scholarly journals Distance Learners’ Use of Handheld Technologies

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Cross ◽  
Mike Sharples ◽  
Graham Healing ◽  
Jim Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Spatial Dimension ◽  
Handheld Devices ◽  
Distance Learners ◽  
Handheld Device ◽  
Study Task ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Anywhere Learning

This study investigates how and where distance learners use handheld devices and the impact this has on learning habits, access to learning content and quality of work. It analyses the spatial dimension of anytime-anywhere learning and, with a focus on anywhere learning, it explores students’ ongoing negotiation of the flow between and across study locations. The study concludes by proposing two new concepts: the flow of places and place of space. These should help direct the framing of future studies into the places, spaces, and mobility of formal and informal seamless learning. A dataset comprising 446 responses from undergraduate students enrolled at the UK’s largest distance learning university was analysed in respect to three research questions. All age groups, study levels, and disciplines were represented. Five key findings are: most students now use handheld devices for study-related learning; the distribution of study-related learning tasks was similar in all seven study places; there is a strong, statistically-significant correlation between the number of study places in which handheld devices are used and the number of study task types performed; two fifths of students using a handheld device for learning have noticed a change in study habit and benefit to learning; and multiple regression analysis shows three variables (number of study places, number of study tasks, and change in study habits) are predictors of finding it easier to access learning materials and improved quality of learners’ work.

scholarly journals Oral Health Related Quality of Life and Prosthetic Status among Institutionalized Elderly from the Bucharest Area: A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6663
Author(s):  
Laura Iosif ◽  
Cristina Teodora Preoteasa ◽  
Elena Preoteasa ◽  
Ana Ispas ◽  
Radu Ilinca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Institutionalized Elderly ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Prosthetic Status ◽  
The Impact

The aim of the study was to assess the oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) of elderly in care homes, one of Romania’s most vulnerable social categories, to correlate it to sociodemographic, oral health parameters, and prosthodontic status. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was performed on 58 geriatrics divided into 3 age groups, who were clinically examined and answered the oral health impact profile (OHIP-14) questionnaire. Very high rates of complete edentulism in the oldest-old subgroup (bimaxillary in 64.3%; mandibular in 64.3%; maxillary in 85.7%), and alarming frequencies in the other subgroups (middle-old and youngest-old), statistically significant differences between age groups being determined. The OHIP-14 mean score was 14.5. Although not statistically significant, females had higher OHIP-14 scores, also middle-old with single maxillary arch, single mandibular arch, and bimaxillary complete edentulism, whether they wore dentures or not, but especially those without dental prosthetic treatment in the maxilla. A worse OHRQoL was also observed in wearers of bimaxillary complete dentures, in correlation with periodontal disease-related edentulism, in those with tertiary education degree, and those who came from rural areas. There were no statistically significant correlations of OHRQoL with age, total number of edentulous spaces or edentulous spaces with no prosthetic treatment. In conclusion, despite poor oral health and prosthetic status of the institutionalized elderly around Bucharest, the impact on their wellbeing is comparatively moderate.

Impact of embodiment on attitude strength

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunaina Shrivastava ◽  
Gaurav Jain ◽  
JaeHwan Kwon ◽  
Dhananjay Nayakankuppam
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Cognitive Process ◽  
Target Object ◽  
Attitude Strength ◽  
Quality Of Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lab Experiments ◽  
Attitude Accessibility ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Traditionally, it has been held that strong attitudes are a result of the conscious cognitive process of elaboration where one engages in effortful issue-relevant thinking. The purpose of this study is to show that attitude strength can follow from processes not just limited to elaboration – as a function of certain embodied states. This study examines bodily manipulations that could alter perceptions about the quality of the information describing a target (e.g. notion of “hard/soft” evidence), and, find that such an embodiment leads one to have strong attitudes toward the target object. This study proposes an attitude-rehearsal-based mechanism to explain the phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach This study have relied on lab experiments as a methodology – undergraduate students and American residents served as participants. This study have conducted a pre-registered study as well. Findings In the work, the study shows that strong attitudes can result from processes not just limited to elaboration, as a function of certain embodied states. This paper examines bodily manipulations that could alter perceptions about the quality of information describing the target (e.g. notion of “hard vs soft”; “converging vs diverging” information), and, find that such an embodiment leads one to have strong attitudes toward the target. This study consistently observed that the bodily manipulations influence attitude accessibility, a direct and operational indicator of attitude strength. This study further validates an attitude-rehearsal-based mechanism to explain the observed phenomenon. Originality/value While much work has investigated the impact of embodiment on attitudes, little attention has been paid to whether, and, how embodied states can impact the “strength” of the attitude without impacting the attitude itself – to the knowledge, this paper is the first to document this. Moreover, traditionally, it has been held that strong attitudes are a result of the conscious cognitive process of elaboration where one engages in effortful issue-relevant thinking. This study however shows that attitude strength can follow from processes not just limited to elaboration – as a function of certain embodied states.

