Education Commons^™

Understanding Computational Thinking In The Gameplay Of The African Songo Board Game, Rebecca Y. Bayeck

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Computational thinking is a necessary skill for the 21st century. While previously examined in computer-rich settings, researchers are increasingly studying computational thinking in unplugged environments such as board games. Focusing on the African board game Songo, this study shows that computational thinking practices are embedded in Songo board gameplay and interact with the cultural context. The study also reveals a computing practice peculiar to Songo gameplay, songoputation. This paper suggests that researchers can benefit from exploring computational thinking and computing practices beyond board games in western contexts.

How Two English Language Arts Teachers’ Beliefs And Practices Impact Their Students’ Academic And Emotional Success, Christiana C. Succar

The Qualitative Report

This study commenced as part of a more extensive narrative inquiry about a literacy coach building relationships with two early-career sixth-grade English language arts teachers. The more extensive study revealed a gap in research about the teachers' beliefs and practices and their impact on their students' academic and emotional success. The research questions are: (1) in what ways do two teachers' beliefs and professional knowledge influence their teaching philosophies? (2) How do these teachers' identities influence student outcomes? The two teacher participants took part in interviews, observations, and reflections. By re-storying the data into narratives, three themes from each question …

Maternal Education And Changes In Parenting Beliefs, Values, And Practices, Becca E. Richards

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mothers’ education level has been an important predictor of life outcomes across many different areas. Higher education in mothers has been associated with outcomes such as higher reading levels and decreased chances grade repetition for their child. Due to gaps in the research, this study emphasizes the importance of mothers’ beliefs about parenting, the practices they use, the amount of closeness they have with their child, and how they change when mothers return to school. This study used new mothers and their newborn children across time to understand whether mothers’ beliefs, practices, and values change when mothers return to school. …

Putative Factors Influencing Knowledge And Behavioural Practices Of Health Science Undergraduate Students Towards Covid-19 Infection Ahead Of Re-Opening Universities In Ghana, Emmanuel Acheampong, Evans Asamoah Adu, Enoch O. Anto, Yaa Obirikorang, Eric Adua, Sylvester Yao Lopko, Emmanuella Nsenbah Acheampong, Agartha Odame Anto, Vivian Baah, Christian Obirikorang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus is a global pandemic affecting daily activities and delaying the reopening of several institutions such as universities. As a result, precautionary and preventive measures are being implemented to curtail the spread of the virus. However, knowledge and compliance measures are essential for adequate preparedness to reopen the universities amidst the pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) along with factors influencing Health Science undergraduate students toward the COVID-19 infection pandemic in Ghana. A total of 606 students provided information regarding KAP of COVID-19 infection using an online questionnaire designed …

'Sticky' Foods: How School Practices Produce Negative Emotions For Mothers And Children, Claire E. Tanner, Janemaree Maher, Deana Leahy, Jo Lindsay, Sian Supski, Jan Wright

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper addresses health messages that are carried home from school - a space where childhood obesity prevention measures are being transmitted to families, and mothers in particular. We consider what emotions are being produced for mothers and children in the enactment of current school health initiatives, especially those aimed at 'improving' family food practices. Our analysis draws on interviews with parents and primary-school-aged children (n = 50) in Australia collected as part of a project on children's role as health advocates in family contexts. Using Sara Ahmed's work on emotions and John Law's concept of 'collateral realities', we consider …

Opportunities And Challenges To Improving Antibiotic Prescribing Practices Through A One Health Approach: Results Of A Comparative Survey Of Doctors, Dentists And Veterinarians In Australia, Annie Zhuo, Maurizio Labbate, Jacqueline M. Norris, Gwendolyn L. Gilbert, Michael P. Ward, Beata Bajorek, Christopher J. Degeling, Samantha J. Rowbotham, Angus Dawson, Ky-Anh Nguyen, Grant A. Hill-Cawthorne, T C. Sorrell, Merran Govendir, Alison M. Kesson, Jon Iredell, Dale Dominey-Howes

