Examining Philosophy of Technology Using Grounded Theory Methods

A qualitative study was conducted to examine the philosophy of technology of K-12 technology leaders, and explore the influence of their thinking on technology decision making. The research design aligned with CORBIN and STRAUSS grounded theory methods, and I proceeded from a research paradigm of critical realism. The subjects were school technology directors and instructional technology specialists, and data collection consisted of interviews and a written questionnaire. Data analysis involved the use of grounded theory methods including memo writing, open and axial coding, constant comparison, the use of purposive and theoretical sampling, and theoretical saturation of categories. Three broad philosophy of technology views were widely held by participants: an instrumental view of technology, technological optimism, and a technological determinist perspective that saw technological change as inevitable. Technology leaders were guided by two main approaches to technology decision making, represented by the categories Educational goals and curriculum should drive technology, and Keep up with Technology (or be left behind). The core category and central phenomenon that emerged was that technology leaders approached technology leadership by placing greater emphasis on keeping up with technology, being influenced by an ideological orientation to technological change, and being concerned about preparing students for a technological future

Online writing research in the upper-division composition classroom: constructions of social engagement and critical dialogue

2020 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.This dissertation is comprised of three related articles examining social engagement and critical dialogue practices in the upper-division online writing classroom. The three manuscripts are presented with bookend chapters to introduce and discuss the larger research project. The over-arching questions this research asks are: How are teaching and learning supported and constrained in online writing instructional environments? How can constructions of social engagement in the online Writing Arguments classroom support critical learning and critical dialogue? The three articles examine the teaching of writing in an upper-division online writing course, Writing Arguments, which is a rhetorical theory course in composition. This compilation of continually evolving research captures the dual importance of enhancing online education as well as the need to construct social engagement in the online classroom. Additionally, as the Writing Arguments course lends itself naturally to areas of opposition and difference, the final two studies focus specifically on critical dialogue and learning in the online classroom

Graphonomics and your Brain on Art, Creativity and Innovation : Proceedings of the 19th International Graphonomics Conference (IGS 2019 – Your Brain on Art)

[Italiano]: “Grafonomia e cervello su arte, creatività e innovazione”. Un forum internazionale per discutere sui recenti progressi nell'interazione tra arti creative, neuroscienze, ingegneria, comunicazione, tecnologia, industria, istruzione, design, applicazioni forensi e mediche. I contributi hanno esaminato lo stato dell'arte, identificando sfide e opportunità, e hanno delineato le possibili linee di sviluppo di questo settore di ricerca. I temi affrontati includono: strategie integrate per la comprensione dei sistemi neurali, affettivi e cognitivi in ambienti realistici e complessi; individualità e differenziazione dal punto di vista neurale e comportamentale; neuroaesthetics (uso delle neuroscienze per spiegare e comprendere le esperienze estetiche a livello neurologico); creatività e innovazione; neuro-ingegneria e arte ispirata dal cervello, creatività e uso di dispositivi di mobile brain-body imaging (MoBI) indossabili; terapia basata su arte creativa; apprendimento informale; formazione; applicazioni forensi. / [English]: “Graphonomics and your brain on art, creativity and innovation”. A single track, international forum for discussion on recent advances at the intersection of the creative arts, neuroscience, engineering, media, technology, industry, education, design, forensics, and medicine. The contributions reviewed the state of the art, identified challenges and opportunities and created a roadmap for the field of graphonomics and your brain on art. The topics addressed include: integrative strategies for understanding neural, affective and cognitive systems in realistic, complex environments; neural and behavioral individuality and variation; neuroaesthetics (the use of neuroscience to explain and understand the aesthetic experiences at the neurological level); creativity and innovation; neuroengineering and brain-inspired art, creative concepts and wearable mobile brain-body imaging (MoBI) designs; creative art therapy; informal learning; education; forensics

Instructors\u27 attitudes toward the use of technology at the University of Mississippi

The major purpose of this study was to investigate the Spanish and Portuguese Instructors\u27 attitudes toward technology at the University of Mississippi. In this mixed method study, with a very limited number of participants ( N = 20), attitudes were analyzed by combining the results of all three instruments that composed this research project: a survey, class observations and personal interviews. The results from the triangulation of these three instruments showed that the instructors have a positive attitude toward technology. This particular investigation adapted and employed two dimensions to assess teachers\u27 attitudes toward technology: (1) anxiety, fear and/or aversion; and (2) enjoyment, enthusiasm and/or confidence. Cronbach\u27s alpha was computed for each dimension, and the results revealed a high level of reliability and internal consistency with all alphas exceeding .90 for both scales (.907 and .915, respectively). After statistically analyzing both dimensions, a Pearson\u27s product-moment correlation (the Pearson r) was also computed to measure the strength of the relationship between these two variables, which are labeled ANX (anxiety) and ENJ (enjoyment). The analysis suggested that there is a strong statistically significant negative linear relationship between enjoyment and anxiety (r = −.848, p \u3c 0.001). Given that there is no relationship between enjoyment and anxiety, the probability of calculating a Pearson\u27s r of −.848 is less than 0.001. In other words, as enjoyment scores increased by 1 unit, anxiety scores decreased by .848 units. Additionally, the mean of the Likert-type scale and the standard deviation of each dimension confirmed that the higher the enjoyment, enthusiasm and/or confidence (mean 3.96) toward technology, the lower the levels of anxiety, fear and/or aversion (mean 1.85) were

