not the list streamline ways by which teachers can effectively use their mobile phone technology in their lesson delivery. The study used the descriptive research design adopting the mixed-method approach. The research adopted the use of survey questionnaire and interview guide. Major findings made from the study showed that about 92% of teachers used smart mobile devices but just for personal reasons. The teachers did not use the functions of their mobile phone devices to support their teaching process. They, however, saw the educational and cost benefits of using their mobile phones technology to teach. They, therefore, needed training workshops to equip them to make adequate use of their mobile phone technology to enhance their teaching. The study however recommended to the government through the ministry of education to develop a basic school’s mobile app to help arouse the interest of teachers coupled with reduced tariffs from telecommunication networks operators. Keywords: MOBILE PHONE TECHNOLOGY, INSTRUCTIONAL TOOL DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-9-15 Publication date:March 31st 202

Educator Motivation for Acquiring Expertise to Support Students with Dyslexia: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the invested motivation for acquiring expertise to support students with dyslexia for elementary school teachers at a charter school in a northeastern state. Teachers employed at Oakdale-Mission Charter School are uniquely positioned to receive in-service teacher training support regarding teaching those with dyslexia. The lack of Orton Gillingham-certified teachers to provide for those with dyslexia prevents these students from adequately receiving access and equity in a school district in a large metropolitan city in a northeastern state. Therefore, Oakdale-Mission Charter School was explored as a unique and innovative solution for those with dyslexia using an in-service teacher training model. The central question of this study was: What are the lived experiences of elementary charter school teachers with invested motivation for acquiring expertise to support students with dyslexia? The theory that supported this central question and guided this study was Knowles’ adult learning theory and the concept of andragogy, predicated on the notion that teacher investment is a critical component in adopting effective instructional practices. The hermeneutical phenomenological design of this study offered an analysis of the various factors associated with teacher motivation. The data collection process included interviews, a focus group, and a journal prompt. This study included 12 participants who experienced professional development training using the Orton Gillingham methodologies. The research uncovered invested motivation associated with supporting those with dyslexia. Future research should explore further options for developing teacher expertise using other teacher support training models through a qualitative study method

Dyscalculia in higher education

This research study provides an insight into the experiences of dyscalculic students in higher education (HE). It explores the nature of dyscalculia from the student perspective, adopting a theoretical framework of the social model of disability combined with socio-cultural theory. This study was not aimed at understanding the neurological reasons for dyscalculia, but focussed on the social effects of being dyscalculic and how society can help support dyscalculic students within an HE context. The study s primary data collection method was 14 semi-structured interviews with officially identified dyscalculic students who were currently, or had been recently, studying in higher education in the UK. A participant selection method was utilised using a network of national learning support practitioners due to the limited number of participants available. A secondary data collection method involved reflective learning support sessions with two students. Data were collected across four research areas: the identification process, HE mathematics, learning support and categorisations of dyscalculia. A fifth area of fitness to practise could not be examined in any depth due to the lack of relevant participants, but the emerging data clearly pinpointed this as a significant area of political importance and identified a need for further research. A framework of five categories of dyscalculic HE student was used for data analysis. Participants who aligned with these categories tended to describe differing experiences or coping behaviours within each of the research areas. The main findings of the study were the importance of learning support practitioners in tackling mathematical anxiety, the categorisations of dyscalculic higher education students, the differing learning styles of dyscalculic and dyslexic students, and the emergence of four under-researched dyscalculic characteristics: iconicity, time perception, comprehension of the existence of numbers that are not whole and dyscalculic students understanding of non-cardinal numbers

Tangible Inquiries: A Study of Aroma Materials and Sources in the Built and Botanical Environments in Grasse, France

In the humanities, arts and social sciences smell is often framed as a mode of invisible information, independent of observable and tangible sources of odours, or the structural, embodied and ecological contingencies that afford the activity of their engagement or perception. This framing not only serves to reinforce our already ocularcentric sensory order (Howes, 2005a), but also reinforces the visual biases of contemporary communication and information cultures. This dissertation argues that smell, along with many other sensory phenomena, is further abstracted by predominantly neuro- and logo-centric epistemologies that privilege acquired representational knowledges over more directly experiential, corporeal and self- directed ways knowing. Building on preliminary fieldwork in Ontario and France, this site specific and source centric study investigates the selection, exploration and uses of botanical and synthetic aroma sources and materials as multimodal resources in the contexts of cultural mediation, scent-themed interaction and ecologically situated inquiries within the built and botanical environments of the worlds perfumery capital, Grasse, France. This grounded study draws on methods of sensory ethnography, multimodal analysis and my own tangible inquiry to examine the ecological, sociocultural and structural contingencies that afford directly experiential encounters with aroma. This research has implications for Canada's increasingly scent-free, and sensorially anaesthetic, learning environments, which continue to privilege visually-biased, mind-over-matter modes of learning, knowing, and communicating

