Computer assistance and the evolution of qualitative data analysis

The aim of the paper is to examine the emergence of computer assistance in qualitativeresearch and to describe its impact on research practices. The use of data analysisprograms is approached from methodological frameworks ofbasic and structured qualitativeapproaches. Computer use is also examined from the viewpoint of concreteoperations of data analysis. Particularly the new features, which software packages areclaimed to have brought to data analysis, are discussed in the paper.It is argued that computer assisted techniques provide possibilities fr developing theoften impressionistic qualitative data analysis procedures into something more integrated,explicit and systematic. However, it is also emphasised that analysis programsthemselves do not represent any methodological approaches. By offering a special toolkitfr data processing, computer assistance should be understood only as an attempt toenhance analytic practices in qualitative research

Obesity, Unemployment, and Earnings

The article analyses the effects of obesity—a clear signal of weight abnormality—on unemployment and earnings among Finnish men and women. Our empirical data consist of the last four waves (waves 4 to 8) of the Finnish section of the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) data collected between 1998 and 2001. According to our results, obese women have a significantly higher risk of unemployment (even after controlling for age, level of education and other related factors), than women who are not obese. Furthermore, the generally weaker occupational positions of obese women tend to translate to lower earnings. Overall, obese women are more likely to have weaker labour market attachment  and hold socio-economically weaker positions. Similar results were not found among men. Thus, our results indicate the presence of gender discrimination in the Finnish labour market. In the conclusions we further discuss weight related impacts on succeeding in the labour market, but also its role as a possible risk factor in drifting away from employment. We reflect on this issue as a form of inequality that can have an increasing significance in the future

Dinamički potencijal povratnih informacija u samoreguliranom učenju i motivaciji djece s teškoćama u učenju matematike

The present study was designed to examine the effects of feedback conditions on learning and motivation of children identified with mathematical learning difficulties (MLDs). The performance of 76 fifth grade children on computational math skills and related task motivation was assessed. The groups of children were randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions: immediate corrective feedback or delayed conventional feedback on two occasions. Results showed that children performed significantly better when they were provided with the immediate corrective feedback than when they were provided with the delayed conventional feedback. The findings suggest that provision of the immediate corrective feedback also enhanced task motivation in children. In contrast, provision of the delayed conventional feedback had a negative impact on children’s task motivation and also on their performance in math. Moreover, the results indicated that in the long term, children’s subgroup (MLDs) and their previous math skills were powerful predictors of subsequent performance on a limited-time math task, whereas the change in task motivation did not contribute significantly to the same task.Ovim istraživanjem želio se ispitati učinak vrste povratnih informacija (feedback-a) na učenje i motivaciju djece s teškoćama u učenju matematike. Procijenjena je izvedba 76-ero djece - polaznika petih razreda na zadacima računanja, kao i njihova motivacija za rješavanje matematičkih zadataka, s obzirom na vrstu povratne informacije: trenutnu korektivnu povratnu informaciju te odgođenu konvencionalnu povratnu informaciju. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su da su djeca imala značajno bolji rezultat kada im je bila pružena trenutna korektivna povratna informacija, nego kada im je pružena odgođena konvencionalna povratna informacija. Rezultati također ukazuju da pružanje trenutne povratne informacije povećava motivaciju učenika za rješavanje zadataka. S druge strane, pružanje odgođene povratne informacije imalo je negativan utjecaj na motivaciju, kao i na izvedbu u rješavanju matematičkih zadataka. Rezultati također pokazuju da su prisutnost matematičkih teškoća i prethodna razina razvoja matematičkih vještina bili značajni prediktori kasnije uspješnosti u rješavanju vremenski ograničenih zadataka, što, međutim, nije bio slučaj s promjenama u motiviranosti učenika

