Assessing computational thinking process using a multiple evaluation approach

This study explored the ways that the Computational Thinking (CT) process can be evaluated in a classroom environment. Thirty Children aged 10–11 years, from a primary school in London took part in a game-making project using the Scratch and Alice 2.4 applications for eight months. For the focus of this specific paper, data from participant observations, informal conversations, problem-solving sheets, semi-structured interviews and children’s completed games were used to make sense of elements of the computational thinking process and approaches to evaluate these elements in a computer game design context. The discussions around what CT consists, highlighted the complex structure of computational thinking and the interaction between the elements of artificial intelligence (AI), computer, cognitive, learning and psychological sciences. This also emphasised the role of metacognition in the Computational Thinking process. These arguments illustrated that it is not possible to evaluate Computational Thinking using only programming constructs, as CT process provides opportunities for developing many other skills and concepts. Therefore a multiple evaluation approach should be adopted to illustrate the full learning scope of the Computational Thinking Process. Using the support of literature review and the findings of the data analysis I proposed a multiple approach evaluation model where ‘computational concepts’, ‘metacognitive practices’, and ‘learning behaviours’ were discussed as the main elements of the CT process. Additionally, in order to investigate these dimensions within a game-making context, computer game design was also included in this evaluation model

Exploring Effects of Background Music in A Serious Game on Attention by Means of EEG Signals in Children

Music and Serious Games are separately useful alternative therapy methods for helping people with a cognitive disorder, including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The goal of this thesis is to explore the effect of background music on children with and without ADHD. In this study, a simple Tetris game is designed with Beethoven, Mozart music, and no-music. There are different brainwave techniques for recording; among others, the electroencephalography (EEG) allows for the most efficient use of BCI. We recorded the EEG brain signals of the regular and ADHD subjects who played the Tetris we designed according to our protocol that consists of three trials with three different background music. Attention related Alpha and Beta waves of EEG signals analyzed based on time and time-frequency domain features. The changes in the data over the 1-minute Tetris game sections are investigated with the Short-time Fourier Transform (STFT) method. The results showed that music has a considerable impact on attention of children. When it comes to music types, in general, Mozart music increases Beta waves while decreasing the Alpha band waves for subjects without ADHD. On the other hand, Beethoven music increased both Alpha and Beta band values for children with ADHD

SPARC 2019 Fake news & home truths : Salford postgraduate annual research conference book of abstracts

Welcome to the Book of Abstracts for the 2019 SPARC conference. This year we not only celebrate the work of our PGRs but also our first ever Doctoral School Best Supervisor awards, which makes this year’s conference extra special. Once again we have received a tremendous contribution from our postgraduate research community; with over 90 presenters, the conference truly showcases a vibrant, innovative and collaborative PGR community at Salford. These abstracts provide a taster of the inspiring, relevant and impactful research in progress, and provide delegates with a reference point for networking and initiating critical debate. Find an abstract that interests you, and say “Hello” to the author. Who knows what might result from your conversation? With such wide-ranging topics being showcased, we encourage you to take up this great opportunity to engage with researchers working in different subject areas from your own. To meet global challenges, high impact research needs interdisciplinary collaboration. This is recognised and rewarded by all major research funders. Engaging with the work of others and forging collaborations across subject areas is an essential skill for the next generation of researchers. Even better, our free ice cream van means that you can have those conversations while enjoying a refreshing ice lolly

Fostering a Growth Mindset: Elementary Teacher Experiences Using Mindfulness Practices

The purpose of the present study was to explore the experiences of eight elementary school educators in Saskatchewan using mindfulness within their classrooms, and their ideas as to how mindfulness can impact the children’s body esteem. The present study utilized a thematic analytical research design using semi-structured interviews to explore teachers’ observations about using mindfulness practices with their students. A Four-Component Theoretical Model of Mindfulness (Hölzel, Lazar, Gard, Schuman-Olivier, Vago, & Ott, 2011) contextualized the analysis of the data generated from the participant interviews. Six major themes emerged from the interview data: (1) The Minds of Mindfulness: MindUp, Tech-Minded, and the Creative Mind, which described the types of formal and informal mindfulness programming that Saskatchewan-based teachers were using in their classrooms; (2) Tools in the Toolbox: Kids’ Personal Use of the Language and Techniques of Mindfulness, which focused on the spontaneous use of the mindfulness principles and emotional language learned within the classroom as it is applied to other contexts, and the ability of the students to grasp the concepts of mindfulness and use it independently; (3) Capability and Confidence, which described how mindfulness impacted the students’ mindset by helping them to focus on their abilities and possibilities for growth, rather than on fixed concepts, such as their physical appearance; (4) Differences and Diversity: How They Affect Body Image, which centred on how the participants viewed differences in race, culture, and sexuality as stronger contributing factors to body image than the traditional factors of weight and shape; (5) Teacher Talk: How Teachers Aren’t Hearing About Body Image in Their Young Classes, which focused on the participants’ lack of awareness of any body image issues in their young children, with students only beginning to talk to teachers about any negative perceptions of their bodies in the upper age range of this study (i.e., Grade 4 and 5); and (6) The Drawback Duo and the Benefit Bunch, which described the main drawbacks (i.e., time away from curriculum and initial scepticism from the children) and benefits (i.e., better focus, calmer students) of using mindfulness practices with their students

