Child and youth affective computing - challenge accepted

Affective computing has been shown effective and useful in a range of use cases by now, including human–computer interaction, emotionally intelligent tutoring, or depression monitoring. While these could be very useful to the younger among us—including in particular also earlier recognition of developmental disorders, usually research and even working demonstrators have been largely targeting an adult population. Only a few studies, including the first-ever competitive emotion challenge, were based on children’s data. In times where fairness is a dominating topic in the world of artificial intelligence, it seems timely to widen up to include children and youth more broadly as a user group and beneficiaries of the promises affective computing holds. To best support according to algorithmic and technological development, here, we summarize the emotional development of this group over the years, which poses considerable challenges for automatic emotion recognition, generation, and processing engines. We also provide a view on the steps to be taken to best cope with these, including drifting target learning, broadening up on the “vocabulary” of affective states modeled, transfer, few-shot, zero-shot, reinforced, and life-long learning in affective computing besides trustability

Virtueller Schulgartenaustausch: Ein innovativer Lernansatz im Kontext von Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung

Der vorliegende Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit Virtuellem Schulgartenaustausch. In Virtuellen Schulgartenaustauschen tauschen sich Grund- und Sekundarschüler/innen des Globalen Nordens und Globalen Südens über ihre Erfahrungen im Schulgarten mithilfe digitaler Medien aus. Der Beitrag zeigt den Status Quo des Forschungsfelds, gibt Einblicke in die Intentionen und Beobachtungen, die Pädagog/innen mit Virtuellem Schulgartenaustausch haben bzw. machen. Zusammenfassend zeigte sich, dass Virtueller Schulgartenaustausch ein innovativer Ansatz ist. Einerseits kann er Transformatives Lernen anregen, andererseits zeigt die vorliegende Studie auch, dass er keine Garantie für eine gute Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung ist, da er auch Othering fördern kann. (DIPF/Orig.)In Virtual School Garden Exchanges, primary and secondary school students from the Global North and Global South exchange virtually on their school gardening experiences. The article indicates the status quo of the research field, presents insights into the intentions and observations educators have or make in Virtual School Garden Exchanges. In summary, it has been shown that it is an innovative approach. On the one hand it is an opportunity to implement Transformative Learning, on the other hand the article shows that it does not guarantee good Education for Sustainable Development practice, as there is the risk of creating Othering between international learners. (DIPF/Orig.

(Un)expected Learning Outcomes of Virtual School Garden Exchanges in the Field of Education for Sustainable Development

Global solidarity is paramount in times of global crises and essential in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Virtual School Garden Exchanges (VSGEs) link local gardening with global thinking. In VSGEs, elementary and secondary school students in different parts of the world exchange information about their school gardens and related topics via digital media. Educators’ perspectives and the learning outcomes they observed in the participants of the VSGEs were the focus of this study, as there has been controversy about whether VSGEs are suitable for implementing ESD and whether VSGEs result in the learning outcomes that the educators expect them to. We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with VSGE educators and analyzed them in an abductive and qualitative manner. The results showed substantial overlap with both the expected learning outcomes and the aims of ESD. Nevertheless, the data revealed different ways in which learners who engaged with their international peers were influenced by stereotypes and norms. On the one hand, VSGEs can lead to Othering, which is not congruent with either ESD or the expected learning outcomes. On the other hand, it can inspire Transformative Learning processes, which contribute to the aims of ESD. Therefore, depending on a complex interplay of various factors, there is potential for ESD in VSGEs, but VSGEs are not guaranteed to be a good ESD practice.Peer Reviewe

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe

Virtual School Garden Exchange: An Innovative Learning Approach in a Context of Education for Sustainable Development

