THE USE OF A DIGITAL GAME-BASED SAFETY PROGRAM FOR ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLES: OPERATIONAL KNOWLEDGE FOR YOUTHFUL RIDERS

Given the exposure and preference of digital natives for games, along with the proliferation of digital devices, there is a need to determine how effective digital games are in conveying operational knowledge to our youth. This quasi-experimental study examined whether a digital safety game increased high school student operational knowledge of All-terrain Vehicle (ATV) safety in contrast to conventional PowerPoint ATV safety training with commensurate information. The first treatment group consisted of “in class” students participating in the ATV game, the second treatment group was made up of “free play” students playing the game out of class, and finally the third treatment group consisted of “in class” students participating in the digital PowerPoint. A matched control group received no treatment during the study. The analysis of the results of pre- and post-test scores showed that there was no significant difference between the “in class” game and PowerPoint treatments. However, there was significant difference between the “in class” game as compared to both the “free play” game as well as the control. These findings may have been due to the lack of incentive (a grade or extra credit) for the high school students in an out of school setting. Perhaps, the interface or design of the game-based ATV may not have been conducive to digital natives who may expect more interactive games where participants have greater control. Players also noted that game availability on portable devices such as smartphones and tablets would have been desirable. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of an ATV safety game to promote operational knowledge, particularly in instructional or educational settings. School safety classes, agricultural education, ATV safety courses or FFA then may be productive venues for game-based ATV instruction. Future research might explore what additional instructional design features can elicit greater interest for the player. This study focused on the instructional components of ATV operational safety. Additional Human-Technology Interaction (HTI) research might analyze the planning, design and use of interfaces that include usability experience (UX) other delivery devices, testing, think-alouds, and eye tracking for more detailed information about gamers’ learning experiences in ATV safety games

Playing it safe : A literature review and research agenda on motivational technologies in transportation safety

While motivation affects safety-related decision-making and human reliability, technologies to promote it are scarcely used. We have only recently witnessed how motivational technologies, including serious games, gamification, and persuasive technologies have emerged on the palette of methods for enhancing transportation safety. However, the research on these technologies for transportation safety is fragmented, preventing future studies and practical efforts. This paper describes the state-of-the-art through a systematic review to address this issue. Analyzing 62 studies, we perceive that motivational technologies focus on reducing the accident likelihood and mitigating their consequences. While these technologies can induce positive psychological change and improve learning, the evidence of behavioral change is mainly limited to simulation settings, lacking examination of the long-term benefits and potential adverse effects. Our results highlight the importance of aligning motivational design with the cognitive demand of the transportation task and the means for improving safety. Future research should explore how motivational technologies can enhance safety from the system design perspective, cover a broader scope of transportation modes, compare their effects to conventional approaches while considering social aspects in their design and evaluation. Beside providing an overview of the area and future directions, this paper also introduces design recommendations to guide practitioners.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

The Quoddy Tides : August 14, 2020

https://digitalmaine.com/quoddy_tides/1000/thumbnail.jp

BEYOND THE COAL DIVIDE: THE CULTURAL POLITICS OF NATURAL RESOURCE EXTRACTION IN CENTRAL APPALACHIA

During the last several years far southwest Virginia, like elsewhere in the central Appalachian region, has faced a decline in all coal mining activity and a subsequent loss of coal mining jobs, meaning that local economies are suffering and the unemployment line is long. In addition, this area continues to face environmental pollution from surface coal mines that are still in operation or have not been reclaimed. Drawing upon anthropological literature on natural resource extraction and economic and environmental inequality, this dissertation highlights the lives of members of a local grassroots environmental organization, as well as other local residents, in a small coal mining community in Appalachia. Complicating and contradicting the “jobs versus environment” dichotomy used by industries, politicians, and academics to position people in “black and white” categories, this dissertation demonstrates that people living within an area where a controversial resource extraction method was used did not take a “hard line” stance on coal mining, but rather took into account the economic, environmental, and cultural risks and benefits associated with the industry’s practices. This dissertation offers a textured account of how local and regional politicians and coal industry executives use their authority--or abuse their power--to garner support for controversial resource extraction practices. Furthermore, this dissertation also demonstrates that support for, or opposition to, surface mining practices (such as mountaintop removal) was also influenced by the different perceptions of the environment held by participants. All respondents expressed a love of the mountains; however their perceptions of pollution and proper use of the land varied greatly. Despite disagreements over coal, all residents expressed a concern over the economy and articulated the need for new economic opportunities beyond coal in order for the region to remain a viable place to live and work

Annual reports of the selectmen, treasurer, school board and all other officers and committees for the town of Fremont, New Hampshire for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2002.

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire