5,869 research outputs found

    Understanding the Potential of Sport for Promoting Physical Activity and Psychological Well-Being in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

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    Insufficient physical activity is considered a global public health challenge. This thesis highlights that, for middle-aged and older adults, sport participation is associated with a wide range of psychosocial benefits. Then, the thesis offers insight into the potential of walking sport programmes to promote health-enhancing physical activity in middle-aged and older adults. Recommendations are provided to promote the appeal, feasibility, and sustainability of walking sport programmes in community-based settings

    Writing Facts: Interdisciplinary Discussions of a Key Concept in Modernity

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    "Fact" is one of the most crucial inventions of modern times. Susanne Knaller discusses the functions of this powerful notion in the arts and the sciences, its impact on aesthetic models and systems of knowledge. The practice of writing provides an effective procedure to realize and to understand facts. This concerns preparatory procedures, formal choices, models of argumentation, and narrative patterns. By considering "writing facts" and "writing facts", the volume shows why and how "facts" are a result of knowledge, rules, and norms as well as of description, argumentation, and narration. This approach allows new perspectives on »fact« and its impact on modernity

    Undoing borders, building the commons: the solidarity politics of the No Evictions Network in Glasgow

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    This thesis is about the spatial politics of migrant solidarities. Drawing on a scholaractivist approach, it engages with the struggles of the No Evictions Network in Glasgow. The Network emerged through the convergence of heterogeneous trajectories of activism and migrant advocacy in the city to challenge the eviction of over 300 asylum seekers by Serco, a multinational company that held a billionaire contract from the Home Office to accommodate asylum seekers in Glasgow and other areas across the UK. Bringing literature on Black Geographies to the analysis of the border regimes, the thesis positions migrant struggles in relation to black counter cartographies of struggle. Centring questions of race, it reframes current work on migration and solidarity through a nuanced engagement with black and feminist theories, making important interventions. On the one hand, engaging with the role that neoliberal companies like Serco develop within the political economies of the border and the production of migrants’ ‘premature death’ (Gilmore, 2007), the thesis addresses the Network’s politics as struggles against racial capitalism (Robinson, 1983). A focus on racial capitalism unpacks the articulations of racism, capitalism, or patriarchy underlying the struggles against borders, throwing light on the importance of building transversal alliances. The coming together of migrant collectives, housing struggles, and neighbours in the Network was an example of such alliances. Nevertheless, the political experiences of the Network illustrate how the crafting of solidarities and the negotiation of heterogeneous political cultures unfolds as a contentious process, crisscrossed by racialized, classed, and gendered borders (Featherstone, 2012). In this regard, special attention is drawn to the negotiation of power asymmetries and the tensions between strategies of ‘direct support’ and ‘political campaigning’ throughout the Network’s campaigns. The argument explores how migrant agencies performed powerful strategies of mutual support, collective empowerment, and healing, challenging racialized and gendered notions of the political and activist cultures. Building upon these experiences, the concept of ‘political reproduction’ underscores how social reproductive politics not only enable migrants’ survival across the deadly geographies of racial capitalism, but they are the means to build capacity of political struggle, linking to broader black and brown politics. Overall, the thesis explores how ‘undoing borders’ is an ongoing learning process that demands centring questions of antiracism and migrant agency when tackling the intertwining oppressions coming to the fore through place-based struggles (hooks, 2013; Mohanty, 2003)

    Reshaping Higher Education for a Post-COVID-19 World: Lessons Learned and Moving Forward

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    Making Connections: A Handbook for Effective Formal Mentoring Programs in Academia

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    This book, Making Connections: A Handbook for Effective Formal Mentoring Programs in Academia, makes a unique and needed contribution to the mentoring field as it focuses solely on mentoring in academia. This handbook is a collaborative institutional effort between Utah State University’s (USU) Empowering Teaching Open Access Book Series and the Mentoring Institute at the University of New Mexico (UNM). This book is available through (a) an e-book through Pressbooks, (b) a downloadable PDF version on USU’s Open Access Book Series website), and (c) a print version available for purchase on the USU Empower Teaching Open Access page, and on Amazon

