Use of residential wood heating in a context of climate change: a population survey in Québec (Canada)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Wood heating is recommended in several countries as a climate change (CC) adaptation measure, mainly to increase the autonomy of households during power outages due to extreme climatic events. The aim of this study was to examine various perceptions and individual characteristics associated with wood heating through a survey about CC adaptations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A telephone survey (n = 2,545) of adults living in the southern part of the province of Québec (Canada) was conducted in the early fall season of 2005. The questionnaire used closed questions and measured the respondents' beliefs and current adaptations about CC. Calibration weighting was used to adjust the data analysis for the respondent's age and language under stratified sampling based on health regions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>More than three out of four respondents had access to a single source of energy at home, which was mainly electricity; 22.2% combined two sources or more; 18.5% heated with wood occasionally or daily during the winter. The prevalence of wood heating was higher in the peripheral regions than in the more urban regions, where there was a higher proportion of respondents living in apartments. The prevalence was also higher with participants completely disagreeing (38.5%) with the eventual prohibition of wood heating when there is smog in winter, compared to respondents somewhat disagreeing (24.2%) or agreeing (somewhat: 17.5%; completely: 10.4%) with the adoption of this strategy. It appears that the perception of living in a region susceptible to winter smog, smog warnings in the media, or the belief in the human contribution to CC, did not influence significantly wood heating practices.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Increased residential wood heating could very well become a maladaptation to climate change, given its known consequences on winter smog and respiratory health. It would thus be appropriate to implement a long-term national program on improved and controlled residential wood heating. This would constitute a "no-regrets" adaptation to climate change, while reducing air pollution and its associated health impacts.</p

Teaching to address diverse learning needs : development and validation of a differentiated instruction scale

In the province of Quebec, Canada, a trend towards full inclusion has impelled teachers to adapt their instruction to meet the needs of both advanced and weaker learners in regular school settings. The main purpose of the present investigation was to develop and validate the Differentiated Instruction Scale (DIS), which assesses the use of instructional adaptations and academic progress monitoring strategies in general education classrooms. A total of 125 elementary school teachers participated in a cross-sectional study, allowing us to develop and validate the DIS. Overall our results show that the DIS is composed of two factors that are consistent with the predicted constructs (instructional adaptations and academic progress monitoring). Evidence of convergent validity is provided through correlations among DIS' subscales and two criteria: (1) teachers' autonomy support and (2) perceptions of school climate. Results also reveal that teachers tend to use instructional adaptations that do not require much preparation or tailored instruction. The DIS could thus be used in future research to investigate outcomes of differentiated instruction. Moreover, it could provide useful information on optimal strategies for promoting learning in children with different abilities in general education classrooms

The Gain of Network Coding in Wireless Sensor Networking

Wireless Sensor Networks have some well known features such as low battery consumption, changing topology awareness, open environment, non reliable radio links, etc.In this paper, we investigate the benefits of Network Coding Wireless Sensor networking, especially resiliency.One of our main concern is the resiliency in Wireless Sensor Networks.We have seen that resiliency could be described as a multi dimensional metric \cite{5478822,erdene2011enhancing,6423640} taking parameters such as Average Delivery Ratio, Delay Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Average Throughput and Delivery Fairness into account.Resiliency can then be graphically represented as a kiviat diagram created by the previous weighted parameters.In order to introduce these metrics, previous works have been leaded on the Random Gradient Based Routing, which proved good resiliency in malicious environment.We look for seeing the improvements in term of resiliency, when adding network coding in the Random Gradient Based Routing with malicious nodes

The big-fish-little-pond effect on academic self-concept : the moderating role of differentiated instruction

