scholarly journals Evaluation Criteria for Interactive E-Books for Open and Distance Learning

Author(s):  
Aras BOZKURT ◽  
Mujgan BOZKAYA

<p>The aim of this mixed method study is to identify evaluation criteria for interactive e-books. To find answers for the research questions of the study, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a four-round Delphi study with a panel consisting of 30 experts. After that, a total of 20 interactive e-books were examined with heuristic inquiry methodology. In the final phase, the results of the Delphi technique and the heuristic inquiry results were integrated. As a result, four themes, 15 dimensions, and 37 criteria were developed for interactive e-books. Lastly, the results and their implications are discussed in this paper and suggestions for further research are presented.</p>

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernie Carter ◽  
Janine Arnott ◽  
Joan Simons ◽  
Lucy Bray

Children with profound cognitive impairment (PCI) are a heterogenous group who often experience frequent and persistent pain. Those people closest to the child are key to assessing their pain. This mixed method study aimed to explore how parents acquire knowledge and skills in assessing and managing their child’s pain. Eight mothers completed a weekly pain diary and were interviewed at weeks 1 and 8. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis and the quantitative data using descriptive statistics. Mothers talked of learning through a system of trial and error (“learning to get on with it”); this was accomplished through “learning to know without a rule book or guide”; “learning to be a convincing advocate”; and “learning to endure and to get things right.” Experiential and reflective learning was evident in the way the mothers developed a “sense of knowing” their child’s pain. They drew on embodied knowledge of how their child usually expressed and responded to pain to help make pain-related decisions. Health professionals need to support mothers/parents to develop their knowledge and skills and to gain confidence in pain assessment and they should recognise and act on the mothers’ concerns.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Deyap Arar Alenezi

This study aimed at evaluating the EFL textbook ` Get Ready 1&amp;2` used in the fourth grade of primary school from the perspectives of male and female teachers in Arar city in Saudi Arabia. The textbook was published by Macmillan, and it was specially developed for use within Saudi Arabia’s cultural environment and for both boys’ and girls’ schools. The Ministry of Education has started using this textbook in schools in the current academic year 2013/2014. This study will focus on teachers’ perspectives, and it will be a macro evaluation. The researcher designed a mixed method study by gathering both quantitative and qualitative data. The researcher distributed a close-ended questionnaire consisted of 55 items and nine categories for 30 teachers to gather quantitative data and carried out an interview with five male teachers to gather qualitative data. The study evaluated the textbook in terms of the layout and design, objectives, skills, supplementary materials, topics and content, cultural values, structure and vocabulary, activities and tasks, and teachers’ manual. In general, the findings of the study revealed that teachers were satisfied about the textbook in all of the nine categories with some demerits. The cultural values category got the highest mean score of 4.54 out of 5.00 whereas the skills category got the lowest mean score of 3.47 out of 5.00. In the light of these findings, the researcher reports some recommendations to address the drawbacks of the textbook and other problems that have an impact on properly delivering the textbook.


Author(s):  
Hatice Leblebici ◽  
Azmi Türkan

In this study, teacher candidates’ attitudes, self-efficacy perceptions towards inclusive education, and their situation towards in-class practices were determined. A total of a hundred thirty three pre-service teachers participated in the research voluntarily. The study was designed according to the parallel mixed methods research in which both quantitative and qualitative data (QUAN + QUAL) were used together. As data collection tools, “Attitude Scale towards Inclusive Education”, “Self-Efficacy Scale for Inclusive Education” and “In-class Practice Scale for Inclusive Education” were used. In addition, during the collection of qualitative data, teacher candidates were asked to complete the statement, “In my opinion, inclusive education is like…. because….” To determine their metaphorical perceptions. When the results of the study were examined, teacher candidates, it was determined that the perceptions of self-efficacy towards inclusive education and the concern for personal equipment differ in terms of various variables. In addition, the participants chose the positive metaphors that they produced for inclusive education. Among these metaphors, respect for differences, acceptance of diversity is expressed as coexistence due to the structure of inclusive education that unites society.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Nafilah M. Aloairdhi