Socially Shared Metacognition Among Undergraduate Students During an Online Geology Course

2018 ◽  
pp. 406-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Spencer ◽  
Margareta M. Thomson ◽  
Jason P. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Social Forms ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Group Engagement ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Successful Collaboration

The ability to collaborate successfully with others is a highly valued skill in the modern workplace and has been reflected in the increase of collaborative learning methods within education. Research has highlighted the crucial role of self-regulation in successful collaboration, and more recently begun to focus on understanding how groups jointly regulate their interactions. The current chapter outlines a mixed-methods study that compared the impact of individual- and group-centered prompts on the frequency of social metacognitive activities during online group review activities with college students (N=48) from the USA. Tentative study findings suggested that group-centered problematizing prompts were moderately successful in shifting groups towards more social forms of regulation such as co-regulation; however, they were not enough to move groups towards shared metacognitive regulation. Further results revealed how the quality of group engagement was influenced by participants' perceived value towards activities, function and focus of metacognitive episodes, and group dynamics.

scholarly journals The patient’s experience of primary ciliary dyskinesia: a systematic review

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 2265-2285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Behan ◽  
Bruna Rubbo ◽  
Jane S. Lucas ◽  
Audrey Dunn Galvin
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ciliary Dyskinesia

Abstract Background Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare genetic disorder characterised by progressive sinopulmonary disease, with symptoms starting soon after birth. The aim of this study is to critically review, analyse, and synthesise the literature in order to understand the experiences of patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) and the impact on health-related quality of life. Method MEDLINE, EBSCO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO and EMBASE were searched according to the inclusion criteria. A qualitative analysis of 14 studies was conducted. Results Fourteen studies were included in the review, five with qualitative methodologies. Studies originated from the UK, USA, Italy, Denmark and Belgium, one study included a survey distributed internationally. Significant relationships were found between age and worsening of respiratory symptoms, physical, and mental domains of health-related quality of life, with a greater decline compared with reference populations. Variations between the UK and Italy were found for health-related quality of life and its correlation with time since diagnosis. PCD was found to have a physical impact in all age groups: patients found it difficult to keep up with others, and found energy levels were easily depleted compared to family or peers. In terms of social impact, symptoms lead to embarrassment and a sense of isolation, with patients concealing symptoms and/or their diagnosis. In turn, isolation was also linked with the lack of public and medical knowledge. In relation to emotional impact, anxiety was reported in a number of qualitative studies; patients were anxious about getting sick or when thinking about their future health. The burden of treatment and factors influencing adherence were also discussed in depth. Conclusion Health-related quality of life decreases with age in patients with PCD. For all age groups, PCD was found to greatly impact physical, emotional, social functioning, and treatment burden. More research is needed on the psychosocial impact of the illness, disease burden and its effect on quality of life.

scholarly journals Impact of a Pharmacist-Driven Protocol to Improve Drug Allergy Documentation at a University Hospital

2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 302-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Burrell ◽  
Candy Tsourounis ◽  
David Quan ◽  
Vicki Jue ◽  
Eunice Tam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Allergy ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Substantial Improvement ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Order Entry ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Pediatric Services ◽  
Physician Order Entry ◽  
The Impact

Background An internal evaluation of the inpatient pharmacy order entry database ( WORx) at a university hospital revealed that the nature of the reaction was documented for only 47% of patients with reported drug allergies/intolerance. Insufficient documentation of drug allergy/intolerance may result in administration of drugs that should not be prescribed. Similarly, valuable agents that should be used may not be prescribed due to an unnecessary fear of adverse drug reaction. More complete description of drug allergy/intolerance may result in more correct prescribing of medications. Objective Evaluate the impact of a pharmacist-driven protocol on the quality of drug allergy/intolerance documentation. Methods Four pre-intervention evaluations were conducted every 2 weeks documenting the completeness of drug allergy/intolerance information in the pharmacy order entry database. One week following the implementation of a pharmacist-driven protocol intended to improve the completeness of drug allergy/intolerance information, a series of 4 postintervention evaluations was repeated. Proportional analysis of pre- and postinterventional data was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Results A total of 1,686 allergies from 2,174 patients were reviewed pre and post intervention. The frequency of complete drug allergy/intolerance documentation pre intervention was 52% to 62%. Following implementation of the hospitalwide, pharmacist-driven protocol, this rate increased to 60% to 76%. Pediatric services demonstrated the most substantial improvement, increasing from 53% to 79% to 67% to 93%. Blank reaction fields decreased by 10% in both age groups. Conclusion A pharmacy-driven initiative intended to improve the completeness of drug allergy/intolerance documentation was associated with modest success. Other mechanisms, including electronic health record systems with computerized physician order entry and decision support, are needed to improve the completeness of drug allergy/intolerance information.

