The Effects of Images on Multiple-choice Questions in Computer-based Formative Assessment

Current learning and assessment are evolving into digital systems that can be used, stored, and processed online. In this paper, three different types of questionnaires for assessment are presented. All the questionnaires were filled out online on a web-based format. A study was carried out to determine whether the use of images related to each question in the questionnaires affected the selection of the correct answer. Three questionnaires were used: two questionnaires with images (images used during learning and images not used during learning) and another questionnaire with no images, text-only. Ninety-four children between seven and eight years old participated in the study. The comparison of the scores obtained on the pre-test and on the post-test indicates that the children increased their knowledge after the training, which demonstrates that the learning method is effective. When the post-test scores for the three types of questionnaires were compared, statistically significant differences were found in favour of the two questionnaires with images versus the text-only questionnaire. No statistically significant differences were found between the two types of questionnaires with images. Therefore, to a great extent, the use of images in the questionnaires helps students to select the correct answer. Since this encourages students, adding images to the questionnaires could be a good strategy for formative assessment.

Modelling and Monitoring of Phosphorus Transport and Speciation in Soil

Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/1270 on 08.03.2017 by CS (TIS)Flow through soil into groundwater has been classically conceptualised as taking place through a set of aligned capillary tubes. In solute transport models these approximations are also present. Pore-Cor (a network model) has been used to model the void structure of soil by using water retention and mercury porosimetry curves. The model successfully predicts trends in saturated hydraulic conductivity. The effect of the assumptions used in the Pore-Cor geometry have been investigated by comparing of two dimensional slices of the simulated networks with two dimensional image analysis data. The geometric limitations of the model cause packing inefficiencies which prevent the model from representing the size distribution of voids found in real samples. The observation of environmental events is dependent upon the implementation of rapid and reliable analytical techniques. This work presents an adaptation of an FI method for the determination of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) and a new method for the determination of total dissolved phosphorus (TDP). Both are ideally suited to the detection of phosphorus species in soil leachate and runoff waters over the concentration range 3 to 1000 ng 1-1. The effect of compaction on solute transport is described and the experimental data have been modelled using a modified form of the convection dispersion equation (CDE). The parameters of the CDE have been given structural interpretation by the network model. The model was used to interpret a change in dispersivity and the behaviour of reactive phosphorus species on compaction.The Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, North Wyke, Devo

The Measurement and Characterisation of Aerosol in the Urban Atmosphere (PM10) and an Evaluation ofthe Sources of these Particles by Number

Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/816 on 08.20.2017 by CS (TIS)The link between human health and the mass of fine particulate matter below 10 µm(PM10) in air is well documented. Current research suggests that the number, size and shape of particles may be of most concern and that in the urban atmosphere combustion sources of PM10, especially diesel engine sources, dominate the line (< 1 µm) and ultra-fine ( <0.1 µm) particles. Despite this, the number, size and shape of particles in urban air has not been reported to any great extent or detail, and the percentage contribution to the numbers of particles from different sources is largely unknown. The objectives of this research were to characterise fine particles with respect to their morphology and thus apportion the sources of particles by number. Urban aerosol above 1 µm was initially examined to study the fluctuations in PM10 number and make retrospective analysis of periods of elevated PM10 for source identification in Plymouth, UK. Aerosol was collected via a Burkard spore trap and examined using light microscopy with image analysis between 16 March 1995 and 31 August 1996, at a background site in Plymouth, UK. Two periods, 19 January-4 February and 10-25 March 1996, identified as UK wide PM10 episodes, were retrospectively studied and compared with PM10 mass measurements. The mean number count for the whole period was 10.5 x 104 ± 7.9 x 104 particles m ˉ³ The two PM10 episodes had elevated average number concentrations of 13.5 x 104 ±7.6 x 104 particles m ˉ³ for 19 January- 4 February 1996, and 13.0 x 104 ± 9.7 x 104 particles m ˉ³ for 10-25 March 1996. During the periods of elevated PM10 the tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM) mass of panicles had a low correlation with the particles less than 5 µm and an increased correlation to the particles greater than 5 µm in size. Outside of these peak periods the PM10 TEOM mass was most closely correlated with the number of particles less than 5 µm in size. This work shows the difference in urban aerosol during periods of air quality guideline exceedence. These findings agree with literature that an aged continental aerosol source has a key role in the generation of UK wide PM10 mass exceedances. Further analysis of the line urban aerosol (< 1 µm) was made using direct sampling of urban aerosol on to porous carbon films (PCF) developed in this research. The efficiency of collection was low (ea. 5%) but the samples were representative and enabled transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for sub-micron particle analysis. Measurement was made of the fractal dimensions and diameter of particles. This was used to identify any ageing and ultimately the sources of aerosol. PCF were used in the simultaneous collection of urban roadside and background aerosol, on seven dates between December 1996 and August 1997 in Plymouth, UK. The average perimeter fractal dimension (PFD) of aerosol was consistently significantly greater at the roadside than the background (+ 0.02), indicative of a smoother, aged aerosol at the background site. The sampling of a variety of combustion engines was made for source identification purposes. The particle morphology produced from the diesel engines showed great uniformity of particle morphology with varying speed and load; no consistent significant differences were found. The morphology results were comparable to other density fractal dimensions and perimeter fractal dimension values found in other studies for diesel. A natural log relationship between the median particle size and the median PFD was found for the diesel engine sources but not in petrol samples. This natural log trend was considered as a tentative 'fingerprint' of diesel engine combustion and was in harmony with literature values of PFD for diesel engine particles. Using the fractal measures, size and particle classification the bulk of aerosol was identified as from hydrocarbon combustion sources; ea. 88-92% of the roadside and ea. 77-86% of background. A component of carbon ceno-spheres were identified contributing ea. 6-12% of both the roadside and background aerosol. Non-combustion particles increased from ea. 1-4% of the roadside to ea. 7-9% of the background, as did the proportion of aged combustion particles, from 0-1% of roadside to 2-3% of the background aerosol. A strong correlation for the median size vs. PFD morphology curve between, the roadside and diesel sources (0.93 - 0.95) and the background and petrol sources was found (0.95). The roadside aerosol was significantly different to the petrol source in the l20-220nm size range (p=0.007) and there was a low correlation of the petrol and the roadside size vs. morphology curve (0.66). This suggests the domination o

