Mobile phones interaction techniques for second economy people

Second economy people in developing countries are people living in communities that are underserved in terms of basic amenities and social services. Due to literacy challenges and user accessibility problems in rural communities, it is often difficult to design user interfaces that conform to the capabilities and cultural experiences of low-literacy rural community users. Rural community users are technologically illiterate and lack the knowledge of the potential of information and communication technologies. In order to embrace new technology, users will need to perceive the user interface and application as useful and easy to interact with. This requires proper understanding of the users and their socio-cultural environment. This will enable the interfaces and interactions to conform to their behaviours, motivations as well as cultural experiences and preferences and thus enhance usability and user experience. Mobile phones have the potential to increase access to information and provide a platform for economic development in rural communities. Rural communities have economic potential in terms of agriculture and micro-enterprises. Information technology can be used to enhance socio-economic activities and improve rural livelihood. We conducted a study to design user interfaces for a mobile commerce application for micro-entrepreneurs in a rural community in South Africa. The aim of the study was to design mobile interfaces and interaction techniques that are easy to use and meet the cultural preferences and experiences of users who have little to no previous experience of mobile commerce technology. And also to explore the potentials of information technologies rural community users, and bring mobile added value services to rural micro-entrepreneurs. We applied a user-centred design approach in Dwesa community and used qualitative and quantitative research methods to collect data for the design of the user interfaces (graphic user interface and voice user interface) and mobile commerce application. We identified and used several interface elements to design and finally evaluate the graphical user interface. The statistics analysis of the evaluation results show that the users in the community have positive perception of the usefulness of the application, the ease of use and intention to use the application. Community users with no prior experience with this technology were able to learn and understand the interface, recorded minimum errors and a high level of v precision during task performance when they interacted with the shop-owner graphic user interface. The voice user interface designed in this study consists of two flavours (dual tone multi-frequency input and voice input) for rural users. The evaluation results show that community users recorded higher tasks successes and minimum errors with the dual tone multi-frequency input interface than the voice only input interface. Also, a higher percentage of users prefer the dual tone multi-frequency input interface. The t-Test statistical analysis performed on the tasks completion times and error rate show that there was significant statistical difference between the dual tone multi-frequency input interface and the voice input interface. The interfaces were easy to learn, understand and use. Properly designed user interfaces that meet the experience and capabilities of low-literacy users in rural areas will improve usability and users‟ experiences. Adaptation of interfaces to users‟ culture and preferences will enhance information services accessibility among different user groups in different regions. This will promote technology acceptance in rural communities for socio-economic benefits. The user interfaces presented in this study can be adapted to different cultures to provide similar services for marginalised communities in developing countrie

First-year higher education students’ acquisition of digital content creation literacies in discipline-specific settings

Digital knowledge production involves the processing and presentation of digital information and content through the implementation of digital literacy practices in technical, cognitive and social-emotional dimensions. As such, this thesis addresses the question: How and why do first-year higher education students acquire digital content creation literacies in a discipline-specific setting? Firstly, this thesis contributes to the conceptualisation of digital literacy as a social practice through theorizing the complex and evolving nature of digital literacy practices in disciplinary-specific contexts in higher education. Secondly, the thesis develops a theoretical explanation to how higher education students acquire digital content creation literacies within their discipline-specific settings. Drawing on the New Literacies Studies’ theoretical approach, first-year students’ digital literacy practices, in particular content creation literacies, are explored in relation to sociocultural factors, and enablers and contradictions influencing their practices in disciplinespecific settings. Additionally, Gee’s (2008) principles of literacy and Discourse acquisition inform the analysis of student acquisition of digital literacy practices. An adaptation of Ng’s (2015) digital literacy framework is applied as an analytical tool for categorising students’ digital literacy practices and is further complemented by Engeström's (2001) second generation Activity theory framework when analysing the students’ digital literacy practices involved in assignment writing (the digital literacy event). Using a case study design with a mixed methods approach, quantitative (a questionnaire) and qualitative (focus groups, interviews and student assignments) data is obtained from a total of 103 and 27 students respectively. A key finding of this thesis is that discipline-specific learning and assessment activities (LAAs) instantiate individual and collaborative digital content creation and also drive the desire for students’ acquisition of digital literacies for content creation. However, there are some ‘actual processes’ (Maxwell, 2012) that are not directly perceptible, such as student experience in using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), age, volition, gender, course culture, historicity of practice and student histories of learning with ICT that influence student digital content creation practices. By the same token, this thesis highlights the importance of students owning or having technology access at university as lack of access is a constraining factor for their engagement in their LAAs. The main contribution of this thesis is the finding that, when LAAs, which foster the acquisition of digital content-creation literacies are part of the curriculum, students can acquire the respective literacies through self-teaching, scaffolding from peers or senior students, trial and error, and engaging in practice within their disciplines, implying that there is no need for overt instruction as is the case of digital skills training isolated from the context of practice. The implication of this finding is that universities need to annually review firstyear students’ prior digital literacy skills and practices to inform the responsive adaptation of the LAAs. Additionally, universities require a deliberate strategy for collaboration between their academics, library staff, writing centre staff and professional development units on the integration of digital literacies for learning into the curriculum

The Dynamics of Bilingual Adult Literacy in Africa: A Case Study of Kom, Cameroon.

