Master of Arts

thesisThis M.A. thesis reports on an action-based research project that used a quasiexperimental design and was conducted in two sections of an English grammar and editing skills class taught at the University by the same instructor. One section was a traditional face-to-face (f2f) class while the other one was a hybrid. Students were assigned to sections based on the normal registration process. Action research is designed to assist the teacher in understanding whether hybrid instruction has a positive effect on students' development of English grammar and editing skills; it also investigates teacher and student perceptions of the hybrid and f2f formats. A pretestposttest design was used to measure whether hybrid instruction had a positive effect on the students' performance. Teachers' perceptions of both formats were investigated through teaching journals, and students' perceptions of the hybrid format were obtained from questionnaires and data from a focus group conducted by a professional from the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) at the University. The results of pre- and posttests indicate that there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of their knowledge of English grammar and editing skills after the treatment. An analysis of the perceptual data indicates that both the teacher and the students had positive perceptions about the hybrid course. However, data also indicated that the hybrid course should be refined in several ways to help students manage their time better and study more effectively during online days. The f2f format was perceived to be equally effective by the teacher; however, managing the classroom and keeping students' attention in the f2f format was perceived to be challenging

Comparative law: A Handbook

The book has a first part containing a series of theoretical chapters (including two by David Nelken: chapters 1 and 5) followed by second part containing comparative studies of a range of substantive areas of law

Perceived Stress Scale: Reliability and Validity Study in Greece

Objective: To translate the Perceived Stress Scale (versions PSS-4, -10 and -14) and to assess its psychometric properties in a sample of general Greek population. Methods: 941 individuals completed anonymously questionnaires comprising of PSS, the Depression Anxiety and Stress scale (DASS-21 version), and a list of stress-related symptoms. Psychometric properties of PSS were investigated by confirmatory factor analysis (construct validity), Cronbach’s alpha (reliability), and by investigating relations with the DASS-21 scores and the number of symptoms, across individuals’ characteristics. The two-factor structure of PSS-10 and PSS-14 was confirmed in our analysis. We found satisfactory Cronbach’s alpha values (0.82 for the full scale) for PSS-14 and PSS-10 and marginal satisfactory values for PSS-4 (0.69). PSS score exhibited high correlation coefficients with DASS-21 subscales scores, meaning stress (r = 0.64), depression (r = 0.61), and anxiety (r = 0.54). Women reported significantly more stress compared to men and divorced or widows compared to married or singled only. A strong significant (p < 0.001) positive correlation between the stress score and the number of self-reported symptoms was also noted. Conclusions: The Greek versions of the PSS-14 and PSS-10 exhibited satisfactory psychometric properties and their use for research and health care practice is warranted

Interrogating and Reflecting on Disability Prevalence Data Collected Using the Washington Group Tools: Results from Population-Based Surveys in Cameroon, Guatemala, India, Maldives, Nepal, Turkey and Vanuatu.

The Washington Group (WG) tools capture self-reported functional limitations, ranging from 6 domains in the Short Set (SS) to 11 in the Extended Set (ESF). Prevalence estimates can vary considerably on account of differences between modules and the different applications of them. We compare prevalence estimates by WG module, threshold, application and domain to explore these nuances and consider whether alternative combinations of questions may be valuable in reduced sets. We conducted secondary analyses of seven population-based surveys (analyses restricted to adults 18+) in Low- and Middle-Income Countries that used the WG tools. The prevalence estimates using the SS standard threshold (a lot of difficulty or higher in one or more domain) varied between 3.2% (95% Confidence Interval 2.9-3.6) in Vanuatu to 14.1% (12.2-16.2) in Turkey. The prevalence was higher using the ESF than the SS, and much higher (5 to 10-fold) using a wider threshold of "some" or greater difficulty. Two of the SS domains (communication, self-care) identified few additional individuals with functional limitations. An alternative SS replacing these domains with the psychosocial domains of anxiety and depression would identify more participants with functional limitations for the same number of items. The WG tools are valuable for collecting harmonised population data on disability. It is important that the impact on prevalence of use of different modules, thresholds and applications is recognised. An alternative SS may capture a greater proportion of people with functional domains without increasing the number of items