Designing computer-based rewards with and for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Intellectual Disability Computers in Human Behavior

<p>The acupuncture induced increased functional connectivity for the AD patients (t = 1.61, p = 0.056). There was no significant difference for healthy controls (t = 0.403,p = 0.345).</p

Exploring the experiences of adolescent students attending a virtual school

In the past 20 years distance education has evolved rapidly. The accessibility to online learning or virtual schools has become a viable option for many students. Virtual schools offer students instructional flexibility regarding time, place, and pace. Improvements in distance education fostered rapid growth of online learning. The number of online learners grew nearly ten-fold from 2001 to 2015 (Clark, 2001; Watson et al., 2015). However, Watson (2016) estimated only 10% of online learners represented full-time virtual school students. Although face-to-face instruction is preferred by most K-12 learners, some learners argued their needs were best met by virtual schools (Green, 2013; Kenyon, 2007; Nehr, 2009; Pleau, 2012; Rice, 2006). Little is known about the lived experiences of public virtual school students. The obscure nature of virtual schools may be related to the private home-based settings and having significantly fewer enrollments compared to supplemental online programs and traditional schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the personal meanings and motivational aspects of being an adolescent middle school student in a particular virtual school. Two phenomenological methods were administered. First, the Descriptive Phenomenological Method in Psychology (Giorgi, 2009) revealed 10 commons essences of being a virtual student in a particular virtual school. Three descriptive themes related to (1) the mutual needs of family members, (2) teacher-directed learning with parental assistance, and (3) selective socialization. The descriptive study led to personal meanings expressed in psychological terms. Secondly, Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (Smith et al., 2012) was administered to interpret satisfactions and dissatisfactions of the five adolescent virtual student participants. A single theme emerged from the interpretive study relating to student freedoms, guided choices and a sense of self-control. Self determination theory was applied to 10 randomly selected experiences to provide further insight into the motivation of each participant. The support for autonomy, competence, and relatedness was identified along with the students’ levels of self-regulation. The detailed and rich descriptions of lived experiences and self-regulation capabilities were expected to improve the readers understanding of virtual school preference for a small number of adolescent students and their parents

Modeling Relationships Among Affective Measures of Food Choice: Acceptance, Emotions And Satisfaction

The importance of ascertaining holistic product and consumer understanding beyond liking in the product development process cannot be overstated. This research investigated the role of attribute performance on satisfaction in explaining the relationship between food-evoked emotions and sensory preferences, and examined factors influencing the sensory-emotion profile of food products. In the first phase of this research, a series of consumer studies were conducted using eggs as a test product. First, the extent to which critical product attributes contribute to the satisfaction of quality requirements and purchase intent was determined using Kano modeling concepts. The emotional profile of the product was then examined in attribute presence and absence conditions to evaluate impact of egg quality types. Subsequently, the data were analyzed to elucidate relationships between emotions, satisfaction performance measures and product acceptability. For the expansive aspects of intrinsic, extrinsic, aesthetic, expedient and wholesome characteristics influencing purchase decision of eggs, 8 elements were identified as must-be, 1 attractive, 1 one-dimensional, and 10 indifferent Kano attributes. Attribute absence rather than presence evoked greater consumer discriminating emotions, and emotions and acceptability were more correlated for attribute absence than presence. Emotion and attribute satisfaction performance scores were better predictors of liking in combination than alone. However, emotions in attribute absence outperformed that in its presence, reflecting impact of deeper emotional conceptualizations in attribute absence being a better predictor of liking. Associations were found between Kano attributes and positive emotions. Attractive Kano-related attributes were distinctly drivers of liking, separate from both positive and negative emotions. No evidence of moderating effects of satisfaction performance of expedient egg attributes on the relationship between emotions and liking was found. In the second phase of this research, the relative effects of color and labeling cues on sensory perception, emotional responses and the sensory-emotion space were evaluated using sweeteners as a food model. Results demonstrated additive effects of color and labeling cues on flavor perception and emotions, contrary to significant interactions on their sensory-emotion profile. Identified associations between attribute performance on consumer satisfaction, emotions and acceptability in this research offer new insights on food-evoked emotions in product development

Students' acceptance of e-learning in Bahrain secondary schools

The aim of this study was to investigate and measure students’ acceptance of elearning as the main tool in the learning process in Bahrain’s secondary schools. Schoolteachers’ perceptions regarding the use of an e-learning system were also considered. This is deemed of value at a time when the Bahrain Ministry of Education is planning to implement an e-learning system in all government schools and at all school stages in the near future. [Continues.

Investigation of factors affecting students\u27 satisfaction with online course components.

Technological advances in Internet delivery have allowed university course offerings to change from synchronous to asynchronous. These changes have occurred so rapidly that Web-based (WB) courses have proliferated without significant research as to their effectiveness from a student\u27s perspective (Ewing-Taylor, 1999). Researchers are aware that it is not sufficient to measure the effectiveness of WB learning purely through testing and grades. Indeed, Marshall (1999) pointed out that it is necessary to look at and evaluate the process of delivery and attitudes toward various delivery methods as well as course components in order to design more effective courses for Web delivery and to explore their effectiveness. Five quasi-models of descriptive characteristics (Demographic, Experiential, Motivational, Learning Styles, Instructional Design) were singled out as potentially having an impact on students\u27 satisfaction with the online course components (email, hypertext, online threaded discussions, web links, chat, video, audio, simulations, and graphics). The purpose of this study was to investigate various factors that might affect students\u27 satisfaction with online course components. Data were collected from 240 online undergraduate students using an online questionnaire. The findings of this study may lead educators to rethink the process of Instructional Design (ID). They may shift or adapt the traditional ID models and theories to accommodate the new features of online courses. At the very least, a deeper understanding about the Web as a mode of delivery in distance education and its effects on distance learning should emerge. Furthermore, the findings from this research study may strengthen our understanding of how students\u27 internal characteristics affect learning outcomes in technology-mediated online environment. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2004 .Q74. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-02, Section: A, page: 0517. Adviser: David Kellenberger. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2004