Discussion forums in a blended learning approach for social studies: the influence of cognitive learning styles on attitudes towards asynchronous collaboration in a South East Asian university

To keep pace with ubiquitous computing in all aspects of society, universities have invested heavily in off-the-shelf or in-house learning management systems, and teachers are being encouraged to seek ways in which to optimize the role of information and communication technology to support their teaching and learning activities; both on the campus and beyond campus borders. However, many students in residential universities are resistant to embracing CMC-mediated activities as an integral part of their coursework, and this attitude underscores the importance of understanding how these students are affected by the implementation of the new teaching and learning strategies associated with a 'blended learning' approach. This study explores a particular context in which discussion forums were deployed as a replacement to traditional face-to-face tutorial discussions. Research subjects (n=147), health psychology students at a South East Asian university, completed a Felder Soloman Index of Learning Styles (ILS) questionnaire before being assigned to online discussion forum groups of 8 or 9 students per group. During the 9 weeks of the tutorial assignment activity, student interactions in the discussion forums were monitored and transcripts of their postings and replies were analysed and coded. Quantitative data from attitude survey MCQs, grades, peer ratings and usage statistics, as well as qualitative data from attitude survey open-answer questions and one-to-one interviews, were also gathered and analysed. The findings identified a number of weaknesses and drawbacks of using discussion forums: notably that students who felt uncomfortable about expressing their opinions in discussion forums also had difficulty understanding what was being communicated in the postings and didn't trust their group members; students who were identified as having a moderate to strong 'Sequential' cognitive learning style preference were more likely to indicate that they had a difficult time working in the discussion forums; and students who were identified as having a moderate to strong 'Active' cognitive learning style preference tended to make fewer forum postings. Nevertheless, since the scope of the information quoted, and opinions generated, in the discussion forum postings was noticeably greater than what was generally brought up in face-to-face discussions, and because the majority of students worked independently and responsibly, this particular blended learning approach was deemed a success by the course instructor. However, the author puts forward a number of recommendations to instructional designers, practitioners and students for designing, setting up and running a similar but more flexible approach as an alternative to traditional large-class face-to-face tutorial discussions

Current Advancements of and Future Developments for Fourth Party Logistics in a Digital Future

This paper aims to analyze the potential future of the 4PL concept based on expert opinions with special regard to the influence of digitalization coming with a disruptive trans-formation of supply chains. Service arrangements, provider capabilities and benefits resulting from a 4PL partnership are compared in current and future configurations. The research follows an explorative mixed methods approach with semi structured interviews followed by an expert panel. This builds a basis for an online survey questionnaire to inquire on important future aspects for the 4PL concept by a sample of respondents from multinational companies. Our results show a clear trend away from simply organizing transportation and logistics activities towards the provision of an IT platform as well as further value-added service activities such as planning, analytics and monitoring. Along with this, IT capabilities appear to be an important differentiator for 4PL providers in the future. Moreover, relationships between 4PL providers and their clients become closer and more strategic, which leads to a customer valuing not only direct cost reductions but rather improvements resulting from optimized operations through superior analysis and planning functions

Death of mixed methods?: Or the rebirth of research as a craft

The classification by many scholars of numerical research processes as quantitative and other research techniques as qualitative has prompted the construction of a third category, that of ‘mixed methods’, to describe studies that use elements from both processes. Such labels might be helpful in structuring our understanding of phenomena. But they can also inhibit our activities when they serve as inaccurate or limiting descriptors. Based on the observation that mixed methods is fast becoming a common research approach in the social sciences, this paper questions whether the assumptions that are used and perpetuated by mixed methods are valid. The paper calls for a critical change in how we perceive research, in order to better describe actual research processes. A more ethological taxonomy of the mechanisms underlying research structures and processes is posited to encourage creative thinking around alternatives to the three purported paradigms of quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. This ‘return to basics’ seeks to encourage new and innovative research designs to emerge, and suggests a rebirth of research from the ashes of mixed methods

