“We have been magnified for years - now you are under the microscope!": Co-researchers with learning disabilities created an online survey to challenge public understanding of learning disabilities

Public attitudes towards learning disabilities (LDs) are generally reported as positive, inclusive and empathetic. However, these findings do not reflect the lived experiences of people with LDs. To shed light on this disparity, a team of co-researchers with LDs created the first online survey to challenge public understanding of LDs, asking questions in ways that are important to them and represent how they see themselves. Here, we describe and evaluate the process of creating an accessible survey platform and an online survey in a research team consisting of academic and non-academic professionals with and without LDs or autism. Through this inclusive research process, the co-designed survey met the expectations of the co-researchers and was well-received by the initial survey respondents. We reflect on the co-researchers’ perspectives following the study completion, and consider the difficulties and advantages we encountered deploying such approaches and their potential implications on future survey data analysis

O impacto de uma aplicação mobile no ensino da história para alunos do ensino secundário

O crescimento e difusão da informação, do conhecimento e das tecnologias permite que a sociedade esteja em constante comunicação. A acessibilidade aos recursos tecnológicos viabiliza a utilização de tecnologia por parte dos alunos, regularmente, no seu dia-a-dia. Consequentemente, a atenção e motivação dos alunos em contexto de sala de aula e o seu desempenho decresceu, pelo que origina a necessidade de os professores reformularem o método educativo para que motive e mantenha o interesse dos alunos. A problemática do presente estudo derivou do baixo desempenho dos alunos do ensino secundário na disciplina de História, a qual pretende-se analisar se uma aplicação gamificada melhora a aprendizagem. Realizou-se um questionário qualitativo de respostas abertas que possibilitou analisar os requisitos que os alunos consideram relevante na aprendizagem (Consultar Resumos, Realização de Testes, Facilitar a Aprendizagem e Avaliar o progresso do aluno) e permitiu modelar e desenvolver uma aplicação mobile com elementos de jogos que visa auxiliar e melhorar o processo de aprendizagem de História. O protótipo foi testado por alunos do ensino secundário de forma a observar em que medida uma aplicação mobile gamificada pode melhorar o estudo de História. A análise dos resultados do protótipo desenvolvido evidencia que a maioria dos alunos utilizaria o protótipo para auxiliar o estudo, pois torna-o mais divertido e estimulante. O uso de tecnologia na educação motiva os alunos e permite agilizar a aprendizagem. Futuramente, poderemos investigar qual o impacto de uma aplicação mobile gamificada noutros níveis de ensino e noutras disciplinas.The growth and diffusion of information, knowledge and technologies allows society to be in constant communication. The accessibility to technological resources makes it possible for students to use technology regularly in their daily lives. Consequently, the attention and motivation of students in the classroom and their performance has decreased, which leads to the need for teachers to reformulate the educational method so that it motivates and maintains the interest of students. The problematic of the present study was originated due to the low performance of secondary school students in the subject of History, as it aimed to analyze if an application gamified strength and improve the learning. A qualitative survey with open questions was carried out to analyze the requirements that students consider relevant in learning (Consult Summary, Testing, Facilitate Learning and Evaluate Student Progress) and enabled to model and develop a mobile application with game elements that aims to assist and improve the process of learning History. The prototype was tested by high school students in order to observe to what extent a gamified mobile application can improve the study of History. The analysis of the results of the developed prototype evidences that most students would use this solution to help the study, since it makes it more fun and stimulating. The use of technology in education motivates students and allows them to improve the learning. In the future, we will be able to investigate the impact of a mobile application gamified in other education levels and other subjects

Evaluating smartphone-based user interface designs for a 2D psychological questionnaire

This study explored various user interface designs to transition a two dimensional (2D) questionnaire from its paper-and-pencil testing format to the mobile platform. The current administration of the test limits its usage beyond the lab environment. Creating a mobile version would facilitate ubiquitous administration of the test. Yet, the mobile design must be at least as good as its paper-based counterpart in terms of input accuracy and user interaction efforts. We developed four user interface designs, each of which featured a specific interaction approach. These approaches included displaying the 2D space of the questionnaire in its original form (M1), inputting one variable at a time on the 2D space (M2), dissolving the 2D space into two one-dimensional ordinal scales (M3), and orienting the input selections to the diagonal axes (M4). The designs were tested by a total of 34 participants, aged 18 to 52 years. The study results find the first three interaction approaches (M1-M3) effective but the fourth approach inefficient. Furthermore, the results indicate that the two-tap designs (M2 and M3) are equally as good as the one-tap design (M1)