Collaborative practice in enhancing the first year student experience in higher education

Transition into higher education presents challenges for students, whatever their age or previous educational history. An emerging issue on an undergraduate programme in England was how to support students who self reported educational histories of continual formative feedback, model answers, revision guides and limited use of the library. This article reports findings from an action research project which considered whether there was a mismatch between students’ previous educational histories and the academic expectations of the university. Findings indicated that academic expectations did not fully take account of previous student experiences. Student responses also indicated little previous guidance around effective internet searching and libraries were rarely used prior to starting university. Transitional scaffolding was positively evaluated, students reporting greater confidence levels in accessing appropriate resources, high levels of student completion, retention and satisfactio

A Case Study to Explore Women's Body Image Experiences Practicing Hot Yoga

Yoga is an embodying activity associated with positive body image; however, hot yoga may have differing impacts on body image and embodiment than traditional yoga, as several features of hot yoga differ from traditional yoga (e.g., heat, clothing worn, emphasis on fitness) and may influence women’s body image and practice of hot yoga. Using an exploratory case study approach, one hot yoga studio (Modo Yoga St. Catharines) was chosen for this study. The research questions pertaining to this case were: 1) In what ways is body image related to women’s practice of hot yoga? 2) What are women’s experiences practicing hot yoga at Modo Yoga studio St. Catharines? Ten women were recruited from the yoga studio and interviewed about their body image and experience practicing yoga at Modo Yoga. Four women, with differing experiences and body image, completed a follow-up interview to further clarify their experiences. Overall, it was found that women tended to emphasize the fitness aspects of hot yoga, which impacted their body image and undermined some benefits of yoga. However, there were also positive effects on body image and mental health as a result of the practice. Case-specific features, specifically related to the physical characteristics of the studio (e.g., large mirrors in the studio) and the social environment within the studio (i.e., instructor cues and other members) impacted women’s body image both positively and negatively. Further, some differences based on age and experience at the studio were also identified, with long-term members (6 months+) experiencing more psychological benefits (e.g., mindfulness, feeling less anxious, body acceptance, body responsiveness), with the physical challenges of hot yoga being an additional benefit. Overall, hot yoga had a complex impact on women’s body image and experience practicing hot yoga through a larger focus on the fitness elements of the practice

Coney Island Caviar

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature of Bard College

The Impact of Excessive Video-Gaming on Partners of Gamers: An Investigation of Harm and Coping Strategies

This item is only available electronically.Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) refers to a pattern of persistent gaming that results in functional impairment to the user (APA, 2013). There is a wide range of intrapersonal harms associated with problem gaming. Less attention is given in the literature to the potential “passed on” harms to those around the problem gamer. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether partners of gamers (N=271) were experiencing harm in five domains (relationship, emotional, health, financial and work). The secondary aim of the study was to investigate what coping strategies (emotion and problem-focused) are most frequently endorsed by partners of gamers and whether emotion-focused coping predicted the overall harms experienced by partners. An online survey of partners of gamers investigated reported IGD, as well as, examined the harms, psychological distress and coping strategies. The 18.1% of participants that reported IGD in their partner reported greater harm on all five domains, in comparison to those who had non-IGD partners. Emotion-focused coping was more frequently endorsed by those with greater psychological distress. A regression analysis indicated that emotion-focused coping was not predictive of overall gaming related harm beyond what was already predicted by IGD, time spent gaming, and psychological distress. The present finding provided valuable information about types and strength of the harms “passed on” to those close to a problem gamer and how partners of gamers may cope with this situation.Thesis (B.PsychSc(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 201

Late Quaternary human-environment interaction in Bunuba and Gooniyandi country, Western Australia

In north Western Australia, records of palaeoenvironmental change are scarce or under explored, particularly terrestrial archives that allow for comparison with the archaeological record and examination of human-environment interaction in the past. The extent to which these records reflect localised vegetation responses to climate fluctuations, and the manner in which people adapted to these changes in climate and vegetation, has yet to be investigated within the context of stratified archaeological inquiry. Analysis of archaeobotanical proxies excavated in association with other cultural remains provide the obvious evidential link to this issue; however, archaeobotany is rarely applied in Australian archaeology due to a lack of application of appropriate field techniques, limited reference collections, and the poor preservation of organic remains. This research, which is part of the ARC Linkage Project: Lifeways of the First Australians, investigates human-environment interaction using archaeobotanical techniques at two sites in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia: Riwi and Mount Behn rockshelter, during the late Quaternary. Located on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert in Gooniyandi country, Riwi has a discontinuous occupation sequence of about 45 ka, while Mount Behn rockshelter, located some 180 km northwest of Riwi in Bunuba country, has an occupation sequence of ~3 ka. Anthracology (wood charcoal), palynology (pollen and spores), and wood identification using X-ray microtomography are used alongside other research from the Lifeways Project to reconstruct vegetation, investigate humanenvironment interaction, and explore the taphonomy and representativeness of the different proxy data sets. The findings from each site are then located within a regional narrative of human-environment interaction

A Ray of Moonlight Falls: Casting Light on Oscar Wilde\u27s Dissident Decadence

This thesis follows the work of Oscar Wilde, tracking his poetic prose in conjunction with his dissidence against societal expectations in the late Victorian era. Works analyzed include The Picture of Dorian Gray, Salome, The Happy Prince, De Profundis, and others