Relation between emotions and students’ code quality using IoT

Programming can be a mentally demanding exercise. The objective of this study is to explore the effects emotions have on a programmer’s quality of code. Programmers in the study are given a Rainfall Problem to solve as their emotional data is collected simultaneously. Emotional data is collected using EMOTIV’s neuroheadset. There are 6 emotions tracked in this study: engagement, excitement, focus, interest, relaxation, and stress. One control group is relaxed prior to beginning the programming problem. An EEG-powered relaxation device called Muse is used to accomplish this task. Coding quality is measured based on 6 parameters: average, sum, count, sentinel, negative and DivZero. Generally, positive emotions are associated with a higher quality of code while negative emotions are associated with lower quality of code

Intellectual disability and participation in digital technology design activities: A catalyst for social inclusion

Paper III is excluded from the dissertation until it is published.Social inclusion is a central goal in welfare policies and an essential determinant of people's health and well-being. This doctoral thesis aims to investigate how participation in the design of digital technology can contribute to the social inclusion of young adults with intellectual disability. This dissertation explores 1) How do young adults and adults with intellectual disability experience participation in the design of digital technology? and 2) How can young adults and adults with intellectual disability be supported to enable participation in the design of digital technology? Four independent studies were conducted in total. Paper I reports on how 13 young adults with intellectual disabilities experienced participating in the design of a transport support application. A thematic analysis based on data collected through qualitative interviews, photovoice interviews, participant observations, and Smileyometer ratings showed that the participants experienced a sense of pride and ownership, an experience of socialization, and a sense of empowerment. However, the analysis also showed that negative experiences such as boredom can occur. The differences and variability within the reported experiences suggest that it is important to be aware of individuality, preferences and interests of the participants when designing digital services with young adults with intellectual disability.publishedVersio

Photovoice—Towards Engaging and Empowering People with Intellectual Disabilities in Innovation

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‘I Got To Answer the Way I Wanted To’: Intellectual Disabilities and Participation in Technology Design Activities

User involvement in technology design processes can have positive implications for the designed service, but less is known about how such participation affects people with intellectual disabilities. We explored how 13 individuals with intellectual disabilities experienced participation in the design of a transport support application. The study is based on qualitative interviews, photovoice interviews, participant observations, and Smileyometer ratings. A thematic analysis generated the following themes: a sense of pride and ownership, an experience of socialization, and a sense of empowerment. The findings suggest that participation in design activities is a primarily positive experience that develops the participants’ skills. However, experiences such as boredom may occur. The variability within the experiences of the participants show that it is crucial to be aware of individuality, preferences, and personal interests when designing with people with intellectual disabilities.publishedVersio

Potential of lactic acid fermentation in reducing aflatoxin B1 in Tanzania maize-based gruel

Aflatoxins are toxic by-products of fungi, with harmful effects on human and animal health. Although maize is known to be highly susceptible to aflatoxin contamination, and a staple in many African countries, there is still lack of methods to mitigate the effects. The effect of lactic acid fermentation on reduction of aflatoxin B1 in Tanzania maize-based gruel (togwa) by four monocultures (Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus fermentum), natural fermentation and back-slopping at 30°C for up to 24 h was investigated. Monocultures removed 45–55% of aflatoxin B1 while natural fermentation and back-slopping removed 56% and 68% of aflatoxin B1, respectively. Thus, lactic acid fermentation could be a part of a comprehensive mycotoxicosis prevention strategy in the commonly consumed maize-based gruels. Consumers could benefit from enhanced food safety through consumption of gruel less contaminated with mycotoxins and might also benefit from the probiotic effects of lactic acid bacteria. In the scenario where lactic acid bacteria starter culture access and handling could prove challenging, especially to households and small-scale food processors in developing countries, the use of back-slopping in gruel fermentation might be advocated for in order to reduce aflatoxin B1.Keywords: aflatoxins, lactic acid fermentation, maize gruel, togwa, food safety, mycotoxins, East Afric

CHALLENGES OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT IN IMPLEMENTATION OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN PRIVATE CATHOLIC CHURCH FOUNDED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KAMPALA ARCHDIOCESE, UGANDA

The study examined the challenges of school management in implementation of quality assurance in private Catholic Church founded secondary schools in Kampala Archdiocese, Uganda. A mixed method research particularly embedded design guided the study. The study involved all head teachers, teachers, students, Inspectors of schools and, the Diocesan Education Secretary in Kampala Archdiocese. Non probability sampling especially purposive sampling techniques were used to select a sample size of 11 head teachers, 120 students, 5 Inspectors of the directorate of education standards and 1 Education Diocesan Secretary. Probability sampling involved the use of proportionate sampling technique to select 11 schools and 312 teachers to take part in the study. Data collection instruments that were used were a self-administered questionnaire, an interview guide, a focused group discussion guide, and an observation checklist. Research instruments were subjected to both content and construct validity. Cronbach’s alpha was used to determine reliability of the questionnaire while credibility and dependability were used to determine reliability of the qualitative items. Quantitative data was analysed by cleaning, coding and keying in computer Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 21 to generate frequencies and percentages that summarized data. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. Ethics in research were observed throughout the process. Key findings showed that the schools studied have many challenges in implementing quality assurance. The major challenge experienced especially by poor schools was funding with its associated challenges such as teaching resources, student-teacher ratio and workload of teachers. However, professionalism of teachers, their quality, professional development and empowerment, supervision/evaluation, existence of quality assurance/ control units, attention to a culture of quality and top management in schools, lacking commitment and belief in quality assurance were not serious challenges in the implementation of quality assurance in the schools. Therefore, it was concluded that only funding and its resulting challenges such as inadequacy of teaching resources, student-teacher ratio and workload of teachers pose a challenge in the implementation of quality assurance especially for the poor schools. Thus, it was recommended that head teachers, boards of governors, and the Archdiocese Education Secretariat should make effort to put in place measures besides students’ tuition fees to enable even poor private schools implement quality assurance easily. Article visualizations

Motivation of people with intellectual disabilities in technology design activities: the role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness

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Sammenhengen mellom organisert idrettsdeltakelse, opplevd tilhørighet og psykologisk distress blant norske ungdommer : en ett-års oppfølgingsstudie

Masteroppgave i folkehelsevitenskap – Universitetet i Agder 2016The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between sports participation, sense of belonging and psychological distress in a sample of Norwegian adolescents during a one-year period. We also wanted investigate the potential mediating effect of sense of belonging on the relationship between the degree of sports participation and psychological distress one year later. This longitudinal study is part of a larger project called "the Relevance of Physical Activity Contexts in Every-Day Life of Adolescents" (REPAC). This study is based on data collections made in spring 2014 (N = 3049) and 2015 (N = 2890) where students from Aust and Vest-Agder, Oslo/Akershus and Østfold participated. The adolescents were around 12 and 16 years in 2014 and around 13 and 17 years in 2015. The questionnaire was developed to investigate how different activity contexts affect young people's everyday lives. Correlation and mediation analyzes (bootstrapping) were conducted. The results showed that sports participating adolescents had lower levels of psychological distress than non-sport participating adolescents. The present study reports a negative relationship between sports participation psychological distress among sports participating adolescents. In addition, the results showed that the level of sports participation predicted lower levels of psychological distress a year later, mediated by sense of belonging. Previous levels of psychological distress and sense of belonging were controlled for. The findings in this study are discussed in light of theory and previous research. Key words: Physical activity, sports participation, perceived affiliation, mental health, psychological distress, youth, mediation