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives: To explore and compare the knowledge, attitudes and experiences of doctors, dentists and veterinarians (as prescribers) in relation to antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance (AbR), and to consider the implications of these for policy-making that support a One Health approach. Design: A cross-sectional survey conducted online. Setting: Doctors, dentists and veterinarians practising in primary, secondary or tertiary care in Australia. Participants: 547 doctors, 380 dentists and 403 veterinarians completed the survey. Main outcome measures: Prescribers' knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of AbR, the extent to which a range of factors are perceived as barriers to appropriate prescribing practices, and perceived …

Knowledge And Practices On Family Development Of 4ps Beneficiaries In Camarines Sur, Philippines, Stanley O. Dy

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

The study assessed the knowledge and practices on family development among the 4Ps beneficiaries in Camarines Sur. Research methods employed were survey, KIIs, and review of secondary data. The data gathered from the 169 randomly selected respondents were analyzed through descriptive statistics, particularly frequency, percentage, and mean. Most topics discussed during family development sessions relate to disaster risk reduction and management, according to 27% of the respondents. Other topics were on fire, gardening, barangay improvement, community, and nutrition. Almost all respondents indicated that the family development sessions (e.g., proper parenting) are effective, relevant, interesting, and are easy to apply. They …

Kansas City, Missouri, Inner City Schools' Parent Involvement Policy, Practices, And Accreditation Problems, Gena L. Ross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2012, the Missouri Board of Education took away Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS) accreditation status. For over 40 years, KCPS has struggled with poor academic achievement, decreased enrollment and budget, and numerous leadership turnovers. Although KCPS regained provisional accreditation in 2014 and earned enough points on the annual performance report for consideration to become a fully accredited school system, state education officials first want to ensure that the district can sustain its new performance level before granting full accreditation. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to explore parents' perceptions about how the KCPS' parent involvement policy and …

One Root, Many Trees: Reviving Collections Practices, Patricia D. Sobczak, Kevin D. Farley, Ibironke Lawal, Emily Davis Winthrop

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

Collections are undergoing intense change and pressure from technology, budgetary uncertainties, and emerging perspectives on future approaches. Our case study -- drawn from our experiences as collections librarians -- examines these complex issues facing academic collections, large or small, across the profession. Through the development of “collections of distinction” within the local collection, collaborations and scholarly partnerships with colleagues and faculty, and advocacy for the importance of dedicated oversight to ensure that collections investments fulfill the academic mission, we explore possible solutions to the complicated issues defining contemporary collections practices.

Generational Change In Parenting Styles Among Vietnamese In Nebraska, Paulina Nguyen

UCARE Research Products

This study is part of a larger research project that examines the experiences and beliefs of parents from five Asian population in Nebraska, namely, Filipino, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indian. There is a need for research on Vietnamese American families, more so because of its increasing population in the state. The goal of the study is to describe the ways in which Vietnamese American parents differ across generations in terms of their child-rearing practices. Parents are either authoritarian or authoritative. Nguyen and Cheung (2009) stated that research specifically on Vietnamese parents is limited. Thus, past literature has generalized all Asian …

Social Practices Of 3d Printing: Decentralising Control And Reconfiguring Regulation, Luke Heemsbergen, Robbie Fordyce, Bjorn Nansen, Thomas Apperley, Michael Arnold, Thomas Birtchnell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper considers the social practices of 3D printing by comparing consumer perspectives and practices with legal scholarship on intellectual property regimes. The paper draws on data gained through a mixed-methods approach involving participant observation, focus groups, and social network analysis of 3D printing file-sharing practices. It finds that while consumers display a level of naivety about their 3D printing rights and responsibilities, they possess a latent understanding about broader digital economies that guide their practices. We suggest that the social practices associated with 3D printing function through communication networks to decentralise manufacture and reconfigure legal capacities for regulation. The …

Feedback On Second Language Pronunciation: A Case Study Of Eap Teachers' Beliefs And Practices, Amanda Ann Baker, Michael Burri