Writing is an important skill in language learning and in academic achievement. The level of writing anxiety could affect students&#39; achievements positively or negatively. This research aimed to examine the writing anxiety among Saudi female learners enrolled in English language departments at some Saudi universities. It also aimed to identify the sources of writing anxiety. To this end, a mixed method study was designed in which Writing Apprehension Test (WAT) Scale by Daly and Miller (1975) and an open-ended question were used to collect necessary data from 105 randomly selected learners. For data analysis, two different statistical procedures in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and a specific formula suggested by Daly and Miller (1975) were applied. Coding was applied to qualitative data. The results indicated that the participants (N = 105) experience moderate level of writing anxiety. In addition, the main sources of writing anxiety were evaluation, generating ideas, grammar, time pressure, and lack of confidence.


In this chapter, the juxtaposition and interconnection of deductive and inductive research methods are explored. Qualitative, inductive empirical tools are discussed in depth, specifically in-depth interviews, focus groups, and field observation. Students will learn how these methods are used to generate hypotheses, which can ultimately be tested using deductive research methods. The structure of inductive research questions, and how they differ from deductive research questions, is further addressed, as is how a researcher “makes sense” of qualitative data.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Grove ◽  
Aileen Clarke ◽  
Graeme Currie ◽  
Andy Metcalfe ◽  
Catherine Pope ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Clinical leadership is fundamental in facilitating service improvements in healthcare. Few studies have attempted to understand or model the different approaches to leadership which are used when promoting the uptake and implementation of evidence-based interventions. This research aims to uncover and explain how distributed clinical leadership can be developed and improved to enhance the use of evidence in practice. In doing so, this study examines implementation leadership in orthopaedic surgery to explain leadership as a collective endeavour which cannot be separated from the organisational context. Methods A mixed-method study consisting of longitudinal and cross-sectional interviews and an embedded social network analysis will be performed in six NHS hospitals. A social network analysis will be undertaken in each hospital to uncover the organisational networks, the focal leadership actors and information flows in each organisation. This will be followed by a series of repeated semi-structured interviews, conducted over 4 years, with orthopaedic surgeons and their professional networks. These longitudinal interviews will be supplemented by cross-sectional interviews with the national established surgical leaders. All qualitative data will be analysed using a constructivist grounded theory approach and integrated with the quantitative data. The participant narratives will enrich the social network to uncover the leadership configurations which exist, and how different configurations of leadership are functioning in practice to influence implementation processes and outcomes. Discussion The study findings will facilitate understanding about how and why different configurations of leadership develop and under what organisational conditions and circumstances they are able to flourish. The study will guide the development of leadership interventions that are grounded in the data and aimed at advancing leadership for service improvement in orthopaedics. The strength of the study lies in the combination of multi-component, multi-site, multi-agent methods to examine leadership processes in surgery. The findings may be limited by the practical challenges of longitudinal qualitative data collection, such as ensuring participant retention, which need to be balanced against the theoretical and empirical insights generated through this comprehensive exploration of leadership across and within a range of healthcare organisations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-235
Author(s):  
Joan Barnatt ◽  
Lisa Andries D’Souza ◽  
Ann Marie Gleeson ◽  
Kara Mitchell Viesca ◽  
Jessica Wery

This mixed-method study utilizes survey and interview data reflecting teacher candidates’ beliefs about intercultural competence to identify areas of targeted support in teacher preparation. Intercultural competence is operationalized by performance on the Cultural Intelligence Survey (CQS) identifying relative areas of strength and weakness in four dimensions. Participants reported awareness of cultural differences and motivation to interact with those from other cultures, with less confidence in their knowledge base and ability to adapt behavior in intercultural interactions. Qualitative data provided explanatory support for understanding how program elements influenced intercultural competence along a developmental trajectory of learning.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 146
Author(s):  
Nina Puspitaloka ◽  
Indah Rahmawati ◽  
Derinda Octaviyenty Sonjaya