    “That’s not evolving, that’s devolving!”:incidental vocabulary learning through watching TikTok videos

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    Abstract. The term “digital natives” was coined in 2001 (Prensky) to illustrate a common narrative that modern teenagers are acclimatised to digital environments. In recent years, the debate has focused on social media. One of the claims made in favour of allowing teenagers to use platforms such as TikTok is that it broadens their English vocabulary. TikTok is a social media platform that has recently gained popularity especially amongst youth. As an application, TikTok provides versatile content in various different overlapping forms. This thesis examines whether Finnish ninth grade pupils are able to learn new L2 English vocabulary from watching TikTok videos with no intentional vocabulary teaching. Hence, the focus of this study is on incidental L2 vocabulary learning through social media platform TikTok. The aim of this study is to understand how the context in which unfamiliar vocabulary appears impacts the learning, and how consuming media content such as TikTok videos might broaden pupils’ vocabulary. In order to achieve this goal, the study defined three research questions concerning 1) the size of the participants’ English vocabulary, 2) what impact does watching TikTok videos have on vocabulary knowledge and 3) how the contexts in which the vocabulary appear in affect the learning of the individual words. The data for this study consist of material from a pre-test, intervention, and a post-test. The pre-test consists of an adapted version of the Vocabulary Size Test (VST) by Paul Nation that incorporates the test vocabulary from the chosen TikTok videos. The test consists of 140 test items in a form on multiple-choice questions and determines the receptive vocabulary sizes of the participants. The intervention consists of showing the participants a selection of six different TikTok videos in a variety of syntactic and semantic contexts. After the intervention, the retention of the chosen test items was investigated by using an adapted version of the Vocabulary Knowledge Test (VKT) by Paribakth and Wesche (1997). The analyses of the data from the VST consist of calculating the vocabulary sizes for each participant as well as analysing the distribution of those vocabulary sizes. The VKT analysis includes calculating the VKT scores of each participant and well as calculating and comparing the VKT results of the individual test items. After, the contexts of the test items were analysed to reveal the impact context has on retention of the test items. The vocabulary sizes of the participants ranged from 3,300 word families to 9,900 word families, indicating that most of the participants’ vocabulary belonged to what Schmitt and Schmitt (2014) refer to as the “mid-frequency” range. That is, the participants had sufficiently advanced vocabulary to manage basic situations but were not able to handle advanced academic or specialist vocabulary. The results of the study revealed that watching TikTok videos can lead to recognition of the previously unfamiliar words. However, only the retention of one test item was statistically significant, which implies that incidental vocabulary learning alone is not a sufficient way of re-taining new L2 English vocabulary, but that deliberate vocabulary teaching is required as well. The contexts of the test items were found to affect the vocabulary learning, and the most influential contextual aspects