A case for computational grounded theory

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Qualitative Methods in PER: A Critical Examination.] Qualitative research methods have provided key insights in physics education research (PER) by drawing on non-numerical data such as text or video data. While different methods towards qualitative research exist, they share two essential steps: recognizing patterns in the data and interpreting these patterns. Although these methods have led to the development of rigorous theory, there are challenges: As such methods require a series of judgments by the analyst, they are difficult to validate and reproduce. Further, they are hard to scale so that they are unavailable to the analysis of large-scale data. In this way, important phenomena may remain inaccessible to qualitative analysis. Reacting to these challenges and leveraging the potential of emerging methods of artificial intelligence (AI) such as machine learning and natural language processing, sociologist Nelson has proposed the concept of computational grounded theory (CGT). CGT proceeds in a process of three consecutive steps: In the first step, one leverages the power of computational techniques, especially natural language processing and unsupervised machine learning techniques, for pattern detection in large datasets—those of a size and scope that may prohibit human-driven analysis from the outset. In the second step, one relies on the integrative and interpretative capabilities of human researchers to add quality and depth to the quantity and breadth of the first step. In the last step, one again uses computational techniques to test the extent to which the detected and refined patterns from the first and second step hold throughout the whole dataset under investigation. Interestingly, CGT does not aim at simply automating parts of the qualitative process by using AI, but rather aims at integrating AI into the human analyst’s workflow within a qualitative analysis. This leads to an analytical system that can do something that is quantitatively and qualitatively different from what a human or machine can do alone. In this way, CGT aims at addressing questions about validity, reproducibility, and scalability in qualitative research while preserving the theoretical sensitivity and unique inferencing capabilities of the human analyst. In this paper, we provide a primer on CGT, present how it can be used to investigate the physics problem-solving approaches of N=417 students based on textual data, and discuss CGT’s potentials and challenges in PER. In consequence, this paper can provide critical input to the discussion of how emerging AI technologies can provide new avenues in qualitative PER

Evaluation of ‘imove’, Yorkshire and Humber’s Legacy Trust UK Regional Programme for the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games [Final Report]

imove was Yorkshire & Humberside’s Legacy Trust UK programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. By becoming part of the Cultural Olympiad it aimed to leave a lasting legacy from the Games at grassroots and institutional levels across the region. It built engagement through a dynamic and imaginative arts programme, which integrated sport and physical activities in a celebration of human movement. Formally launched to the public in 2010, imove’s programme included performing and visual arts, creative movement, sport and outdoor activity. The programme involved a range of partners in delivering both small[ and large[scale projects in response to the imove mission, which was to: • Explore and transform people’s relationship to their own bodies through movement. • Shift the relationship between society and the moving body. These were ambitious aims and the London 2012 Olympics offered an opportunity to realise them. Between 2009 and September 2012, imove worked in partnership with over 150 artists and cultural organisations. From a total core funding of £2.65m1, imove generated some £1.5m in matched funds, involved over 25,700 people as participants, over 2 million as live audiences and over 4 million as online audiences

A comparative analysis of the policy process of elite sport development in China and the UK (in relation to three Olympic sports of artistic gymnastics, swimming and cycling)

This thesis seeks to analyse the policy making and policy implementation processes of elite sport in China and the UK, covering the period 1992-2012. Three sports are selected for detailed cases studies: artistic gymnastics, swimming and cycling. They represent a wide range of sports in two countries, based on their varying competiveness, weights and traditions. Key areas including organisational structure, financial support, talent identification and athlete development, coaching, training, competition opportunities, scientific research and others (including international influence and other sport- and country-specific areas) are identified to organise the discussion. The aim is not only to present key characteristics of the development of each sport in China and the UK respectively and to introduce the successful experience and problems but also to form a basis for the discussion of policy making, policy implementation and policy changes. [Continues.

