Transforming a methodological dilemma into a rewarding research opportunity

This article focuses on an investigation of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher (de)motivation in Spain which underwent a methodological transformation from mixed methods to a qualitative approach. Unexpected statistical results from the questionnaire in the piloting phase led to the creation of interview prompts, a dynamic data collection instrument based on reliable items from the questionnaire which was disregarded from the main study at a later stage. The interview prompts provided a card-based data collection method which engaged participants in reflective and challenging tasks. This paper will discuss an unsettling challenge in the research process, how it was seized and the positive outcome which emerged from this unpredicted pitfall. A research breakdown welcomed a methodological turn enabled by the researcher’s reflection on the research dilemma. Authors are encouraged to defy and embrace research obstacles while learning from them and sharing the solutions with the research community

Magnetotransport of CeRhIn5

We report measurements of the temperature-dependent anisotropic resistivity and in-plane magnetoresistance on single crystals of the tetragonal heavy-fermion antiferromagnet (TN = 3.8 K) CeRhIn5. The measurements are reported in the temperature range 1.4 K to 300 K and in magnetic fields to 18 tesla. The resistivity is moderately anisotropic, with a room-temperature c-axis to in-plane resistivity ratio rho_c/rho_a(300 K) = 1.7. rho(T) measurements on the non-magnetic analog LaRhIn5 indicate that the anisotropy in the CeRhIn5 resistivity stems predominately from anisotropy in Kondo-derived magnetic scattering. In the magnetically ordered regime an applied field H reduces TN only slightly due to the small ordered moment (0.37mu_B) and magnetic anisotropy. The magnetoresistance (MR) below TN is positive and varies linearly with H. In the paramagnetic state a positive MR is present below 7.5 K, while a high-field negative contribution is evident at higher temperatures. The positive contribution decreases in magnitude with increasing temperature. Above 40 K the positive contribution is no longer observable, and the MR is negative. The low-T positive MR results from interactions with the Kondo-coherent state, while the high-T negative MR stems from single-impurity effects. The H and T-dependent magnetotransport reflects the magnetic anisotropy and Kondo interactions at play in CeRhIn5.Comment: submitted to Physical Review

Using clickers in a large business class: examining use behavior and satisfaction

YesAs more and more institutions are integrating new technologies (e.g., audience response systems such as clickers) into their teaching and learning systems, it is becoming increasingly necessary to have a detailed understanding of the underlying mechanisms of these advanced technologies and their outcomes on student learning perceptions. We proposed a conceptual model based on the technology acceptance model to understand students’ use behavior and satisfaction with clickers. The valid response from 138 second-year business students of Digital Marketing module taught in a British university, where clickers are extensively used in the teaching and learning process, made the basis for data analysis. The results provided a strong support for the proposed model with a reasonably adequate variance (i.e., adjusted R2) of 67% on behavioral intentions and sufficiently high variance on use behavior (i.e., 86%) and user satisfaction (i.e., 89%)

LOW TEMPERATURE MAGNETORESISTANCE AND ELECTRON SPIN RESONANCE IN Ge-Mn-Te

Nous avons mesuré, à basse température, la magnétorésistance, la magnétisation et l'absorption E. S. R. pour un alliage Ge-Te (0,9 at. % Mn) ayant une concentration de porteurs négatifs de 9 x 1020/cc. Il y a corrélation entre la composante négative de la magnétorésistance et le carré de la magnétisation. Cette caractéristique identifie un métal ferromagnétique, à une température inférieure, à la température de Curie. La valeur de saturation de la composante négative de la magnétorésistance augmente pour une diminution de température et peut être reliée à l'intensité du signal E. S. R. pour le même composé.Low temperature measurements of the magnetoresistance, magnetization and E. S. R. absorption are reported for a sample of Ge-Te with a hole concentration of 9 x 1020/cc and containing 0.9 at. % Mn. The magnetoresistance exhibits a negative component which correlates with the square of the experimentally measured magnetization. This behaviour is characteristic of a ferromagnetic metal below the Curie temperature. The saturation value of the negative component of the magnetoresistance increases with decreasing temperature and can be correlated with the E. S. R. line intensity on the same sample