Disciplinary differences in preferred research methods: a comparison of groups in the Biglan classification scheme

The Biglan system of classifying disciplines in groups based on similarities and differences in their subject matter has been validated in numerous empirical studies. The present study sought to expand that validation by comparing two Biglan groups that include disciplines representing the social and behavioral sciences. As a unique point of comparison, preferred research methods were contrasted between Psychology and Sociology forming one group of pure disciplines and Education and Nursing forming another group of applied disciplines. A code sheet was developed to categorize the various components of published research, distinguishing at the most basic level quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods type articles. Data was collected from research articles published in high impact journals from each discipline. The complete data set consisted of the codes from 150 randomly selected articles from journals in each discipline, or 300 articles per group. These codes were converted into frequencies and analyzed using the Chi-Square statistic. Findings showed there are significant differences in preferences for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research approaches between the two Biglan groups. Significant differences were also found in certain methodological components of the basic research approaches including research designs, sampling methods, and data collection methods. Evidence was also found of the philosophical paradigms underlying methodological choices, and analysis revealed significant differences in the paradigms preferred by the two groups. All of these findings support the validity of the Biglan scheme of classifying disciplines based on differences in the preferred approach to research methodology. These findings also suggest that the Biglan system represents a useful tool for promoting interdisciplinary discourse on research. Directions for future research are indicated that would further confirm the findings of the present study, move towards a wider validation of the Biglan system, and explore more deeply the philosophical underpinnings of the paradigmatic differences founding diverse research methodologies

Prospective end-of-life decision-making: A study of Asian Indian Hindu younger and older adults

The process of end-of-life decision-making involves the choice of treatment preference and decision-maker. This study examined Asian Indian Hindus' decisions to determine age and cultural effects within the context of socioemotional selectivity theory. Younger (N=100) and older (N=100) Asian Indian Hindus completed a questionnaire on end-of-life scenarios, Western and Indian acculturation and Hindu end-of-life values. Twenty participants were interviewed. Results of sequential logistic regression provide support for the emphases on positive emotional experiences as predicted by socioemotional selectivity theory, but did not indicate age effects. This was substantiated in the qualitative interview data as well as supplemental analyses with a sample of younger (N=64) and older (N=59) non-Hispanic Whites. Asian Indians were less likely to choose life-sustaining treatments than non-Hispanic Whites. Autonomy in decision-making was important to both ethnic groups. The discussion focuses on implications of these findings for socioemotional selectivity and the role of culture in end-of-life decision-making

Miscarriage, stillbirth and congenital malformation in the offspring of UK veterans of the first Gulf war.

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether the offspring of UK veterans of the first Gulf war are at increased risk of fetal death or congenital malformation. METHOD: This was a retrospective reproductive cohort study of UK Gulf war veterans and a demographically similar comparison group who were in service at the time but were not deployed to the Gulf. Reproductive history was collected by means of a validated postal questionnaire between 1998 and 2001. RESULTS: In all, 27 959 pregnancies reported by men and 861 pregnancies reported by women were conceived after the first Gulf war and before November 1997. The risk of reported miscarriage was higher among pregnancies fathered by Gulf war veterans than by non-Gulf war veterans (OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.3, 1.5). Stillbirth risk was similar in both groups. Male Gulf war veterans reported a higher proportion of offspring with any type of malformation than the comparison cohort (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.3, 1.7). Examination by type of malformation revealed some evidence for increased risk of malformations of the genital system, urinary system (renal and urinary tract), and 'other' defects of the digestive system, musculo-skeletal system, and non-chromosomal (non-syndrome) anomalies. These associations were weakened when analyses were restricted to clinically confirmed conditions. There was little or no evidence of increased risk for other structural malformations, specific syndromes, and chromosomal anomalies. Among female veterans, no effect of Gulf war service was found on the risk of miscarriage. The numbers of stillbirths and malformations reported by women were too small to allow meaningful analyses. CONCLUSION: We found no evidence for a link between paternal deployment to the Gulf war and increased risk of stillbirth, chromosomal malformations, or congenital syndromes. Associations were found between fathers' service in the Gulf war and increased risk of miscarriage and less well-defined malformations, but these findings need to be interpreted with caution as such outcomes are susceptible to recall bias. The finding of a possible relationship with renal anomalies requires further investigation. There was no evidence of an association between risk of miscarriage and mothers' service in the gulf