Es ist weithin anerkannt, dass globale Solidarität in Zeiten globaler Krisen von größter Bedeutung ist. Sie ist auch wesentlich für Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung (Education for Sustainable Development/ESD). Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich in diesem Kontext mit Virtuellem Schulgartenaustausch (Virtual School Garden Exchange/VSGE). In VSGEs tauschen sich Grund- und Sekundarschüler*innen des Globalen Nordens und Globalen Südens über ihre Erfahrungen im Schulgarten mithilfe digitaler Medien aus. In drei Fachartikeln werden empirische Befunde aus vor allem qualitativer Empirie vorgestellt. Die erste Publikation umfasst einen systematischen Literaturreview. Dieser ergab, dass im Feld der internationalen Schulgartenforschung bisher kaum dieser Ansatz thematisiert wurde. Artikel 2 & 3 analysieren konkrete VSGEs. Hierfür wurden 23 semi-strukturierte Interviews mit Pädagog*innen geführt, die mittels der qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse ausgewertet wurden. Im zweiten Artiekl wurden die Intentionen der Pädagog*innen hinsichtlich der Lernergebnisse der Schüler*innen untersucht. Diese zeigen einige Überschneidungen mit den Zielen von ESD auf. Um dies näher zu untersuchen, widmete sich die dritte Publikation den von Pädagog*innen beobachteten Lernergebnissen ihrer Schüler*innen. Es konnte die Förderung einiger der erwünschten Lernergebnisse beobachtet werden. Außerdem wurden die Schüler*innen durch die VSGEs zu Transformativem Lernen und zu Othering angeregt. Während ersteres mit den Zielen von BNE im Einklang steht, widerspricht Othering diesen. Zusammenfassend zeigte sich, dass VSGE ein innovativer Ansatz ist. Einerseits eignet er sich dazu, die globale Perspektive von BNE im Schulgarten umzusetzen. Andererseits zeigt die vorliegende Studie auch, dass VSGEs keine Garantie für eine gute BNE-Praxis sind, da diese auch Othering fördern. Die Arbeit schließt mit Handlungsempfehlungen für zukünftige Forschung sowie für interessierte und bereits aktive VSGE-Pädagog*innen ab.It is widely recognized that global solidarity is of paramount importance in times of global crises. It is also essential for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). In this context, this study deals with Virtual School Garden Exchanges (VSGEs). In VSGEs, primary and secondary school students from the Global North and Global South exchange virtually on their school gardening experiences. Three scientific articles present new findings from primarily qualitative empirical research and examine VSGEs under ESD criteria. The first publication is based on a systematic literature review. It revealed that in the field of international school garden research, little to no attention has been paid to VSGEs. In Articles 2 & 3 concrete VSGEs were analyzed with a particular focus on student learning outcomes from educators' perspectives. For this purpose, 23 semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The second publication examines VSGE educators' intentions for students’ learning outcomes. These are compared with research on ESD, which indicated some overlap. To investigate this further, the third publication focused on educators’ observations regarding students’ learning. First, the promotion of some of the desired learning outcomes was observed. Furthermore, educators observed that, on the one hand, Transformative Learning and on the other hand Othering was stimulated by VSGEs. While Transformative Learning is in line with ESD objectives, Othering contradicts the aims of ESD. In summary, it has been shown that VSGE is an innovative approach and an opportunity to implement the global perspective of ESD in school gardens. Nevertheless, this study also shows that VSGEs are not a guarantee of good ESD practice. They also risk creating Othering between international students instead of fostering solidarity. The study concludes with recommendations for future research as well as for interested and already active VSGE educators

Against totalising discourses : Ishiguro, Rushdie, Coetzee, and Adigo

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Taal en hegemonie : die ontwikkeling van Afrikaans as uitsaaitaal, 1923-1948

Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2003.This study investigated the development of Afrikaans as a broadcast language against the background of the Afrikaner's hegemonic struggle during the first half of the previous century. The following research question was posed: What influence did the Afrikaner's hegemonic struggle have on the development of Afrikaans as a broadcast language, from 1923-1948? The study postulated that changes in the Afrikaner's cultural, economic and political position determined the position and status of Afrikaans as an official and a broadcast language. Gramsci's (1982) hegemonic perspective, which explains how one group achieves dominance over another group or groups in society, was used as theoretical approach to this question. This dominance, which manifests as consensual control, is negotiated by the state whilst moral and intellectual leadership are accomplished in civil society. The theory of hegemony was applied, focusing on the terrain on which hegemony is negotiated. The point of departure is that institutions in civil society, as vehicles of culture and ideology, persuade subjugated groups to agree to their own domination. Through historical research this study determined the impact of cultural, economic and political developments in the external framework on the internal framework of broadcasting, and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) since 1936, focusing specifically on the status of Afrikaans as a broadcast language. Therefore, the field of study was also typified as media policy. Afrikaner nationalism as organic ideology opposed British dominance in cultural, economic and political spheres. Initially, the aim was to give Afrikaner culture equal status with English culture, but in order to achieve this, the ideology grew organically to include both economic and political motives. In the attainment of each of these goals, the ethnic leaders used the Afrikaans language as both a unifying and mobilising symbol. This was primarily due to the language focus of the two primary organic intellectuals of the time, general JBM Hertzog and dr DF Malan whose articulation of Afrikaner nationalism was interpreted and executed by other organic intellectuals, including those in broadcasting. The Afrikaner's hegemonic struggle was mainly conducted in civil society by the group's organic institutions, namely the National Party, the Afrikaner Broederbond, the Federasie vir Afrikaanse Kultuurverenigings, the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Taal, Lettere en Kuns/Wetenskap en Kuns and the Afrikaans newspapers, who used the issue of the status of Afrikaans in their functioning as vehicles of Afrikaner nationalism. In contrast, the broadcast industry, specifically the Corporation, was a terrain of the Afrikaner's hegemonic struggle rather than a vehicle of their ideology. The success of this hegemonic struggle was reflected in the status of the Afrikaans language. As the Afrikaner developed from a counter-hegemonic group at the beginning of this study period to gaining political power at the end of it, Afrikaans developed from an unofficial language to a broadcast language equal in status to English.Master