The effects of images on multiple-choice questions in computer-based formative assessment

Current learning and assessment are evolving into digital systems that can be used, stored, and processed online. In this paper, three different types of questionnaires for assessment are presented. All the questionnaires were filled out online on a web-based format. A study was carried out to determine whether the use of images related to each question in the questionnaires affected the selection of the correct answer. Three questionnaires were used: two questionnaires with images (images used during learning and images not use during learning) and another questionnaire with no images, text-only. Ninety-four children between seven and eight years old participated in the study. The comparison of the scores obtained on the pre-test and on the post-test indicates that the children increased their knowledge after the training, which demonstrates that the learning method is effective. When the post-test scores for the three types of questionnaires were compared, statistically significant differences were found in favour of the two questionnaires with images versus the text-only questionnaire. No statistically significant differences were found between the two types of questionnaires with images. Therefore, to a great extent, the use of images in the questionnaires helps students to select the correct answer. Since this encourages students, adding images to the questionnaires could be a good strategy for formative assessmentMartín San José, JF.; Juan, M.; Vivó Hernando, RA.; Abad Cerdá, FJ. (2015). The effects of images on multiple-choice questions in computer-based formative assessment. Digital Education Review (antes Interactive Educational Multimedia). (28):123-144. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/73001S1231442

Growing up as occupation child in post-World War II Germany: Specific developmental conditions and their psychosocial consequences