Identification and management of eating disorders in pregnancy: a multi-method study of maternity and health visiting services

Pregnant women with current and past eating disorders (ED) have heightened risk of adverse maternal and infant outcomes, so it is imperative women are identified and receive enhanced care during and after pregnancy to promote optimal outcomes. However, following recent changes to the classification of ED, it is unclear how many pregnant women have had ED and research is needed to understand the barriers to their care in maternity and health visiting services. A multi-method approach, comprising of four studies, was employed to: (1) investigate the prevalence of ED in pregnant women; and (2) explore the barriers to care from the perspectives of women, midwives and health visitors. Study one found the prevalence of ED before and during pregnancy were 8.8% and 6.7%, respectively, using a self-report questionnaire in 1,022 pregnant women. Study two estimated population prevalence for lifetime and current ED of 15.3% (95% CI, 11.80-19.71%) and 1.4% (95% CI, 0.64-3.35%), respectively, using diagnostic interviews in 543 pregnant women. Study three, which collated survey data from 103 pregnant and postnatal women, found disclosure of ED was low due to perceptions of poor awareness, stigma, lack of continuity in carer and limited capacity in maternity services. Study four, using a two-phased design with questionnaires (N = 265) and focus groups (N = 33) in midwives and health visitors, found the main barriers to identifying and caring for women with ED were insufficient training and related practice. The findings indicate a significant proportion of pregnant women will have had ED, yet women will often be poorly identified and receive inadequate care in maternity and health visiting services. Future research should aim to develop strategies that address the barriers identified in this research to improve care for pregnant and postnatal women with ED to promote optimal outcomes for mother and child

Early Career Physical Therapy Faculty Networking and Scholarly Productivity: A Mixed-Methods Study

While it is well-known that physical therapist (PT) faculty must retain a scholarly agenda, few report being activity engaged and many programs have low scholarly dissemination. There is evidence that knowledge of the make-up of a faculty network leads to improved performance and innovation. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to explore agency (behaviors and perspectives about career advancement) and the professional network structure and composition of early career PT faculty as they relate to scholarly activity. This dissertation research study included 50 early career faculty who worked in accredited entry-level physical therapy programs. The quantitative phase results showed a more open and less interconnected network is associated with higher scholarly activity when controlling for the duration as a faculty member and whether the individual has an academic doctoral degree. Agency behavior and perspective scores were not associated with higher scholarly activity. The Scholar Score developed during this phase offered a clear and uniform, peer-validated approach to account for the quantity and quality of scholarly activities. The qualitative phase used a grounded theory approach to analyze interviews with a sub-set of 20 study participants. The result was a central phenomenon of connecting with others for scholarly activity. The two constructs in the model are strategies used to develop network connections and how these connections helped faculty participate in scholarly activity. The findings about the network development process helped explain the quantitative results of high and low performers of scholarly activity. Without both study phases important information would have been missed. Key implications from this study include advancing the application of the Scholar Score and demonstrating network analysis for PT faculty. More importantly this study generated new knowledge about an effective network and the process used to create professional relationships to strengthen an early career PT faculty scholarly agenda. Network analysis made the connections visible for the early career faculty who reside at the lower end of the academic hierarchy in terms of tenure, academic rank, and scholarly productivity

Collecting Data from Children Ages 9-13

Provides a summary of literature on common methods used to collect data, such as diaries, interviews, observational methods, and surveys. Analyzes age group-specific considerations, advantages, and drawbacks, with tips for improving data quality