Social Lives at College: Experiences of Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disability

This dissertation qualitatively studied the social interactions students with IDD had in Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) programs. Through a DSE lens, I analyzed the experiences of 15 current and former IPSE students to determine the phenomena of social interaction while at IPSE. Methods included focus groups, participant observations, and interviews with the participants. Adaptations of social circle diagrams and photovoice were also utilized. Findings illustrated the presence of ableism surrounding the lives of individuals with IDD. This ableism was apparent within many aspects of the participants lives and experiences during IPSE. Ableism across larger systems was impacting access to higher education spaces as well as social opportunities and personal relationships. Additionally, I discuss findings that implicate how to ensure future research with individuals with IDD is done inclusively and accessibly. Implications are given for higher education and k-12 policy and practice, as well as for research. Future directions for IPSE research are also discussed

Mentor Coaching: Insights into Mentoring Practice in Independent Schools

Mentorship Coaching: Insights into Mentoring Practice in Independent Schools is aqualitative study that identifies and analyzes effective mentoring practices in the context of independent schools. This study addresses a current gap in mentoring literature, providing insight into how mentors can create effective opportunities for mentee development by using researched-based models, strategies, and methods based on coaching pedagogy. Incorporating evidence from a qualitative survey across eight institutions, one-to-one interviews, thesis literature, and participant narratives, this study demonstrates coaching pedagogy supports mentors in their ability to form authentic partnerships that prioritize mentee learning. To provide a complete and illustrative picture of effective mentoring practice, the study looks at the cycle of mentoring relationships giving a descriptive narrative of the experiences of the mentor and mentee. The study also highlights mentor coaching curricula used to instruct mentors. The starting point of the research utilized a qualitative survey and one-to-one interviews, which led to the initial discovery that effective mentors used researched-based models, strategies, and methods based on coaching pedagogy. After this initial discovery, the project focused on highlighting effective mentoring techniques by exploring how mentors use coaching practices to encourage two specific competencies; growth mindset and emotional intelligence. Study participant interviews were used to construct mentoring narratives to illustrate how mentors encourage the enduring practice of a growth mindset and foster emotional resilience in mentees. This study concludes that mentoring relationships and mentee development are most effective when supported by coaching principles

Continuing education for optometrists

Effective continuing professional development (CPD) has the potential to yield better health outcomes for optometrists and their patients. A conceptual model of CPD provided a framework to characterize CPD and its outcomes. A mixed-method approach was chosen for this thesis. Across three studies this thesis measured optometrists’ perspectives of CPD, the effectiveness of a specific CPD activity, and optometrists’ capability in critically appraising the most frequently presented statistical methods in articles published in relevant ophthalmic scientific journals. An in-depth study of the perspectives of optometrists towards CPD via focus groups and interviews was conducted and responses coded to the Cabana determinant framework. Optometrists’ attitude towards CPD was modulated by their outcome expectancy, self-efficacy, the inertia of previous practice and their desire for self-improvement. A Likert scale measure of 46 optometrists’ attitudes towards CPD revealed positive attitudes with mean score of 72% (Mean=20.27, SD=3.81. Range 0-28). Meanwhile, the self-efficacy of these optometrists on the topic of Choroidal lesions was moderate (59%) or often times weak. A quasi-randomized controlled trial comparing the online experience of an Adaptive (n=22) to a Traditional (n=24) CPD intervention demonstrated that Traditional learners lost significantly more knowledge at 12 weeks compared to those optometrists randomized to the Adaptive CPD arm of the intervention (T=3, p=0.01, r=-0.52). Adaptive learning was also seen as more fun. The final study evaluated the alignment between the level of statistical knowledge required to successfully appraise the ophthalmic literature and optometrists’ self-reported knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of statistics. The most used tests were: descriptive, t-tests, contingency tables, non-parametric tests and ANOVAs. Together these tests were present in 61% of the 358 articles audited. Optometrists demonstrated very poor knowledge of t-tests, contingency tables, and ANOVAs (averages of <50% correct). Overall, the findings of this mixed-method thesis indicated that optometrists have a positive attitude to CPD and wish to maintain and expand their learning across a lifetime. CPD specifically focused on statistics would enable more effective lifelong learning in optometrists. Any gaps in knowledge or practice cannot be attributed to a lack of desire to learn more

Of Stances, Themes, and Anomalies in COVID-19 Mask-Wearing Tweets

COVID-19 is an opportunity to study public acceptance of a ‘‘new’’ healthcare intervention, universal masking, which unlike vaccination, is mostly alien to the Anglosphere public despite being practiced in ages past. Using a collection of over two million tweets, we studied the ways in which proponents and opponents of masking vied for influence as well as the themes driving the discourse. Pro-mask tweets encouraging others to mask up dominated Twitter early in the pandemic though its continued dominance has been eroded by anti-mask tweets criticizing others for their masking behavior. Engagement, represented by the counts of likes, retweets, and replies, and controversiality and disagreeableness, represented by ratios of the aforementioned counts, favored pro-mask tweets initially but with anti-mask tweets slowly gaining ground. Additional analysis raised the possibility of the platform owners suppressing certain parts of the mask-wearing discussion