2,154 research outputs found
Information actors beyond modernity and coloniality in times of climate change:A comparative design ethnography on the making of monitors for sustainable futures in Curaçao and Amsterdam, between 2019-2022
In his dissertation, Mr. Goilo developed a cutting-edge theoretical framework for an Anthropology of Information. This study compares information in the context of modernity in Amsterdam and coloniality in Curaçao through the making process of monitors and develops five ways to understand how information can act towards sustainable futures. The research also discusses how the two contexts, that is modernity and coloniality, have been in informational symbiosis for centuries which is producing negative informational side effects within the age of the Anthropocene. By exploring the modernity-coloniality symbiosis of information, the author explains how scholars, policymakers, and data-analysts can act through historical and structural roots of contemporary global inequities related to the production and distribution of information. Ultimately, the five theses propose conditions towards the collective production of knowledge towards a more sustainable planet
E-learning usage from a social constructivist learning approach: perspectives of Iraqi Kurdistan students in social studies classrooms
Background: Many schools in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region have incorporated information and communication technologies (ICT) into their environments. However, the results have shown that computer usage has had only a minimal effect on the classroom environment and learning outcomes. This minimal effect could be attributed to the teaching and learning of social studies subjects, which often rely on a traditional vision of teaching and an excessive inclusion of facts and dates in school textbooks. Consequently, students feel compelled to memorize all the information to pass tests. Yet, merely employing technology alongside traditional teaching and assessment approaches, such as lecturing or having students study in isolation without any form of collaborative learning, does not foster the development of students' higher-order thinking skills. It's time to revitalize school curricula and teaching practices to embrace a more contemporary, open-minded approach to social science education. This approach should incorporate a social constructivist perspective with technology to better instill international moral values such as democracy, respect for differences, and learning to live harmoniously with others. Aim: This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the impact of a social constructivist learning approach on the acceptance of technology and its influence on perceived e-learning outcomes among students in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Additionally, this study examines the differences in the effects of the social constructivist learning approach and dimensions of technology acceptance on perceived e-learning outcomes between students studying social studies in Arabic and those studying social studies in English. Setting and participants: Data were gathered from both public and private schools in Erbil governorate, situated in northern Iraq and affiliated with the Ministry of Education-Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government. To select participants, a random sampling technique was employed, encompassing students in grades 8 through 12 of both genders. The data were obtained through a self-administered paper-based questionnaire. Instruments: Data were collected using a social constructivist learning environment survey (personal relevance, critical voice, shared control, uncertainty, student negotiation), dimensions of the attitude toward technology (attitude toward technology use, perceived usefulness, feeling ease of use, learning facility condition, and subjective norms), some additional external variables (investigation, respect for difference, student economic ability, and perceived e-learning outcomes), and socio-demographic data. Conclusion: This study is intended to emphasize the significance of employing constructivist pedagogy to enhance the technology acceptance model and improve learning outcomes. The findings of the study showed that a social constructivist learning environment had a favorable influence on perceived e-learning outcomes as well as ease of use, perceived usefulness, investigation, and respect for difference. Attitude towards technology use and perceived usefulness are contributory factors to the positive perceived e-learning outcomes. Furthermore, feeling ease of use technology has a positive effect on both attitude towards technology use and perceived usefulness. Perceived usefulness also has a direct positive impact on attitudes towards technology use. Finally, students’ technological experience is positively correlated with feeling ease of use but not with perceived usefulness. Additionally, regarding the comparison between students studying social studies in Arabic and those in English, the findings demonstrated that students studying social studies in English showed stronger positive effects from the social constructivist learning environment on their perceived e-learning outcomes. Conversely, students studying social studies in Arabic demonstrated a more potent positive effect of perceived usefulness on their attitudes towards technology. Moreover, the positive impact of an attitude towards technology use on perceived e-learning outcomes was more pronounced among the Arabic students compared to their English counterparts. Additionally, the influence of the learning facility on the perceived ease of use, as well as the perceived usefulness of technology, differed between the two groups. The English group experienced a more substantial positive impact. However, there was no significant difference observed in the effect of feeling ease of use on attitudes towards technology use between the English and Arabic student groups. Furthermore, no significant difference was observed in the effect of perceived usefulness on the social constructivist learning environment for either group. The findings from this research are expected to contribute to the development of effective and efficient counseling and support intervention programs. These programs can play a crucial role in transforming teachers
UMSL Bulletin 2023-2024
The 2023-2024 Bulletin and Course Catalog for the University of Missouri St. Louis.https://irl.umsl.edu/bulletin/1088/thumbnail.jp
Safe passage for attachment systems:Can attachment security at international schools be measured, and is it at risk?
