A methodology for longitudinal research on EFL written production: Capturing writing multidimensionality by combining qualitative and quantitative procedures

Tutoring services are one of the variables which educational research investigates to counteract the educational failure of universities (Topping, 1996; Falchikov & Blythman, 2001; Da Re, 2017). An effective strategy, in order to counteract dropout and delay in achievement of a degree and to promote a positive continuation of studies, is to enhance the quality of the university tutoring services which could support students in their studies with personalized and interactive educational process, providing them with support both on the educational and emotional-motivational levels (Felice, 2005; Álvarez & González, 2008). This paper presents the results of longitudinal research developed at the Department of Education at the Roma Tre University. The research analyzed the academic careers of three cohorts of students (academic years: 2013, 2016 and 2017) with what are defined “Additional Educational Obligations” (OFA) because they had scored an insufficient grade in the admission test and so attended “S.Tu.Di OFA” tutoring service. The objective was to reduce undergraduate students’ educational failure. The results of the research have shown how the innovation of the didactic design has proved to be effective in helping to counter the university students' educational insufficiencies. Both qualitative and quantitative tools were used (Trinchero, 2002; Pellerey, 2011; Semeraro, 2014). Data analysis highlighted the effectiveness of the tutoring actions proposed for students with initial difficulties in studying. Also, the reflections advanced by tutors and students confirmed the importance of continuing to strengthen the university’s offering of formative tutoring.

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Charting a Clear Course Through the Methodological Jungle: Lessons About PAR from and for Simulation‑Based Educational Research

The Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods ◽

10.34190/jbrm.17.4.003 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Suzaan Hughes ◽

Frances Scholtz

Keyword(s):

Design Research ◽

Industrial Revolution ◽

Longitudinal Research ◽

Business Simulation ◽

Participatory Action ◽

Research Project ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

Implementation Gap ◽

Simulation Based ◽

Methodological Approaches

Many argue that technology brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution offers new opportunities for student learning. In order for educators to use technology with wisdom, in‑depth longitudinal research using rigorous methodological approaches is needed to understand the opportunities and challenges of including these technologies in management education. Therefore, educational researchers are challenged to design research projects to collect data from multiple sites over several years using various methodologies. This article examines strategies used by the researchers to design and implement a research project employing a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach that combined qualitative and quantitative data from two universities across several years. The research project was specifically designed to study learning using a business simulation. The article describes the research project including the various data collection points and analysis methods. The purpose of this article is to bridge the theory‑implementation gap enabling educational researchers to consider the design of a comprehensive research project as well as identifying key challenges and practical suggestions for using PAR.

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Expression of laminin and beta-1 integrin in embryonic, neonatal, and adult rat heart

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100085216 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 182-183

Author(s):

R.L. Price ◽

T.K. Borg ◽

L. Terracio ◽

M. Nakagawa

Keyword(s):

Temporal Expression ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

Adult Rat ◽

Cytoplasmic Face ◽

Extracellular Matrix Components ◽

Basement Membrane Component ◽

Beta 1 Integrin ◽

Quantitative Changes ◽

Cytoskeletal Elements ◽

External Face

Little is known about the temporal expression of extracellular matrix components (ECM) and its receptors during development of the heart. Recent reports have shown that ECM components undergo both qualitative and quantitative changes during development, and it is believed that ECM components are important in the regulation of cell migration and cell:cell and cell:ECM recognition and adhesion.Integrins are transmembrane glycoproteins which bind several ECM components on their external face and cytoskeletal elements on the cytoplasmic face. Laminin is a basement membrane component which has been recognized as an important site for cell adhesion. Both the integrins and laminin are expressed early in development and continue to be expressed in the adult heart. With their documented roles in cell recognition, and cell:cell and cell:ECM migration and adhesion these proteins appear to be important components in development of the heart, and their temporal expression may play a pivotal role in morphogenesis and myofibrillogenesis of the heart.

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In situ microprobe quantitation of inorganic particle burden in paraffin sections of lung tissue

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100107010 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 990-991

Author(s):

Jerrold L. Abraham

Keyword(s):

Lung Tissue ◽

Quantitative Information ◽

Particulate Material ◽

Paraffin Sections ◽

Tissue Samples ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

The Past ◽

Quantitative Analyses ◽

Data Result

Inorganic particulate material of diverse types is present in the ambient and occupational environment, and exposure to such materials is a well recognized cause of some lung disease. To investigate the interaction of inhaled inorganic particulates with the lung it is necessary to obtain quantitative information on the particulate burden of lung tissue in a wide variety of situations. The vast majority of diagnostic and experimental tissue samples (biopsies and autopsies) are fixed with formaldehyde solutions, dehydrated with organic solvents and embedded in paraffin wax. Over the past 16 years, I have attempted to obtain maximal analytical use of such tissue with minimal preparative steps. Unique diagnostic and research data result from both qualitative and quantitative analyses of sections. Most of the data has been related to inhaled inorganic particulates in lungs, but the basic methods are applicable to any tissues. The preparations are primarily designed for SEM use, but they are stable for storage and transport to other laboratories and several other instruments (e.g., for SIMS techniques).

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Qualitative and quantitative assessment of nailfold capillaries by capillaroscopy in healthy volunteers

VASA ◽

10.1024/0301-1526/a000159 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

pp. 19-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Hoerth ◽

Kundi ◽

Katzenschlager ◽

Hirschl

Keyword(s):

Scoring System ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Connective Tissue Diseases ◽

Capillary Density ◽

Diagnostic Value ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Extreme Position ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

Diffuse Loss ◽

Density Results

Background: Nailfold capillaroscopy (NVC) is a diagnostic tool particularly useful in the differential diagnosis of rheumatic and connective tissue diseases. Although successfully applied since many years, little is known about prevalence and distribution of NVC changes in healthy individuals. Probands and methods: NVC was performed in 120 individuals (57 men and 63 women; age 18 to 70 years) randomly selected according to predefined age and sex strata. Diseases associated with NVC changes were excluded. The nailfolds of eight fingers were assessed according to standardized procedures. A scoring system was developed based on the distribution of the number of morphologically deviating capillaries, microhaemorrhages, and capillary density. Results: Only 18 individuals (15 %) had no deviation in morphology, haemorrhages, or capillary density on any finger. Overall 67 % had morphological changes, 48 % had microhaemorrhages, and 40 % of volunteers below 40 years of age and 18 % above age 40 had less than 8 capillaries/mm. Among morphological changes tortous (43 %), ramified (47 %), and bushy capillaries (27 %) were the most frequently altered capillary types. A semiquantitative scoring system was developed in such a way that a score above 1 indicates an extreme position (above the 90th percentile) in the distribution of scores among healthy individuals. Conclusions: Altered capillaries occur frequently among healthy individuals and should be interpreted as normal unless a suspicious increase in their frequency is determined by reference to the scoring system. Megacapillaries and diffuse loss of capillaries were not found and seem to be of specific diagnostic value.

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