XR, music and neurodiversity: design and application of new mixed reality technologies that facilitate musical intervention for children with autism spectrum conditions

This thesis, accompanied by the practice outputs,investigates sensory integration, social interaction and creativity through a newly developed VR-musical interface designed exclusively for children with a high-functioning autism spectrum condition (ASC).The results aim to contribute to the limited expanse of literature and research surrounding Virtual Reality (VR) musical interventions and Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs) designed to support individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions. The author has developed bespoke hardware, software and a new methodology to conduct field investigations. These outputs include a Virtual Immersive Musical Reality Intervention (ViMRI) protocol, a Supplemental Personalised, immersive Musical Experience(SPiME) programme, the Assisted Real-time Three-dimensional Immersive Musical Intervention System’ (ARTIMIS) and a bespoke (and fully configurable) ‘Creative immersive interactive Musical Software’ application (CiiMS). The outputs are each implemented within a series of institutional investigations of 18 autistic child participants. Four groups are evaluated using newly developed virtual assessment and scoring mechanisms devised exclusively from long-established rating scales. Key quantitative indicators from the datasets demonstrate consistent findings and significant improvements for individual preferences (likes), fear reduction efficacy, and social interaction. Six individual case studies present positive qualitative results demonstrating improved decision-making and sensorimotor processing. The preliminary research trials further indicate that using this virtual-reality music technology system and newly developed protocols produces notable improvements for participants with an ASC. More significantly, there is evidence that the supplemental technology facilitates a reduction in psychological anxiety and improvements in dexterity. The virtual music composition and improvisation system presented here require further extensive testing in different spheres for proof of concept

Examining the Shared Perceptions Surrounding the Most Important Elements to Include in the Design of a Classroom-Based Therapeutic Visual Arts Program Serving Students with Autism

Visual art is an enriching part of educational curriculum and an individual\u27s development (Malley & Silverstein, 2014), but public school curriculum is increasingly focusing on standardization, core subject curriculum, testing, and accountability measures leaving creative fields behind as merely an additive part of education or a resource (Hourigan, 2014). Arts education within a system focusing on these areas creates a one-size-fits-all curriculum (Wexler, 2014) for students rather than accounting for individual student learning needs. A differentiated system is needed to respond to varying learning styles and stages of development. With the rising number of students being diagnosed with autism (Zablotsky, Black, Maenner, Schieve, & Blumberg, 2015), this shift becomes especially important for a growing population of students who exhibit a wide array of academic, social, emotional, and behavioral learning needs. The integration of therapeutic visual arts into an education curriculum can account for these elements of a student\u27s developmental and learning needs as well as the need for self and expressive exploration (Albert, 2010; Anderson, 1992; Bush, 1997; Henley, 2001). This dissertation outlines a Q Methodological study that examined perceptions from professionals in the fields of art therapy, art education, and special education around what programmatic features should be included in a classroom-based therapeutic visual art designed for school-aged students with autism. These perceptions were collected through a Q sort of 42 item Q set. The results of the Q sort were analyzed and interpreted. From the patterns and themes that emerged from this interpretation, I developed program recommendations and implications surrounding classroom-based therapeutic visual arts programs designed for students with autism in a large public school district in the southeastern United States

Instructional Message Design: Theory, Research, and Practice (Volume 2)

Message design is all around us, from the presentations we see in meetings and classes, to the instructions that come with our latest tech gadgets, to multi-million-dollar training simulations. In short, instructional message design is the real-world application of instructional and learning theories to design the tools and technologies used to communicate and effectively convey information. This field of study pulls from many applied sciences including cognitive psychology, industrial design, graphic design, instructional design, information technology, and human performance technology to name just a few. In this book we will visit several foundational theories that guide our research, look at different real-world applications, and begin to discuss directions for future best practice. For instance, cognitive load and multimedia learning theories provide best practice, virtual reality and simulations are only a few of the multitude of applications. Special needs learners and designing for online, e-learning, and web conferencing are only some of many applied areas where effective message design can improve outcomes. Studying effective instructional message design tools and techniques has and will continue to be a critical aspect of the overall instructional design process. Hopefully, this book will serve as an introduction to these topics and inspire your curiosity to explore further