Testing distance duality with CMB anisotropies

We constrain deviations of the form T proportional to (1 + z)(1+epsilon) from the standard redshift-temperature relation, corresponding to modifying distance duality as D-L = (1 + z)(2(1+epsilon)) D-A. We consider a consistent model, in which both the background and perturbation equations are changed. For this purpose, we introduce a species of dark radiation particles to which photon energy density is transferred, and assume epsilon >= 0. The Planck 2015 release high multipole temperature plus low multipole data give the limit epsilon <4.5 x 10(-3) at 95% C.L. The main obstacle to improving this CMB-only result is strong degeneracy between and the physical matter densities omega(b) and omega(c). A constraint on deuterium abundance improves the limit to epsilon <1.8 x 10(-3). Adding the Planck high-multipole CMB polarisation and BAO data leads to a small improvement; with this maximal dataset we obtain epsilon <1.3 x 10(-3). This dataset constrains the present dark radiation energy density to at most 12% of the total photon plus dark radiation density. Finally, we discuss the degeneracy between dark radiation and the effective number of relativistic species N-eff, and consider the impact of dark radiation perturbations and allowing epsilon <0 on the results.Peer reviewe

Social Tie Strength and Online Victimization : An Analysis of Young People Aged 15-30 Years in Four Nations

Online interaction through the use of social networking sites (SNS) continues to be a significant component of the socialization of young people today, yet little research exists toward linking various relational forms to prevalent and much-studied online risks cross-nationally. This article provides a link between relational dynamics and online risks identified in previous research toward a new perspective on how social tie strength is related to experiences of hate victimization and harassment online. The analysis is based on survey data of Finnish (n = 555), American (n = 1033), German (n = 978), and British (n = 999) young people aged 15-30 years. Variables, including age, gender, main activity, SNS use, quantity, and extent of online and offline social networks including social tie strength and online community identification, were analyzed toward finding their associations with online hate victimization and harassment. Results showed that experiences of hate victimization and harassment were similar cross-nationally and that those who were personally harassed online also reported high SNS activity. Furthermore, no association was found between social network size and negative experiences. Notable cross-national differences were also detected in the results. Findings emphasize the importance of understanding variables fostering online risks for young people while providing a new perspective on what aspects of social life may help negate negative effects online.Peer reviewe

Effects of Gender on Basic Numerical and Arithmetic Skills : Pilot Data From Third to Ninth Grade for a Large-Scale Online Dyscalculia Screener

In this study, we analyzed the development and effects of gender on basic number skills from third to ninth grade in Finland. Because the international comparison studies have shown slightly different developmental trends in mathematical attainment for different language groups in Finland, we added the language of education as a variable in our analysis. Participants were 4,265 students from third to ninth grade in Finland, representing students in two national languages (Finnish, n = 2,833, and Swedish, n = 1,432). Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the subtasks in the dyscalculia screener formed two separate factors, namely, number-processing skills and arithmetic fluency. We found a linear development trend across age cohorts in both the factors. Reliability and validity evidence of the measures supported the use of these tasks in the whole age group from 9 to15 years. In this sample, there was an increasing gender difference in favor of girls and Swedish-speaking students by grade levels in number-processing skills. At the same time, boys showed a better performance and a larger variance in tasks measuring arithmetic fluency. The results indicate that the gender ratio within the group with mathematical learning disabilities depends directly on tasks used to measure their basic number skills.Peer reviewe

Cognitive–Linguistic and Constructivist Mnemonic Triggers in Teaching Based on Jerome Bruner’s Thinking

Effective teachers use mnemonic tools or mnemonic triggers to improve the students’ retention of the study material. This article discusses mnemonic triggers from a theoretical viewpoint based on Jerome S. Bruner’s writings. Fifty small linguistic–cognitive, constructive-, rhetorical-, and phonological–mnemonic triggers are detected. These triggers may become supporting elements for our memory system when we are “constructing the realities” in a Brunerian sense when we are ordering, differentiating, comparing, and handling information, stories and experiences in our mind. Many of these are small, hidden linguistic elements in speech. This article discusses their usage in the educational talk and textbooks