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In the modern English language classroom, teachers are often faced with the challenging task of supporting students to achieve comprehensible pronunciation, but many teachers limit or neglect giving students feedback on their pronunciation for a variety of reasons. This paper examines the case of five experienced English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instructors who strive to provide feedback on specific features of pronunciation that negatively affect students' comprehensibility. Results derived from semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and stimulated recall interviews reveal that the teachers use similar approaches to select and provide feedback on problematic features of pronunciation. Naturally, these approaches sometimes differed …

Weed Hygiene Practices In Nsw: Knowledge And Practices Of Landholders, Public Land Managers, Weed Contractors And Agricultural Transport Operators, Sonia Graham, Nicholas J. Gill, Rebecca Cross, Viveka Simpson, Eli Taylor, Sarah Rogers

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Weeds cost the NSW economy over $1.8 million each year through weed control costs, productivity losses, expenditure by public agencies and value lost due to price responses in agricultural markets (NRC, 2014). Good weed hygiene supports weed control efforts and can prevent weed spread. The importance of weed hygiene is reflected in the plethora of policies and guidelines on weed hygiene practices that exist for different sectors. Despite the presence of numerous weed hygiene guidelines, the 2013 National Landcare Survey (de Hayr, 2013) indicated that very few resources were being expended on weed hygiene; only 11% of agricultural businesses surveyed …

Exploratory Study Of Counseling Professionals’ Attitudes Toward Distance Clinical Supervision, Brittani Fiore Munchel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many forms of distance clinical supervision (DCS) have been used in the last decade, but a sparse amount of research addressing (DCS) in counselor education exists to date. The author used random and snowball sampling to survey American Counseling Association members, with a analytic sample total of 96 participants. In the sample, 54.2% of participants were licensed counseling professionals and 39.6% were student or post-masters level interns. The average participant age was 43, ranging from 23 to 74 years. Participants had a mean of 8.1 years of experience. A total of 37.5% of participants had used DCS at some point …

Effective Practices For Interagency Data Sharing: Insights From Collaborative Research In A Regional Intervention, Pauline M. Mcguirk, Phillip O'Neill, Kathleen Mee

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Data sharing adds considerable value to interagency programs that seek to tackle complex social problems. Yet data sharing is not easily enacted either technically or as a governance practice, especially considering the multiple forms of risk involved. This article presents insights from a successful data sharing project in a major region in east coast Australia involving a federally funded research partnership between two universities and a number of human services agencies. The Spatial Data Analysis Project sought to establish a community of practice for devising data sharing protocols and embedding data sharing into agency practices. Close dialogue between the project …

A Review Of Current Practices To Increase Chlamydia Screening In The Community - A Consumer-Centred Social Marketing Perspective, Lyn Phillipson, Ross Gordon, Joanne Telenta, Christopher A. Magee, Marty Janssen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Chlamydia trachomatis is one of the most frequently reported sexually transmitted infections (STI) in Australia, the UK and Europe. Yet, rates of screening for STIs remain low, especially in younger adults. Objective: To assess effectiveness of Chlamydia screening interventions targeting young adults in community-based settings, describe strategies utilized and assess them according to social marketing benchmark criteria. Search strategy: A systematic review of relevant literature between 2002 and 2012 in Medline, Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Scopus and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health was undertaken. Results: Of 18 interventions identified, quality of evidence was low. Proportional screening rates …

From Incremental Change To Radical Disjuncture: Rethinking Everyday Household Sustainability Practices As Survival Skills, Christopher R. Gibson, Lesley M. Head, Chontel A. Carr

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Households within affluent countries are increasingly prominent in climate change adaptation research; meanwhile, social and cultural research has sought to render more complex the dynamics of domesticity and home spaces. Both bodies of work are nevertheless framed within a view of the future that is recognizable from the present, a future reached via socioecological change that is gradual rather than transformative or catastrophic. In this article, we acknowledge the agency of extreme biophysical forces and ask what everyday household life might be like in an unstable future significantly different from the present. We revisit our own longitudinal empirical research examining …