This thesis investigates, describes and analyses adult literacy in local languages in Africa, with a focus on Kom, a rural community situated in the North West province of Cameroon. The thesis presents the motivations, relevance, importance and aims of the research; then gives an overview of the national and local backgrounds, namely Cameroon and Kom. A detailed description is given of the multilingual landscape and language use in formal education, the development of writing systems for Cameroonian languages, the official literacy activities at the national level, and the Kom language and community. The thesis discusses the philosophical and conceptual frameworks of the research, namely the naturalistic and critical approaches adopted, and the ethnographic approach used in data collection and the theoretical analysis. It also describes key literacy institutions in Cameroon, such as NACALCO and SIL. Four primary domains are investigated as they pertain to adult literacy: organisational issues, i.e. literacy implementation, didactic materials, literacy teaching, and social meanings and values mediated by literacy. The thesis explores the organisation and implementation of literacy in Kom, examining KLDC's operational life and activities, and the literacy classes and monitors. Local publications, such as pre-primers, primers, post-primers, arithmetic manuals, reading and writing books, various Christian publications, and some functional booklets on agriculture and health are discussed, examining their place and use in the Kom literacy programme. The thesis also examines the socio-cultural meanings and values of literacy in Kom. The research shows that adult literacy mediates some community identities and values, through local agency and the institutional development of the KLDC. Adult literacy in Kom also mediates new social statuses, and grants new socio-cultural power to neo-literates. For Christian neo-literate church goers, adult literacy mediates spiritual development. Through the written use and promotion of the local language, adult literacy also increases the symbolic capital attached to local languages

THE QUEST FOR I-LITERACY: IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING GAPS IN INFORMATION LITERACY EDUCATION IN INFORMATION SCIENCE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

Information scholars, educators and librarians have grappled with defining the concept of information literacy for decades – at least as far back as the 1970’s – with the most prominent common thread being as a set of skills. In pedagogy and practice, what higher education currently calls information literacy is delivered more akin to research skills or the ability to effectively conduct and share research in its myriad forms. It is problematic that for so long the emphasis on research and academic skills has wholly devalued those sources deemed non-traditional by academic measures, including popular sources, pop-culture entertainment, and the power of observation. Ironically this emphasis on academic research skills diminishes the extreme societal impact non-traditional sources and stories have had throughout the information age in which we currently find ourselves. In this dissertation, I provide a curriculum map for the required courses in five Undergraduate Information Science Programs, with the dual purpose of aligning instruction practices and gaps with the aforementioned impacts as they determine what information literacy should mean, and encouraging iSchools to adopt and promote a socially constructed model of information literacy, which I am terming i-Literacy. This study demonstrates how iSchool undergraduate programs emphasize understanding that different information mediums are required based on audience, user needs, and the information problem, but may not highlight social and civic responsibility with information use and sharing. The map also shows a strong alignment between the seemingly antiquated ‘Bibliographic Instruction’ practices from the 1980’s and 90’s, and the current pedagogy based on the ACRL Framework

The Linguistic Integration of Adult Migrants / L’intégration linguistique des migrants adultes

This volume provides a comprehensive report on a symposium organised by the Council of Europe (Strasbourg) in 2016 in the context of its human rights agenda. Its purpose was to explore some of the ways in which scientific evidence can inform the development and implementation of policy and practice designed to support the linguistic integration of adult migrant

A COMPARISON BETWEEN MOTIVATIONS AND PERSONALITY TRAITS IN RELIGIOUS TOURISTS AND CRUISE SHIP TOURISTS

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the motivations and the personality traits that characterize tourists who choose religious travels versus cruises. Participating in the research were 683 Italian tourists (345 males and 338 females, age range 18–63 years); 483 who went to a pilgrimage travel and 200 who chose a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea. Both groups of tourists completed the Travel Motivation Scale and the Big Five Questionnaire. Results show that different motivations and personality traits characterize the different types of tourists and, further, that motivations for traveling are predicted by specific —some similar, other divergent— personality trait

Politics of mass literacy in India : A case study of two North Indian villages under the 'Total Literacy Campaign', 1988-95.