This research is conducted to find out Edmodo can increase student’s ability in learning course design of EYL and student’s perception in learning course design of EYL by using Edmodo. A mixed method was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. In answering those two research questions, the researcher used test (pre-test and post-test) to collect quantitative data and also used interview as data gathering technique to collect qualitative data. The findings of the research showed that: (1) Edmodo can increase student’s ability in learning course design of EYL. It is proven by the score of Independent T-test -0,741 and sig (2 tailed) was higher than degree of significance (0,462 < 0,05). (2) Student’s perception in learning course design of EYL by using Edmodo showed that Edmodo in learning course design of EYL can help students more understand the materials because they can get more information about materials of EYL especially course design of EYL; they can discuss the materials each other anywhere and anytime; they felt more interesting and happy; they are more confident to express their ideas, therefore they can be more active in learning course design of EYL.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-441
Author(s):  
Amanda Douglas Helen ◽  
Madhusudan Subedi ◽  
Rajesh Gongal

Background: Medical humanities is taught in medical schools in the  western countries, partly to address the lack of compassion within healthcare. It seeks to develop understanding of human experiences relating to disease, disability and death, through humanities, arts and social sciences. In 2018, Patan Academy of Health Sciences Nepal introduced an eight-week medical humanities course for new medical students. This study aims to evaluate the course from the student participants’ view, exploring their perceptions and experiences. Methods: A mixed method study was used to assess the perceptions of  65 students who completed a semi-structured survey, comprising eight items, with five point- Likert scale and three open response questions. Quantitative data was analysed with results expressed as mean, standard deviation and percentage. Qualitative data was coded and analysed thematically. Results: The students’ perception of the course was strongly positive where 98.5% agreed or strongly agreed it was enjoyable and interesting (items 1,2) and should be continued (item 9). 97% agreed or strongly agreed it made them think differently (item 5) and 96.9% that it was relevant to future careers (item 6). 96.9% agreed or strongly agreed the course helped them understand doctor’s caring roles (item 10) and 92.3% believed it will make them better doctors (item 11). Three themes emerged from open response questions related to perceptions- enjoyable and interesting, positive personal impact and valuable and important. Conclusions: The students had positive perceptions of the medical humanities course, recognizing its’ impact, importance and its value in medical education. Its expansion in the undergraduate curriculum should be considered. Keywords: Evaluation;medical humanities; Nepal; perceptions;students


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Chen ◽  
Jianshe Wang ◽  
Yi Lu ◽  
Xinbao Xie ◽  
Ying Gu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Children with chronic cholestatic liver diseases have a high risk of malnutrition. However, nutritional management in China has received little attention, and there has been limited evidence regarding improving these practices. This study aimed to evaluate the feeding status of chronic cholestatic children aged 6-24 months and to explore their parents’ experiences with feeding practices. Methods: A mixed-method study was conducted among parents of 74 children with chronic cholestatic liver diseases. The Infant and Young Child Feeding Index (ICFI) was used to collect quantitative data of feeding practices. In-depth interviews with parents were performed to generate qualitative data. Multivariate analysis was conducted to identify predictors of inappropriate feeding practices. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis.Results: Only 16.2% of the children had appropriate feeding practices. In terms of dairy products, the rate of breastfeeding, medium-chain triglyceride formula feeding, and regular formula feeding were 25.7%, 39.2% and 44.6% respectively. The complementary feeding rate was 68.8%, and the age of adding complementary foods was 6.9±1.7 months. Consumption of foods from animal sources was suboptimal, 66.7% of the children aged 6-8 months and 45.5% of the children aged 9-11 months had carbohydrates as a single source of complementary foods and had no intake of meat, eggs or bean products, while in the age group 12-24 months, 52.0% of the children had eggs less than 2 days/week, 60.0% had meat less than 2 days/week, and 60.0% had no intake of bean products. Low literacy of the primary care provider was significantly related to inappropriate feeding practices (adjusted OR 5.52; 95% CI 1.29, 23.66). The result of the interviews indicated that parents generally lacked the scientific knowledge of feeding and thought that the intake of animal source foods and oils would be a burden to the liver and cause damage to the liver functions.Conclusion: Parents generally lacked science-based feeding knowledge and the feeding practices in 6-24-month-old children diagnosed with chronic cholestatic liver diseases fell short of the recommendations in current nutritional guidelines. Appropriate interventions targeting social and cultural family circumstances should therefore be included in supporting parents in feeding practices to improve children’s clinical outcomes.


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