Technology Tools To Support Learning Design: Implications Derived From An Investigation Of University Teachers' Design Practices, Sue Bennett, Shirley Agostinho, Lori Lockyer

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The need to improve the quality of higher education has fostered an interest in technology tools to support effective design for teaching and learning. Over the past decade this interest has led to the development of tools to support the creation of online learning experiences, specifications to underpin design systems, and repositories to share examples. Despite this significant activity, there remain unanswered questions about what shapes university teachers' design decisions and how tools can best support their design processes. This paper presents findings from a study of university teachers'; design practices that identified teachers' perceptions of student characteristics, their own …

What Might Geohumanities Do? Possibilities, Practices, Publics, And Politics, Harriet Hawkins, Lou Cabeen, Felicity Callard, Noel Castree, Stephen Daniels, Dydia Delyser, Hugh Munro Neely, Peta Mitchell

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article draws together seven practitioners and scholars from across the diffuse GeoHumanities community to reflect on the pasts and futures of the GeoHumanities. Far from trying to circle the intellectual wagons around orthodoxies of practice or intent, or to determine possibilities in advance, these contributions and the accompanying commentary seek to create connections across the diverse communities of knowledge and practice that constitute the GeoHumanities. Ahead of these six contributions a commentary situates these discussions within wider concerns with interdisciplinarity and identifies three common themes-possibilities practices, and publics-worthy of further discussion and reflection. The introduction concludes by identifying a …

Practices, Programs And Projects Of Urban Carbon Governance: Perspectives From The Australian City, Pauline M. Mcguirk, Harriet Bulkeley, Robyn Dowling

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper addresses the governance of transitions to lower carbon cities. Drawing on both governmentality and neo-Gramscian perspectives, we chart and explore the diverse objects, subjects, means and ends evoked as governmental programs, or hegemonic projects in-the-making, are shaped to orchestrate urban carbon governance. We ask about the diversity of what is being sought through the governance of carbon in the city, how this is rendered and how carbon is being made to matter in the city. We do so through analysis of an audit of carbon governance initiatives in Australian cities, and a characterisation of these initiatives as four …

Developing Diversity Awareness And Practices In The National Rugby League (Nrl): Progressive Player Participation And Club Collaborations, Jioji Ravulo

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In 2010 when Timanu Tahu voluntarily left the NSW State of Origin camp days before the second of three games due to racial taunts, sporting organisations and fans alike were outraged (Kogoy & Read 2010). Outraged by the lack of tolerance a professional staff member and former NRL player showed towards the individual who the comment was directed about, and the lack of tactfulness in thinking such racial taunts would be accepted and not challenged. Sport should provide scope for people to feel included, as it promotes the opportunity for teams to compete, and create a sense of unity from …

Vegetal Politics: Belonging, Practices And Places, Lesley Head, Jennifer Atchison, Catherine Phillips, Kathleen Buckingham

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Cultural geography has a long and proud tradition of research into human-plant relations. However, until recently, that tradition has been somewhat disconnected from conceptual advances in the social sciences, even those to which cultural geographers have made significant contributions. With a number of important exceptions, plant studies have been less explicitly part of more-than-human geographies than have animal studies. This special issue aims to redress this gap, recognising plants and their multiple engagements with and beyond humans. Plants are not only fundamental to human survival, they play a key role in many of the most important environmental political issues of …

Principles And Practices Of Bar And Beverage Management, James Peter Murphy

Books/Book Chapters

Principles and Practices of Bar and Beverage Management is a comprehensive text and resource book designed to explain the latest developments and new complexities of managing modern bars - be they stand alone or part of larger institutions such as hotels and resorts.