Owning the Olympics: Narratives of the New China

"A major contribution to the study of global events in times of global media. Owning the Olympics tests the possibilities and limits of the concept of 'media events' by analyzing the mega-event of the information age: the Beijing Olympics. . . . A good read from cover to cover." —Guobin Yang, Associate Professor, Asian/Middle Eastern Cultures & Sociology, Barnard College, Columbia University From the moment they were announced, the Beijing Games were a major media event and the focus of intense scrutiny and speculation. In contrast to earlier such events, however, the Beijing Games are also unfolding in a newly volatile global media environment that is no longer monopolized by broadcast media. The dramatic expansion of media outlets and the growth of mobile communications technology have changed the nature of media events, making it significantly more difficult to regulate them or control their meaning. This volatility is reflected in the multiple, well-publicized controversies characterizing the run-up to Beijing 2008. According to many Western commentators, the People's Republic of China seized the Olympics as an opportunity to reinvent itself as the "New China"---a global leader in economics, technology, and environmental issues, with an improving human-rights record. But China's maneuverings have also been hotly contested by diverse global voices, including prominent human-rights advocates, all seeking to displace the official story of the Games. Bringing together a distinguished group of scholars from Chinese studies, human rights, media studies, law, and other fields, Owning the Olympics reveals how multiple entities---including the Chinese Communist Party itself---seek to influence and control the narratives through which the Beijing Games will be understood. digitalculturebooks is an imprint of the University of Michigan Press and the Scholarly Publishing Office of the University of Michigan Library dedicated to publishing innovative and accessible work exploring new media and their impact on society, culture, and scholarly communication. Visit the website at www.digitalculture.org

The European Union Science Olympiad: towards a multidisciplinary strategy for science education

The European Union Science Olympiad (EUSO) is a unique, multidisciplinary, integrated, Science, practical-based, team competition. It was established to provide young EU students with a platform to display their scientific capabilities. The concept of the EUSO thus developed from the senior Olympiads which existed at international level at the time. To be accepted by EU Science educators and governments, it would have to mirror these single subject, individual, theory-based Olympiads in several respects and yet be novel in aspects that embody and reflect new ways of teaching and learning. This thesis tracks the historical growth and success of the EUSO from its establishment in 2003 to the present day. It describes the background and significant difficulties involved in convincing EU Science educators of its merits. The philosophy, rationale, teething problems, evolution, integration and key role of team-work are outlined. The EUSO's contribution to the education system of today, and the performance of Irish students in EUSO in comparison to the performance of students from the old and new Europe, are examined. A crucial element in this success story has been the methodology used in the organisation of the EUSO: Participatory Action Research (PAR). Through this democratic process, participants were released from the constraints of the established Olympiad structures and enabled to function in an environment which allowed them to investigate their own reality in order to change it. Such actions have resulted in the development of a new science Olympiad model, the EUSO model. The EUSO has worked: 22 countries and 132 students participated in 2012. 906 students have taken part since 2003. The most striking finding in its ten year history, however, is the dominance of the gold and silver medal categories by the former Soviet Bloc countries

Globalizing Boxing

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Boxing is a traditional sport in many ways, characterized by continuities in the form of practices and regulations and heavy with legends and heroes reflecting its traditional/historical values. Associations with class, hegemonic masculinity and racialized inclusions/exclusions, however, sit alongside developments such as women's boxing and involvement in Mixed Martial Arts. This book will be the first to use boxing as a vehicle for exploring social, cultural and political change in a global context. It will consider to what degree and in what ways boxing reflects social transformations, and whether and how it contributes to those transformations. In exploring the relationship it will provide new ways of thinking critically about the everyday

Mastering the Hard Stuff: The History of College Concrete-Canoe Races and the Growth of Engineering Competition Culture

This article details the history of college engineering competitions, originating with student concrete-canoe racing in the 1970s, through today’s multi-million-dollar international multiplicity of challenges. Despite initial differences between engineering educators and industry supporters over the ultimate purpose of undergraduate competitions, these events thrived because they evolved to suit many needs of students, professors, schools, corporations, professional associations, and the engineering profession itself. The twenty-first-century proliferation of university-level competitions in turn encouraged a trickling-down of technical contests to elementary-age children and high schools, fostering the institutionalization of what might be called a competition culture in engineering