The big-fish–little-pond effect (BFLPE) postulates that class-average achievement has a negative effect on students' academic self-concept. We hypothesized that teachers' use of differentiated instruction strategies would attenuate the BFLPE on French self-concept (FSC). We also explored whether this moderation effect depended on children's individual achievement (i.e., a three-way interaction among class-average achievement, individual achievement, and differentiated instruction). Using hierarchical linear modeling, we tested this moderation effect in a sample of 422 elementary students nested in 27 classrooms. The results showed that the three-way interaction was significant. Simple slopes indicated a significant BFLPE only for students with low individual achievement and for whom teachers reported less frequent use of differentiated instruction strategies. Our findings provide insights into which students may be the most affected by the BFLPE and which teaching practices can attenuate its negative consequences on students' FSC. We discuss results in relation to the literature on the BFLPE and on differentiated instruction

Teacher structure as a predictor of students’ perceived competence and autonomous motivation : the moderating role of differentiated instruction

Background An important pedagogical practice is the provision of structure (Farkas & Grolnick, 2010, Motiv. Emot., 34, 266). According to self‐determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985, Intrinsic motivation and self‐determination in human behavior, Plenum, New York, NY), structure allows students to develop perceived competence in different school subjects, which in turn facilitates the development of autonomous motivation towards these subjects and limits the development of controlled motivation. Aims In this study, we test a mediated moderation model that posits that teacher structure has a stronger positive effect on students’ autonomous motivation (and a negative effect on controlled motivation) in French class when differentiated instruction is used, and that this moderation effect is mediated by perceived competence. Sample To test this model, we used a sample of 27 elementary school teachers and 422 students from Quebec, a province of Canada. Methods Data for teachers and students were collected with self‐report measures. The method used was a correlational one with a single measurement time. Results Results revealed that (1) the effect of teacher structure on students’ autonomous motivation was positive only when differentiated instruction strategies were frequently used, and this moderated effect was partially mediated by perceived competence, and (2) teacher structure was negatively associated with students’ controlled motivation only when differentiated instruction was provided infrequently, and this moderated effect was not explained by perceived competence. Conclusions These findings are discussed in the light of the literature on SDT and on differentiated instruction

A Beliefs-based Strategy to Prepare Social Workers for Educational Practices with Asylum Seekers

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to optimise educational interventions with asylum seekers. Asylum seekers (n=284) completed a questionnaire that assessed the theory of planned behaviour constructs. The results highlight the importance of social norms and their perceived control over the decision to stay, when explaining their intention to remain in the host country until the reception of the answer to their asylum request. Moreover, behavioural beliefs about the new life, medical services, the feeling of security, employment and education perspectives were identified as motivators. Educational practices can be developed on the basis of these asylum seekers’ beliefs

Examining the effects of a professional development program on teachers' pedagogical practices and students' motivational resources and achievement in written french

We tested the effects of a professional development program (CASIS) on teachers' pedagogical practices and students' motivation and achievement in written French. CASIS involved a two-day workshop in which we taught teachers to use collaboration, autonomy support, authentic tasks, involvement, and structure. We conducted a quasi-experimental longitudinal study among 18 elementary school teachers and 277 of their students. The results showed large group effect sizes for four of the five pedagogical practices and increased intrinsic motivation for students whose teachers attended CASIS. The discussion centers on the implications of these findings for research and practice

Gender Differences in Psychosocial Determinants of University Students' Intentions to Buy Fair Trade Products

This study examined gender differences in university students’ intentions to buy fair trade (FT) products through the lens of the moral-norm-extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Data were obtained from 782 students at the University of Luxemburg. Results of structural equation analysis indicated that the inclusion of moral norms increased the explained variance in behavioural intentions from 62% to 68%. Compared to men, women reported more favourable attitude, higher moral obligation, and stronger intentions toward buying FT products. Moderating analyses showed that the attitude–intentions relationship was stronger for men, whereas the perceived behavioural control–intentions relationship was stronger for women. The implications of the moderation analysis are that sustainability professionals seeking to encourage university students’ intentions to buy FT products should develop gender-targeted interventions: for men, more emphasis should be placed on attitude toward buying FT products (i.e., the advantages of adopting this behaviour), and for women, more emphasis should be placed on perceived behavioural control (e.g., factors that facilitate the purchase of FT products)