Consumer expectations have changed, and a bar today must deliver an integrated social experience in a safe modern environment, which also offers the latest products and services in a professional and engaging fashion. Against a background of increasing competition and an increasingly sophisticated customer base, this text has been designed to support the bar and beverage skills …

Technology & Knowledge: An Exploration Of Teachers' Conceptions Of Subject-Area Knowledge Practices And Technology Integration, Sarah K. Howard, Karl A. Maton

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper explores teachers' understanding of subject-area knowledge practices (e.g. curriculum, goals, and pedagogy of a subject area, etc.) and technology integration, through the use of Legitimation Code Theory. Drawing on a major study of a technological initiative in all state secondary schools in New South Wales, Australia, this paper illustratively uses one dimension of LCT to explore the organising principles underlying the key subjects of Mathematics and English, in relation to teachers' perceptions of technology use in learning and teaching. Analysis suggests a 'code clash' with Mathematics and a 'code match' with English might help explain their different patterns …

Integrating Digital Practices: A Partnership To Support The Development Of Preservice Teachers' Digital Literacies, Sarah Katherine Howard

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The importance of digital literacy well established, but it is unclear how this is integrated in teachers' practice. This paper presents a curriculum innovation and collaboration addressing this issue through development of digital products, in first-year teacher education subject. A key aspect of this initiative was providing students with home copies of appropriate software to support the task. Data was collected to investigate possible increases in students' confidence using digital media, as well as their beliefs about using digital products in their future learning and teaching. Findings suggest increased confidence and positive beliefs across the subject, but larger increases in …

Parental Employment And Child Behaviors: Do Parenting Practices Underlie These Relationships?, Renata Hadzic, Christopher A. Magee, Laura Robinson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study examined whether hours of parental employment were associated with child behaviors via parenting practices. The sample included 2,271 Australian children aged 4-5 years at baseline. Two-wave panel mediation models tested whether parenting practices that were warm, hostile, or characterized by inductive reasoning linked parent's hours of paid employment with their child's behavior at age 6-7 years. There were significant indirect effects linking mother employment to child behavior. No paid employment and full-time work hours were associated with more behavioral problems in children through less-warm parenting practices; few hours or long hours were associated with improved behavioral outcomes through …

Learning Designs As A Stimulus And Support For Teachers' Design Practices, Shirley Agostinho, Sue Bennett, Lori Lockyer, Jennifer Jones, Barry Harper

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This chapter builds on and brings up to date the work described in Chapter 6. The authors report on a decade of empirical work with teaching practitioners which has led them to conclude that learning designs (by which they mean a specific form of graphical representation and explanatory text) are usable by university teachers. Designs are referred to for guidance and inspiration, in what the authors see as an example of case-based professional learning. Having a classification system seems to support this, even though it is not directly related to subject area. An important finding is that learning designs from …

The Promise And Potential Of Botulinum Toxin-A: National Survey Of Therapy Practices, Bianca Kinnear, N Lannin, Anne Cusick

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract from the 22nd Stroke Society of Australasia Annual Scientific Meeting, 14-16 September 2011, Adelaide, Australia.

How To Do A Grounded Theory Study: A Worked Example Of A Study Of Dental Practices, Alexandra Sbaraini, Stacy M. Carter, R Wendell Evans, Anthony Blinkhorn

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Qualitative methodologies are increasingly popular in medical research. Grounded theory is the methodology most-often cited by authors of qualitative studies in medicine, but it has been suggested that many 'grounded theory' studies are not concordant with the methodology. In this paper we provide a worked example of a grounded theory project. Our aim is to provide a model for practice, to connect medical researchers with a useful methodology, and to increase the quality of 'grounded theory' research published in the medical literature.

Knowing And Throwing Mudballs, Hearts, Pies, And Flowers: A Connective Ethnography Of Gaming Practices, Deborah A. Fields, Y. B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Little is known concerning how young players learn to participate in various activities in virtual worlds. We use a new integrative approach called connective ethnography that focuses on how a gaming practice spread across a network of youth at an after school club that simultaneously participated in a virtual world, Whyville.net. To trace youth participation in online and offline social contexts, we draw on multiple sources of information: observations, interviews, videos, online tracking and chat data, and hundreds of hours of play in Whyville ourselves. One gaming practice – the throwing of projectiles and its social uses and nuances – …