Toward a Framework Understanding of Online Programs for Countering Violent Extremism

There is an emerging consensus that ideologically-based narratives play a central role in encouraging and sustaining radicalization to violence, and that preventing, arresting, or reversing radicalization requires some means by which to address the effects of these narratives. Countering violent extremism (CVE) is a broad umbrella phrase that covers a wide array of approaches that have been advanced to reduce the radicalizing effects of extremist narratives. There is considerably less agreement, however, regarding the most appropriate means by which the mitigation of extremist narratives might best be accomplished. An important emerging area of interest is the role of the Internet, both as a forum through which narratives are transmitted and as an avenue for delivering CVE programs. At present, very little is known about which principles and practices should inform online CVE initiatives. This study attempts to establish a foundation and framework for these programs: first, by identifying the concepts and constructs which may be most relevant to countering violent extremism online, and second, by examining the available material from six online CVE programs in relation to these concepts. This examination suggests that these programs are lacking strong theoretical foundations and do not address important elements of radicalization, such as contextual factors or identity issues. It is important that future iterations of CVE programs consider not just the specific content of the narratives, but also take into account why these narratives have resonance for particular individuals. Author’s Note: The authors wish to thank Public Safety Canada for their generous support of the research on which this article is based. The article has been adapted from material found in, Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, “Assessment of the State of Knowledge: Connections between Research on the Social Psychology of the Internet and Violent Extremism.” The views expressed in the current article only engage the authors

Associer des itinéraires techniques de niveau d'intrants variés à des variétés rustiques de blé tendre : évaluation économique, environnementale et énergétique

International audienceL’impact de l’utilisation des engrais azotés et des pesticides (Aubertot et al., 2005) sur l’environnement ainsi que l’instabilité des prix de vente des céréales ont suscité un certain nombre de réflexions sur de nouvelles manières de produire du blé tendre d’hiver, en prenant notamment appui sur le progrès variétal. Ainsi, à partir de 1999, l’INRA, l’ITCF (puis ARVALIS-Institut du végétal), les sélectionneurs du GIE Club des Cinq et les chambres d’agriculture d’Indre-et-Loire et du Morbihan ont engagé une collaboration afin d’évaluer l’intérêt des variétés rustiques conduites avec des itinéraires techniques à niveaux d’intrants réduits. Ces variétés ont été choisies parmi celles présentant des caractères de multirésistance aux maladies et à la verse, tout en s’assurant d’un niveau de rendement comparable aux autres cultivars du catalogue. Le réseau expérimental multilocal mis en place de 2000 à 2002 a révélé des performances économiques satisfaisantes de ces itinéraires techniques au regard des recommandations locales, et ce pour le prix de vente moyen de cette période, à savoir 100 € par tonne (Loyce et al., 2001 ; Félix et al., 2002 ; Rolland et al., 2003 ; Loyce et al., accepté)

Analyse des retombées intermédiaires d’un dispositif de développement professionnel sur le soutien du développement langagier en centre de la petite enfance

This study documents the implementation of a professional development initiative to support language development for children in early childhood centres. The initiative, which includes a co-intervention modality with a speech-language pathologist, was offered to four educators. Using a mixed design and the Coldwell and Simkins (2011) logic model, the intermediate outcomes of the system are analyzed, namely the educators’ reactions, the new knowledge they acquired and the skills they developed, as well as the changes in their practices to support language development. A triangulation between data on the frequency of use of fifteen language development support practices and the analysis of interviews with educators underlines the importance of anchoring this new knowledge and skills in educators’ daily lives and provides a better understanding of certain challenges inherent to changes in practices. Keywords: early childhood education and care, professional development, language development supporting practices, logic model, interprofessional collaborationLa présente étude décrit la mise à l’essai d’un dispositif de développement professionnel quant au soutien du développement langagier offert aux enfants en centre de la petite enfance. Le dispositif, qui inclut une modalité de cointervention avec une orthophoniste, a été proposé à quatre éducatrices. À l’aide d’un devis mixte et à partir du modèle logique de Coldwell et Simkins (2011), les retombées intermédiaires du dispositif ont été analysées, à savoir les réactions des éducatrices, les nouvelles connaissances qu’elles ont acquises et les habiletés développées, ainsi que les changements dans leurs pratiques de soutien du développement langagier. Une triangulation entre les données sur la fréquence d’utilisation de quinze pratiques de soutien du développement langagier et l’analyse d’entretiens avec les éducatrices souligne l’importance d’ancrer ces nouvelles connaissances et habiletés dans le quotidien des éducatrices, et permet de mieux comprendre certains défis inhérents aux transformations de pratiques. Mots-clés : développement professionnel, éducation à la petite enfance, pratiques de soutien du développement langagier, modèle logique, collaboration interprofessionnell