This project is a study of the politics of mass literacy in India. It sets the problem of literacy in the context of public discourses, institutional practices and formation of various identities related to educational and development goals in contemporary Indian society. The study is centered around specific case studies of two villages under the 'Total Literacy Campaign' (TLC) launched nationwide in May 1988 by the National Literacy Mission Authority (NLMA). Despite marginal improvement in literacy rates since independence, there has been a steady increase in the absolute number of total 'illiterates', which is bigger than the size of 'literates'. Also the gap between 'literates' and 'illiterates' has been ever- increasing. The government admits its failures towards mass education and hence now it has declared promotion of literacy as a national mission. To counter its past failures, it has launched a 'total campaign' approach in adult literacy programme along with 'Education For All' (EFA) goal in general towards elementary education. Thus this project is a study of the pedagogic principles, practice and public policy on promotion mass education and literacy in India. It seeks to study the cultural and linguistic bases of mass literacy and the democratic i.e. participatory and interactive/discursive methods of literacy promotion. The study is based on new socio-cultural approaches to language, discourse-learning, identity and culture (Introduction, Chapter 1). It is an interdisciplinary study in literacy practices (language and discourse learning) whose development is traced with colonial history of social, political and educational development in north India (Chapters 2&3). It traces these developments beginning with nationalist thinking on nation-building, mass literacy and education during the freedom movement before 1947 (Chapter 2), and the evolution of public policy goals on education and its culture after 1947 (Chapter 3). It looks into why highest 'illiteracy' exists in the Hindi- speaking states and how adequately our educational planners have addressed these complex problems. The policy principles and institutional practices in learning are further examined in case studies of two villages in Bihar and Haryana (Chapters 4&5). TLC's pedagogic principles, practices and relevance as seen and understood by learners are examined in order to establish the real contexts of a learning. This is also done through a concrete area of language and content analysis of the TLC reading materials, the way TLC Primers (texts) have been presented to the learners and the ways these texts are interacted with, by the adult learners (Chapter 6). We thus endeavour to establish the issue of literacy-leaming in terms of survival, cultural and identity needs of the learner. All these discussions are primarily based on adult learners' and concerned people's historical, social, and classroom experiences

Script and Society

By the 13th century BC, the Syrian city of Ugarit hosted an extremely diverse range of writing practices. As well as two main scripts – alphabetic and logographic cuneiform - the site has also produced inscriptions in a wide range of scripts and languages, including Hurrian, Sumerian, Hittite, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Luwian hieroglyphs and Cypro-Minoan. This variety in script and language is accompanied by writing practices that blend influences from Mesopotamian, Anatolian and Levantine traditions together with what seem to be distinctive local innovations. Script and Society: The Social Context of Writing Practices in Late Bronze Age Ugarit explores the social and cultural context of these complex writing traditions from the perspective of writing as a social practice. It combines archaeology, epigraphy, history and anthropology to present a highly interdisciplinary exploration of social questions relating to writing at the site, including matters of gender, ethnicity, status and other forms of identity, the relationship between writing and place, and the complex relationships between inscribed and uninscribed objects. This forms a case- study for a wider discussion of interdisciplinary approaches to the study of writing practices in the ancient world

Effects of prerequisite library research instruction on the information seeking knowledge and behavior of community college students in an introductory nursing course

Abstract from public.pdf file.Dissertation supervisors: Drs. John Budd and Denice Adkins.Includes vita.The nursing profession is evolving from basing patient care on tradition and expert opinion to emphasizing evidence based practice. Literature suggests that nurses do not have the information literacy skills required for evidence based practice, and that they have neither adequate instruction nor the experience needed to effectively, efficiently, and ethically find the information that they need. To help meet this need, this dissertation examines the effects of a pre-requisite information literacy credit course on the information seeking behavior of community college students in an introductory nursing course. I used a convergent parallel designed mixed-methods research approach, employing both a knowledge based assessment (n = 153) and a series of interviews/focus groups (n= 16) to test the hypothesis and sub-hypotheses. Students' exposure to the library (using library databases, receiving assistance from a reference librarian, or attending a "one-shot" library instruction session) was also measured. Using the Chi-square test for association, a statistically significant relationship was found between the correct answers on the knowledge based assessment and the completion of the course: X2 (3, N = 153) = 19.03, p < .00; suggesting that students who completed LIB 101 performed significantly better on the knowledge based assessment than the students who did not complete LIB 101. A low, significant, and positive relationship was found between the completion of the course and the information literacy score, rpb = .26, p < .01 using Point-Biserial correlation. Regression Analysis provided evidence that the library course was a significant predictor of the information literacy score, t(150) = 2.12, p < .05. Eleven themes supporting the quantitative study emerged from the interviews/focus groups. Although the research supported the main hypothesis, there is much room for further study--not only within the confines of the effect of such a course on nursing students, but also the effect of information literacy instruction on both student and practicing nurses. The future of nursing relies upon evidence based practice, and, ultimately, evidence based practice relies on information literate nurses.Includes bibliographical references (pages 125-139)