Whenever there have been wars, children were a result of intimate relationships between deployed (foreign/ enemy) soldiers and local women ranging from love affairs to systematic sexual violence. These children born of war (CBOW) are a common phenomenon of war, yet their fate has not experienced much attention in research during the last decades (Lee, 2012). At the end of World War II (WWII) and thereafter, maximum 400,000 children were born to German women fathered by soldiers of the four occupying forces (Britain, France, USA, Soviet Union) (Stelzl-Marx & Satjukow, 2015). These are called “children born of occupation” or “occupation children” in research, yet the term is still under debate, since after all, these individuals are not children anymore today. Several archival and case studies from historical and social sciences have been describing the hardship these children had to face, being born “child of the enemy” and “born out of wedlock” into a defeated and contrite former National Socialist society, where losing the war however did not necessarily mean a change in mindset. Their results hint at disorientation regarding the question of belonging, and emotional as well as mental distress in the experiences of many of these children (Glaesmer, Kaiser, Freyberger et al., 2012; Mochmann et al., 2009; Satjukow, 2009, 2011; Stelzl-Marx, 2009). Nevertheless, a psychosocial perspective had been missing so far. When assessing psychosocial consequences of growing up as child in this societal context, a study needs to focus on three main aspects: Identity development, stigmatization/ discrimination, and child maltreatment (Glaesmer, Kaiser, Freyberger et al., 2012). In 2013, the study “Occupation children: identity development, stigma experience, and psychosocial consequences growing up as a ‘German occupation child’” launched and recruited 164 people via press release (App. 8.6) and contact to platforms of occupation children of which 146 were included in the analyses (mean age 63.4, 63.0% women). Since GOC are difficult to reach, their population size is small and can only be estimated; they can be considered a „hidden population“. These populations cannot be investigated by standardized instruments only but need a participative research approach to tailor instruments to their reality (Heckathorn, 1997; Salganik & Heckathorn, 2004). Participative research enhances chances of acceptance and compliance among the target population (Brendel, 2002). Therefore, the applied instrument (App. 8.7) consists of two parts: a self-developed part on experiences specific for this group of CBOW deducted from literature and developed in a participative approach with the help of occupation children themselves as well as experienced researchers in this field. Part two contains standardized psychometric instruments assessing current mental distress and traumatic childhood experiences among others (please refer to publication I for a detailed description of the instruments). This dissertation focused on the specific living and developmental conditions for GOC in post-WWII Germany (change of attachment figures, financial situation, knowledge of biological background etc.) as well as experiences of stigmatization/ discrimination and traumatic experiences during their life and childhood specifically. Furthermore, this work investigated current mental distress and attachment in close adult relationships. The following is a summary for each of the five articles this dissertation is based on: 1. Growing up as an occupation child of World War II in Germany: Rationale and methods of a study on German occupation children A specific instrument was developed in a participative research approach to investigate German occupation children as a hidden population. It consists of a self-developed part assessing specific experiences described for CBOW during childhood and adolescence (e.g. attachment figures and change of attachment figures, knowledge about biological father and his background, housing situation, experiences of stigmatization) and a second part with standardized instruments assessing mental disorders, attachment in close adult relationships, traumatic experiences, and childhood maltreatment. Overall, the developed questionnaire was well accepted by the target group and topics covered were of high relevance. Finally, N=146 subjects with fathers from all four occupation forces were included in the study (48.6% American, 22.6% French, 21.9% Soviet, 4.1% British). The distribution of each subgroup can be ascribed to the sampling method of contacting platforms of occupation children. Concerning their procreation background the majority (75.3%) stated their parents had a positively defined relationship. Only 10 (6.8%) children born out of rape participated. 2. Depression, Somatization, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Children Born of Occupation After World War II in Comparison With a General Population The comparison of findings for GOC with a representative birth-cohort-matched sample (BCMS) from the German general population (N=977) showed that GOC report significantly higher prevalence rates of most traumatic experiences, higher one-month prevalence rates of full and partial PTSD, depression and somatization than the control group. Especially high impact traumatic events (e.g. childhood abuse, rape, and physical violence) were more frequent among GOC. Furthermore, GOC reported growing up under difficult conditions (e.g. poverty, single mothers, change of attachment figures in childhood, and stigmatization). These findings show that even decades after these experiences have ended, they suffer from higher rates of depression, somatization and posttraumatic stress as well as comorbid conditions. The results thereby underline the complex and long-term impact of their burdened social, financial and familial conditions on current mental health. 3. Long-term effects on adult attachment in German occupation children born after World War II in comparison with a birth-cohort-matched representative sample of the German general population The linear and binary logistic regression analyses of adult attachment and its association with current depression in GOC (N=146) in comparison to a birth-cohort-matched representative sample (BCMS) of the German population (BCMS; N=786) show that GOC are less comfortable with closeness/ intimacy and report a lowered ability to depend on others in close relationships. This shows in more dismissive and fearful attachment compared to BCMS. In line with existing research, insecure adult attachment is associated with current depression. These results are discussed in relation to the difficult circumstances under which GOC grew up (e.g. single mothers, change of attachment figures in childhood, adverse events, stigmatization) and thus underline the complex and long-term impact of the developmental conditions on attachment and current mental health. 4. German Occupation Children: Experiences of Stigmatization after World War II Experiences of stigmatization and discrimination were a shared truth for GOC. More than half of the sample (54.6%) stated having experienced stigmatization, one-fifth of them „frequently“ or „constant­ly“. Major reasons were father’s origin, physical attributes or illegitimacy at birth. Stigmatization took place in children’s immediate social environment, in public institutions and in their own families, mostly in childhood and adolescence. The majority stated withdrawal and avoidance as coping behaviors. Findings indicate the magnitude of stigmatizing experiences in this subgroup of the German population in frequency of experiences as well as in terms of impact on all levels of social interaction. 5. Childhood maltreatment in children born of occupation after WWII in Germany and its associ­ation with mental disorders Experiences of emotional abuse/ neglect, physical and sexual abuse are significantly higher in GOC compared to the representative birth-cohort-matched sample (BCMS) from the German general population (N=920). All five subtypes of childhood maltreatment (CM) increase the risk of PTSD and somatoform syndrome. Depressive syndromes are associated with emotional abuse/ neglect and physical abuse. GOC were at high risk of CM. Findings underline the complex, long-term impact of developmental conditions and CM on mental disorders even decades later.:Table of contents 1. Background 1.1 Historical background 1.2 Theoretical background 2. Research objectives 3. Methods 3.1 Study design & samples 3.2 Instruments 4. Outline of publications 5. Discussion 5.1 Limitations 5.2 Outlook 6. Summary/ Zusammenfassung 7. References 8. Appendix 8.1 Erklärung über die eigenständige Abfassung der Arbeit 8.2 Darstellung des eigenen Beitrags 8.3 Curriculum vitae 8.4 Publikationsverzeichnis 8.5 Danksagung 8.6 Press release 8.7 GOC Questionnair

How do life, economy and other complex systems escape the heat death?

The primordial confrontation underlying the existence of our universe can be conceived as the battle between entropy and complexity. The law of ever-increasing entropy (Boltzmann H-theorem) evokes an irreversible, one-directional evolution (or rather involution) going uniformly and monotonically from birth to death. Since the 19th century, this concept is one of the cornerstones and in the same time puzzles of statistical mechanics. On the other hand, there is the empirical experience where one witnesses the emergence, growth and diversification of new self-organized objects with ever-increasing complexity. When modeling them in terms of simple discrete elements one finds that the emergence of collective complex adaptive objects is a rather generic phenomenon governed by a new type of laws. These 'emergence' laws, not connected directly with the fundamental laws of the physical reality, nor acting 'in addition' to them but acting through them were called by Phil Anderson 'More is Different', 'das Maass' by Hegel etc. Even though the 'emergence laws' act through the intermediary of the fundamental laws that govern the individual elementary agents, it turns out that different systems apparently governed by very different fundamental laws: gravity, chemistry, biology, economics, social psychology, end up often with similar emergence laws and outcomes. In particular the emergence of adaptive collective objects endows the system with a granular structure which in turn causes specific macroscopic cycles of intermittent fluctuations.Comment: 42 pages, 18 figure

Music and the transhuman ear: Ultrasonics, material bodies, and the limits of sensation

Amid recent moves toward sound as vibrational force, this article argues that hearing has a special role in determining our natural sensory limits, and that recent attempts to push against these limits foreground the underlying matter of what status the biological body has in music perception and performance during the technological age. Between 1876 and 1894, prominent German acousticians—including Helmholtz—argued that humans could hear vibrations as high as 40,960Hz. While this was ultimately discredited, recent post-tonal works have notated pitches that explicitly play with, or exceed, the ordinary range of human hearing; (cf. Schoenberg, Per Nørgård, and Salvatore Sciarrino). In the context of existing ecological approaches to listening, this article asks what kind of listener such works imply. Specifically, it investigates the musical relevance of Umwelt theory by the Baltic German biologist Jakob von Uexküll, in which individuals “create” the bubble of their perceivable environment according to a reciprocal interchange between limited sense capacity and mental habit. I contrast Uexküll’s acceptance of human limits with a transhumanist worldview which anticipates the enhancement of biological sense capacities through technology. Such “morphological freedom - the right to modify and enhance one’s body” (Bostrum 2009) putatively includes augmentation of the auditory system. Finally, by tracing the genealogy of human prosthesis back to the founder of a philosopher of technology (Kapp 1877), I critique the potential for technologies in clinical audiology to grant access to ultrasonic frequencies, and assess the implications of augmented, prosthetic hearing for non-impaired listeners. The discourse of transhumanism poses questions for musical listening as soon as the body becomes an assemblage subject to variation. It raises the question of how identity—ours as well as that of musical works—might be affected by “morphological freedom,” the extent to which self-identity becomes the lost referential when agency is distributed between biological and non-biological parts, and it asks what value are the new intellectual vistas that emerge when musical experience is conceived in material terms as communication between bodies