La qualité des interactions observées en classe et les pratiques déclarées par les enseignantes à l’éducation préscolaire

Cette recherche a permis de mettre en parallèle des données observées et déclarées au sujet de la qualité des interactions enseignante-enfant à l’éducation préscolaire. Pour ce faire, l’outil Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) a été utilisé; celui-ci est composé de trois domaines : le soutien émotionnel, l’organisation de la classe et le soutien à l’apprentissage. L’échantillon à l’étude est composé de 12 classes d’éducation préscolaire; des observations ont d’abord été menées dans chacune des classes afin d’examiner la qualité des interactions à la maternelle 5 ans. Des entrevues semi-dirigées ont ensuite permis de relever les pratiques déclarées par les enseignantes au sujet des trois domaines qui composent l’outil d’observation. Les données issues de l’observation indiquent que le domaine « organisation de la classe » présente le niveau de qualité le plus élevé, en plus d’être le plus révélé par les enseignantes lors de l’entrevue. De plus, les résultats montrent un score de qualité moyen-faible lié au domaine du soutien à l’apprentissage dans les pratiques observées, ce domaine est d’ailleurs rarement évoqué par les enseignantes lors des entrevues. Ces résultats amènent à discuter du développement professionnel afin de favoriser la qualité des interactions en classe de maternelle

Annonce d’un diagnostic d’une maladie dégénérative : ses impacts et meilleures pratiques

L’annonce d’un diagnostic d’une maladie dégénérative chez un enfant est une expérience marquante et douloureuse pour les parents, expérience qui aura aussi nécessairement des impacts majeurs sur l’adaptation de ces derniers à cette nouvelle réalité. De même, pour les professionnels de l’équipe traitante, annoncer une maladie dégénérative est une tâche difficile pour laquelle ils reçoivent peu de formation. Bien qu’il n’y ait pas de « bonnes » façons d’annoncer une telle nouvelle, certaines études démontrent que des facteurs sont à considérer afin de faciliter ce moment, car la façon dont l’annonce est effectuée peut influencer de manière importante la réaction et l’adaptation des parents. Nos recherches sur l’annonce des maladies dégénératives, spécifiquement l’ataxie récessive spastique de Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSCS) et la polyneuropathie sensitivomotrice avec ou sans agénésie du corps calleux (NSM), deux maladies dégénératives et orphelines, nous démontrent aussi que ce n’est pas seulement le moment de l’annonce qui est crucial pour les parents, mais également la façon dont le suivi est réalisé. En effet, les maladies neurodégénératives, deuxième cause de handicap au monde, ont des impacts majeurs sur la qualité de vie de l’enfant et de sa famille, particulièrement sur les parents, qui jouent un rôle capital dans leur développement. La collaboration des parents avec l’équipe soignante est donc une condition gagnante pour l’enfant. Or, pour que cette collaboration soit efficace, certains éléments doivent être considérés par les professionnels de l’équipe soignante

Medicalization of children's difficulties: The case of ADHD/ADD

Medicalization of youth’s difficulties is growing, and the situation is worrisome. In the case of ADHD/ADD, school staff members play a role in this medicalization because they are often the first to notice the behaviours and mention the difficulties. This infographic is intended to make them aware of the associated issues