Relocations challenge attachment networks. Regardless of whether a person moves or is moved away from, relocation produces separation and loss. When such losses are repeatedly experienced without being adequately processed, a defensive shutting down of the attachment system could result, particularly when such experiences occur during or across the developmental years. At schools with substantial turnover, this possibility could be shaping youth in ways that compromise attachment security and young people’s willingness or ability to develop and maintain deep long-term relationships. Given the well-documented associations between attachment security, social support, and long-term physical and mental health, the hypothesis that mobility could erode attachment and relational health warrants exploration. International schools are logical settings to test such a hypothesis, given their frequently high turnover without confounding factors (e.g. war trauma or refugee experiences). In addition, repeated experiences of separation and loss in international school settings would seem likely to create mental associations for the young people involved regarding how they and others tend to respond to such situations in such settings, raising the possibility that people at such schools, or even the school itself, could collectively be represented as an attachment figure. Questions like these have received scant attention in the literature. They warrant consideration because of their potential to shape young people’s most general convictions regarding attachment, which could, in turn, have implications for young people’s ability to experience meaning in their lives
UMSL Bulletin 2022-2023
The 2022-2023 Bulletin and Course Catalog for the University of Missouri St. Louis.https://irl.umsl.edu/bulletin/1087/thumbnail.jp
A Critical Review Of Post-Secondary Education Writing During A 21st Century Education Revolution
Educational materials are effective instruments which provide information and report new discoveries uncovered by researchers in specific areas of academia. Higher education, like other education institutions, rely on instructional materials to inform its practice of educating adult learners. In post-secondary education, developmental English programs are tasked with meeting the needs of dynamic populations, thus there is a continuous need for research in this area to support its changing landscape. However, the majority of scholarly thought in this area centers on K-12 reading and writing. This paucity presents a phenomenon to the post-secondary community. This research study uses a qualitative content analysis to examine peer-reviewed journals from 2003-2017, developmental online websites, and a government issued document directed toward reforming post-secondary developmental education programs. These highly relevant sources aid educators in discovering informational support to apply best practices for student success. Developmental education serves the purpose of addressing literacy gaps for students transitioning to college-level work. The findings here illuminate the dearth of material offered to developmental educators. This study suggests the field of literacy research is fragmented and highlights an apparent blind spot in scholarly literature with regard to English writing instruction. This poses a quandary for post-secondary literacy researchers in the 21st century and establishes the necessity for the literacy research community to commit future scholarship toward equipping college educators teaching writing instruction to underprepared adult learners
Effects of municipal smoke-free ordinances on secondhand smoke exposure in the Republic of Korea
ObjectiveTo reduce premature deaths due to secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure among non-smokers, the Republic of Korea (ROK) adopted changes to the National Health Promotion Act, which allowed local governments to enact municipal ordinances to strengthen their authority to designate smoke-free areas and levy penalty fines. In this study, we examined national trends in SHS exposure after the introduction of these municipal ordinances at the city level in 2010.MethodsWe used interrupted time series analysis to assess whether the trends of SHS exposure in the workplace and at home, and the primary cigarette smoking rate changed following the policy adjustment in the national legislation in ROK. Population-standardized data for selected variables were retrieved from a nationally representative survey dataset and used to study the policy action’s effectiveness.ResultsFollowing the change in the legislation, SHS exposure in the workplace reversed course from an increasing (18% per year) trend prior to the introduction of these smoke-free ordinances to a decreasing (−10% per year) trend after adoption and enforcement of these laws (β2 = 0.18, p-value = 0.07; β3 = −0.10, p-value = 0.02). SHS exposure at home (β2 = 0.10, p-value = 0.09; β3 = −0.03, p-value = 0.14) and the primary cigarette smoking rate (β2 = 0.03, p-value = 0.10; β3 = 0.008, p-value = 0.15) showed no significant changes in the sampled period. Although analyses stratified by sex showed that the allowance of municipal ordinances resulted in reduced SHS exposure in the workplace for both males and females, they did not affect the primary cigarette smoking rate as much, especially among females.ConclusionStrengthening the role of local governments by giving them the authority to enact and enforce penalties on SHS exposure violation helped ROK to reduce SHS exposure in the workplace. However, smoking behaviors and related activities seemed to shift to less restrictive areas such as on the streets and in apartment hallways, negating some of the effects due to these ordinances. Future studies should investigate how smoke-free policies beyond public places can further reduce the SHS exposure in ROK
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