Investigando Natural User Interfaces (NUIs) : tecnologias e interação em contexto de acessibilidade

Orientador: Maria Cecília Calani BaranauskasTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de ComputaçãoResumo: Natural User Interfaces (NUIs) representam um novo paradigma de interação, com a promessa de ser mais intuitivo e fácil de usar do que seu antecessor, que utiliza mouse e teclado. Em um contexto no qual as tecnologias estão cada vez mais invisíveis e pervasivas, não só a quantidade mas também a diversidade de pessoas que participam deste contexto é crescente. Nesse caso, é preciso estudar como esse novo paradigma de interação de fato consegue ser acessível a todas as pessoas que podem utilizá-lo no dia-a-dia. Ademais, é preciso também caracterizar o paradigma em si, para entender o que o torna, de fato, natural. Portanto, nesta tese apresentamos o caminho que percorremos em busca dessas duas respostas: como caracterizar NUIs, no atual contexto tecnológico, e como tornar NUIs acessíveis para todos. Para tanto, primeiro apresentamos uma revisão sistemática de literatura com o estado da arte. Depois, mostramos um conjunto de heurísticas para o design e a avaliação de NUIs, que foram aplicadas em estudos de caso práticos. Em seguida, estruturamos as ideias desta pesquisa dentro dos artefatos da Semiótica Organizacional, e obtivemos esclarecimentos sobre como fazer o design de NUIs com Acessibilidade, seja por meio de Design Universal, seja para propor Tecnologias Assistivas. Depois, apresentamos três estudos de caso com sistemas NUI cujo design foi feito por nós. A partir desses estudos de caso, expandimos nosso referencial teórico e conseguimos, por fim, encontrar três elementos que resumem a nossa caracterização de NUI: diferenças, affordances e enaçãoAbstract: Natural User Interfaces (NUIs) represent a new interaction paradigm, with the promise of being more intuitive and easy to use than its predecessor, that utilizes mouse and keyboard. In a context where technology is becoming each time more invisible and pervasive, not only the amount but also the diversity of people who participate in this context is increasing. In this case, it must be studied how this new interaction paradigm can, in fact, be accessible to all the people who may use it on their daily routine. Furthermore, it is also necessary to characterize the paradigm itself, to understand what makes it, in fact, natural. Therefore, in this thesis we present the path we took in search of these two answers: how to characterize NUIs in the current technological context, and how to make NUIs accessible to all. To do so, first we present a systematic literature review with the state of the art. Then, we show a set of heuristics for the design and evaluation of NUIs, which were applied in practical study cases. Afterwards, we structure the ideas of this research into the Organizational Semiotics artifacts, and we obtain insights into how to design NUIs with Accessibility, be it through Universal Design, be it to propose Assistive Technologies. Then, we present three case studies with NUI systems which we designed. From these case studies, we expanded our theoretical references were able to, finally, find three elements that sum up our characterization of NUI: differences, affordances and enactionDoutoradoCiência da ComputaçãoDoutora em Ciência da Computação160911/2015-0CAPESCNP

A mobile game as a support tool for children with severe difficulties in reading and spelling

We used a randomized controlled trial to investigate if a mobile game, GraphoLearn (GL), could effectively support the learning of first graders (N = 70), who have severe difficulties in reading and spelling. We studied the effects of two versions of the game: GL Reading, which focused on training letter-sound correspondence and word reading; and GL Spelling, which included additional training in phonological skills and spelling. During the spring of first grade, the children trained with tablet computers which they could carry with them during the six-week intervention. The average exposure time to training was 5 hr 44 min. The results revealed no differences in the development of reading or spelling skills between GL players and the control group. However, pre-training self-efficacy moderated the effect among GL Reading players: children with high self-efficacy developed more than the control group in word reading fluency, whereas children with low self-efficacy developed less than the control group in spelling.Peer reviewe

The Effects of Fidgets on Attention and Learning of College Students

Fidget “tools”, or objects to facilitate fidgeting, are gaining in popularity and controversy within the educational setting. Advertisers market fidget objects as evidence-based methods to improve attention, alleviate anxiety, and otherwise improve academic performance for their users. Thus, many individuals are investing in these objects to aid them in their academic studies, jobs, and other attention/focus orientated pursuits. These claims of evidence basis are made in the absence of sufficient scientific research and with conflicting theoretical basis regarding their mechanism of effect. The present study looked at the effect of facilitated fidgeting through different devices (stress ball and fidget spinner) compared to a no fidget device control condition on college student performance on a series of attention and cognitive tasks that occur during different learning processes. Data were analyzed using a 3x6 MANOVA. There were no significant differences on outcome measures, including digit span tasks, Stroop tasks, listening comprehension tasks, and reading maze task, between no fidget tool (n=22), fidget spinner (n=22), or stress ball conditions (n=22). The study also evaluated how self-reported attention difficulties may alter this relationship between facilitated fidgeting and academic performance. Self-reported attention difficulties did not significantly affect the relationship between facilitated fidgeting and academic performance, nor were there significant differences across task performance between ADHD indicated participants iv and non-ADHD indicated participants. This study, along with developing research and literature in the field suggests that fidgets have little to no effect on improving attention and learning outcomes with college students or across development and may, in some cases, lead to negative learning and behavioral outcomes. Recommendations for schools on fidget use are provided based on the findings of this study and extant literature