A virtual classroom can elicit teachers’ speech characteristics: Evidence from acoustic measurements during in vivo and in virtuo lessons, compared to a free speech control situation

peer reviewedTo achieve pedagogic goals and deal with environmental constraints such as noise when lecturing, teachers adapt their speech production in terms of frequency, intensity, and temporal aspects. The mastery of appropriate vocal skills is key to teachers’ speech intelligibility, health, and educational effectiveness. This project tests the relevance of virtual reality (VR) for training teachers’ vocal skills by simulating a lesson in a realistic VR environment characterized by adjustable constraints such as background noise and fidgety children. The VR environment depicts an elementary school classroom with 16 pupils aged 9 to 12 years old animated with typical childlike actions. To validate this virtual classroom in terms of speech characteristics, we conducted acoustic analyses on the speech productions of 30 female teachers in three conditions: (1) giving a free speech while facing the experimenter (control), (2) teaching in their usual classroom (in vivo), and (3) teaching the same lesson in a virtual classroom (in virtuo). The background noise in the VR setting was adjusted for each talker so it was similar to the level measured in vivo. Repeated measures ANOVAs showed that teachers significantly increased their voice frequency, intensity, and intonation, and made longer pauses while speaking in vivo and in virtuo, compared to the control condition (p < .001). These voice and speech adaptations (partly related to background noise), the strong feeling of presence and the lack of side effects suggest that the virtual classroom may facilitate voice training and rehabilitation for teachers.VirtuVo

Assessing attentional bias for alcohol-related cues using eye tracking in a virtual reality environment

peer reviewedSeveral experimental paradigms were developed to measure attentional biases towards alcohol-related cues. However, most of them are based on reaction times to two-dimensional stimuli displayed on a computer screen, such that their ecological validity has been questioned. To address this, we integrated an eye tracking system into a virtual reality headset (ET-VR) and measured attentional biases in a subclinical population of alcohol users. In this exploratory study, forty social drinkers were recruited and immersed in a virtual bar including alcohol-related stimuli. Attentional focus was assessed using dwell time and number of fixations for these alcohol-related stimuli as well as for neutral stimuli unrelated to alcohol consumption. The results show that the number of fixations and, to a lesser extent, the dwell time for alcohol- related cues were positively correlated with the drinking motivation of the participants. In contrast, no significant correlation was found for neutral stimuli. In conclusion, the present study shows that alcohol-induced attentional biases can be studied using an ET-VR device in a subclinical population of alcohol users.3. Good health and well-bein

Assessing attentional bias for alcohol-related cues using eye tracking in a virtual reality environment

peer reviewedSeveral experimental paradigms were developed to measure attentional biases towards alcohol-related cues. However, most of them are based on reaction times to two-dimensional stimuli displayed on a computer screen, such that their ecological validity has been questioned. To address this, we integrated an eye tracking system into a virtual reality headset (ET-VR) and measured attentional biases in a subclinical population of alcohol users. In this exploratory study, forty social drinkers were recruited and immersed in a virtual bar including alcohol-related stimuli. Attentional focus was assessed using dwell time and number of fixations for these alcohol-related stimuli as well as for neutral stimuli unrelated to alcohol consumption. The results show that the number of fixations and, to a lesser extent, the dwell time for alcohol- related cues were positively correlated with the drinking motivation of the participants. In contrast, no significant correlation was found for neutral stimuli. In conclusion, the present study shows that alcohol-induced attentional biases can be studied using an ET-VR device in a subclinical population of alcohol users.3. Good health and well-bein

Improving Colorectal Cancer Screening Decision Making Processes

Introduction: Although shared decision making is recommended for cancer screening, it is not routinely completed in practice because of time constraints. We evaluated a process for improving decision making about colorectal cancer (CRC) screening using mailed decision aids (DA) with follow-up telephone support in primary care practices. Methods: We identified patients aged 50-75 who were not up to date with CRC screening in three primary care practices. DA were distributed via mail with telephone follow-up to eligible patients, and charts were reviewed six months later for CRC screening completion. Results: Among 1,064 eligible patients who received the mailed DA, 513 (48.2%) were reached by phone. During the six months after the intervention, 148/1064 (13.9%) patients were screened for CRC (4.8% underwent FIT, 9.1% underwent colonoscopy). Younger patients (aged 50-54) had higher rates of any screening (32.4%) compared with all other age groups (range 12.8%-19.6%), p=0.026, while Medicaid patients had the lowest rates of screening (4.0%), and insured patients had the highest rates (45.3%), p=0.003. Overall, 113/513 (22.0%) who were reached by phone went on to complete screening within 6 months, compared with 35/551 (6.4%) of patients who were not reached by phone (p Conclusion: A standard process for identifying patients unscreened for CRC and DA distribution via mail with telephone decision support modestly increased CRC screening and is consistent with the goal of providing preference-sensitive care and informed decision making. Improving care processes to include decision support outside of office visits is possible in primary care practices