found in this study were repetition and humour.Sanaston oheisoppiminen TikTok videoiden katsomisen kautta. TiivistelmĂ€. Termi ”diginatiivit” keksittiin vuonna 2001 (Prensky) kuvaamaan kuvatakseen yleistĂ€ kĂ€sitystĂ€ siitĂ€, kuinka nykypĂ€ivĂ€n nuoret ovat sopeutuneet digitaalisiin ympĂ€ristöihin. Viime vuosina keskustelu on keskittynyt erityisesti sosiaaliseen mediaan. Yhden nuorten sosiaalisen median kĂ€yttöÀ puoltavan vĂ€itteen mukaan esimerkiksi TikTokin kaltaiset alustat laajentaisivat nuorten englannin kielen sanavarastoa. TikTok on sosiaalisen median alusta, joka on kasvattanut viime aikoina nopeasti suosiotaan erityisesti nuorten keskuudessa tarjoten monipuolista sisĂ€ltöÀ tekstien eri muodoissa. TĂ€ssĂ€ tutkielmassa tarkastellaan sitĂ€, ettĂ€ oppivatko suomalaiset yhdeksĂ€sluokkalaiset uutta englannin kielen sanastoa TikTokin kautta ilman tarkoituksellista englannin kielen opetusta. Tutkielmassa tĂ€ten keskitytÀÀn englannin sanaston oheisoppimiseen TikTokin kautta. Tutkielman tavoitteena on ymmĂ€rtÀÀ kuinka tuntemattomien sanojen konteksti vaikuttaa oppimiseen ja kuinka TikTok-videoiden katsominen saattaa laajentaa osallistujien englannin sanavarastoa. TĂ€mĂ€n tavoitteen saavuttamiseksi mÀÀritettiin kolme tutkimuskysymystĂ€ koskien 1) osallistujien englannin kielen sanavaraston kokoa, 2) sitĂ€, miten TikTok-videoiden katselu vaikuttaa sanaston tietĂ€mykseen ja 3) sitĂ€, miten sanojen konteksti vaikuttaa yksittĂ€isten sanojen oppimiseen. Tutkielman aineisto koostuu esitestistĂ€, interventiosta, sekĂ€ jĂ€lkitestistĂ€. EsitestinĂ€ toimi muokattu versio Paul Nationin sanavarastoa mittaavasta testistĂ€ (engl. Vocabulary Size Test (VST)), johon on sisĂ€llytetty valittujen TikTok-videoiden sanastoa. Testiin sisĂ€ltyi 140 monivalintakysymystĂ€, jotka mÀÀrittivĂ€t osallistujien reseptiivisen sanavaraston koon. Interventio koostui kuuden eri TikTok-videon katsomisesta. Videot sisĂ€lsivĂ€t materiaalia monessa eri syntaktisessa ja semanttisessa kontekstissa. Intervention jĂ€lkeen koesanojen oppimista tutkittiin Paribakhtin ja Weschen (1997) sanaston osaamista mittaavalla testillĂ€ (engl. Vocabulary Knowledge Test (VKT)). VST:n analyysi koostui jokaisen osallistujan sanavaraston koon laskemisesta sekĂ€ tulosten jakauman analysoimisesta. VKT:n analyysi puolestaan koostui kokeeseen osallistujien pisteiden laskemisesta sekĂ€ yksittĂ€isten koesanojen pisteytyksen laskemisesta ja analysoinnista. ViimeisessĂ€ vaiheessa koesanojen konteksteja analysoitiin, jotta saataisiin selville, miten konteksti vaikuttaa tuntemattomien sanojen oppimiseen. Osallistujien sanavarastojen koot vaihtelivat 3,300 sanaperheestĂ€ 9,900 sanaperheeseen, mikĂ€ osoittaa, ettĂ€ suurin osa osallistujien sanavarastosta on toistumistiheydeltÀÀn keskitasoa (Schmitt ja Schmitt, 2014). TĂ€mĂ€ tarkoittaa sitĂ€, ettĂ€ osallistujien sanavarasto oli riittĂ€vĂ€n edistyksellistĂ€ jokapĂ€ivĂ€isen kielen ymmĂ€rtĂ€miseksi, mutta ei tarpeeksi laajaa akateemisen sanaston tai asiantuntijasanaston ymmĂ€rtĂ€miseksi. TikTok-videoiden katsominen voi tutkimustulosten perusteella johtaa aikaisemmin tuntemattomien sanojen tunnistamiseen. Kuitenkin vain yksi koesanojen tuloksista oli tilastollisesti merkittĂ€vĂ€. Oheisoppiminen ei siis yksin ole riittĂ€vĂ€ tapa uuden englannin kielen sanaston oppimiselle, vaan tarkoituksellinen opettaminen on myös tarpeellista. Tutkimuksen tulosten mukaan tuntemattomien sanojen konteksti vaikuttaa sanaston oppimiseen. MerkittĂ€vimmiksi kontekstuaalisiksi vaikuttajiksi osoittautuivat sanojen toistojen mÀÀrĂ€ sekĂ€ huumori

    Art and Creativity for HIV/AIDS Awareness, Prevention, and Empowerment of Young People in Uganda

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    Art, youth engagement and informality in the context of HIV prevention have been generally ignored by most researchers and stakeholders within the HIV programming and policy arenas, thus silencing the plight of urban youth infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS. In response, this thesis draws on the case of peri-urban settings of Kampala, Uganda to bring geographies of applied sculpture, HIV/AIDS prevention, and youth empowerment into dialogue, informed by the notions of art having the capacity to move beyond the spaces of galleries into an expanded field, and thus, beyond the visual and into the social spheres. In liaison with local NGOs (The Uganda AIDS Support Organisation - TASO, National Guidance and Empowerment Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS - NGEN+ and Lungujja Community based Health care Organisation – LUCOHECO, it adopts a mixed methodological approach, including applied art and participatory techniques - observation, video, storytelling, and interviews, to understand the lived experiences of young people (15-24 years) in marginalized spaces in Kampala. The thesis first examines the general context of using ethnography and applied social sculpture to explore every day experiences by facilitating the engagement of young people in open communication about the epidemic. This is intended to enable them to act in confronting stigma, taboos, and their precarious existence, while raising their awareness about HIV/AIDS. The thesis then explores the everyday precarious existence of young people in informal settings in Kampala. It proceeds to examine how workshops with these young people allowed collective engagement which, in turn, influenced the creation of artworks envisioned to act as communication tools for raising awareness of HIV/AIDS with the potential for livelihood benefits. Finally, the thesis examines young people’s active involvement in participatory workshops for HIV/AIDS prevention, providing ethnographic evidence regarding the artmaking process, the conversations that ensued as they worked, and the creation of applied objects/forms that enabled them to build their confidence to freely express about the precarities affecting their lives, countering taboos, and encouraging them to change their behaviours and practices while potentially acting as change agents in their own communities. It highlights the significance of stimulating open conversations about HIV/AIDS - as a starting point towards confronting stigma and other aspects of precarity, while advocating for the incorporation of the approach into practice by public health experts, policymakers, and development practitioners. The thesis shows the strengths of applied sculpture as an approach that has potential for making sense of ordinary everyday experiences, finding meaning and crafting clarity of young people’s lived experiences in the context of HIV/AIDS. It concludes that applied sculpture is potentially an important tool in tackling HIV/AIDS and its attendant problems by engendering and facilitating open conversations and social economic development through an engagement with the voices and agency of young people in Uganda and beyond

    Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Philosophy

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    This book is a collection of all the papers published in the special issue “Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Philosophy,” Journal of Philosophy of Life, Vol.13, No.1, 2023, pp.1-146. The authors discuss a variety of topics such as science fiction and space ethics, the philosophy of artificial intelligence, the ethics of autonomous agents, and virtuous robots. Through their discussions, readers are able to think deeply about the essence of modern technology and the future of humanity. All papers were invited and completed in spring 2020, though because of the Covid-19 pandemic and other problems, the publication was delayed until this year. I apologize to the authors and potential readers for the delay. I hope that readers will enjoy these arguments on digital technology and its relationship with philosophy. *** Contents*** Introduction : Descartes and Artificial Intelligence; Masahiro Morioka*** Isaac Asimov and the Current State of Space Science Fiction : In the Light of Space Ethics; Shin-ichiro Inaba*** Artificial Intelligence and Contemporary Philosophy : Heidegger, Jonas, and Slime Mold; Masahiro Morioka*** Implications of Automating Science : The Possibility of Artificial Creativity and the Future of Science; Makoto Kureha*** Why Autonomous Agents Should Not Be Built for War; István Zoltán Zárdai*** Wheat and Pepper : Interactions Between Technology and Humans; Minao Kukita*** Clockwork Courage : A Defense of Virtuous Robots; Shimpei Okamoto*** Reconstructing Agency from Choice; Yuko Murakami*** Gushing Prose : Will Machines Ever be Able to Translate as Badly as Humans?; Rossa Ó Muireartaigh**

    Writing Facts

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    »Fact« is one of the most crucial inventions of modern times. Susanne Knaller discusses the functions of this powerful notion in the arts and the sciences, its impact on aesthetic models and systems of knowledge. The practice of writing provides an effective procedure to realize and to understand facts. This concerns preparatory procedures, formal choices, models of argumentation, and narrative patterns. By considering »writing facts« and »writing facts«, the volume shows why and how »facts« are a result of knowledge, rules, and norms as well as of description, argumentation, and narration. This approach allows new perspectives on »fact« and its impact on modernity
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