Factors influencing the choice of financial advisor by women stock investors in Punjab

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-201
Author(s):  
Mandeep Kaur ◽  
Tina Vohra
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Financial Advisors ◽  
Women Clients ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Advisor ◽  
Investment Advisor ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Purpose The paper aims to attempt to identify the attributes that women look for in their financial advisor and to examine if the choice of attributes of a financial advisor among women investors in Punjab is the same across demographics. The understanding of the attributes that women want in their financial advisor will help the financial advisors to be mindful of the opportunities and the challenges they have to face while working with women investors. Studying the impact of demographics on the choice of the investment advisor would enable the service providers to provide women with services relevant to their unique and individual situations. Design/methodology/approach A pre-tested, well-structured questionnaire was constructed and administered personally, and the responses of 200 women investors were analyzed. The sum of the ranks assigned by women to various attributes determining the choice of a financial advisor was used to find out the most preferred attribute on the basis of which women choose their financial advisor. The Kruskal Wallis test was used to analyze the impact of demographics on the choice of the respondents. Findings The results of the study brought out that the friendliness of the financial advisor, and the quality of advice provided by them are preferred attributes determining the choice of a financial advisor. Along with this, the results also state that the preference for the attribute friendliness and quality of advice is not the same across age groups. The choice of attributes also varies according to the marital status of the respondents. Practical implications The current study will contribute toward a greater understanding of the attributes which are considered important by women while choosing their financial advisor. The study will help the financial advisors to cater to the needs of their women clients. Moreover, the study will also benefit women by bringing about a positive change in the attitude of the financial advisors in favor of them. The greater sensitization of the financial advisors toward their women clients would lead to greater stock market participation among women, thereby benefitting the society. Originality/value The paper is an attempt to identify the attributes that women look for in their financial advisor and to examine if the choice of attributes of a financial advisor among women investors in Punjab is the same across demographics or not. Therefore, the study contributes to the understanding of the investment behavior of women.

Foresight for E-paper development in Taiwan

foresight ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Hung Hsieh ◽  
Chien-Huei Lin ◽  
Jia-Ling Huang
Keyword(s):  
Delphi Technique ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Handheld Devices ◽  
Flexible Display ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cloud Data ◽  
Handheld Device ◽  
Digital Services ◽  
International Investors ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to analyse the impact of e-paper on many existing industries including paper, publishing, book distribution, display, handheld device manufacturers and content service providers. Flexible display has been studied by many institutes, firms and market research companies. Some believe that e-paper is an exceptional application for flexible display, and the need for flexible display development for handheld devices and cloud-based e-book content is indisputable. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the Delphi technique and STEEP (Sociological, Technological, Economic, Environmental and Political aspects) with a panel to analyse a business model and the opportunity for the development of e-paper in Taiwan up to the year 2020. Findings The study concludes that e-paper content and customised digital services are an essential part of e-paper development, while hardware and cloud data are no more than a mechanism to show, compute and store data. Thus, whether the screen of a handheld device is flexible may not be of importance. Although e-paper will affect the display industry, it will not substitute for handheld devices and traditional bookstores. Originality/value This research can be used as a reference for government, academics, industry and international investors.

scholarly journals Ability of Pre-school and Primary School Children to Assess the Quality of Explanations

Pedagogika ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 129-146
Author(s):  
Aušra Daugirdienė ◽  
Agnė Brandišauskienė ◽  
Danguolė Endriuškienė
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Fourth Grade ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
School Age ◽  
The Impact

Explanations about the surrounding world are of particular significance for children since it is a way for them to learn and cognise the environment. However, Legare (2014) maintains that little is known about the impact of explanations on learning. For the past decade, explanations have been one of the major themes in the studies of cognitive psychology. They aim at answering the key questions: what is the nature of the phenomenon (explanation), what is it composed of, what are its quality criteria, how is it constructed and perceived by children (Lombrozo, 2006). Hence, the aim of the current paper is to explore the ability of pre-school and primary school children to assess the quality of explanations. The aforesaid aim was posed in accordance with the methodology developed by the authors (the methodology was designed with reference to the study of Baum, Danovitch, and Keil (Baum et al., 2008). The research involved 61 children: 20 pre-school children, and 41 primary school children (21 children of the second grade, and 20 children of the fourth grade respectively). The main conclusions of this research are: – children’s ability to assess the quality of explanations increases from pre-school age to the second grade of primary school, yet at this period, it remains unchanged (from the second to fourth grade); – despite that the ability to assess the quality of explanations on familiar and unfamiliar topics differs in both age groups (pre-school and primary school), the differences are not statistically significant. It has been determined that, assessing explanation on familiar and unfamiliar topics, pre-school children and fourth grade pupils are able to distinguish circular explanations on familiar topics in a more similar way than assessing explanations on unfamiliar topics. Moreover, older primary learners are more precise in assessing explanations on familiar rather than unfamiliar topics; – the oldest children (fourth grade learners) choose a noncircular explanation as a better one more knowingly and reasonably. Meanwhile, children of pre-school age and second grade pupils cannot often point out why they have chosen a noncircular explanation; – only older children (mostly fourth grade pupils and several second grade learners) are able to recognise and identify the structure of a circular explanation. The conducted research provides insights into the ability of small children to assess the acquired information. It is noteworthy that the assessment and creation of explanations is one of the mechanisms of learning and development (Bonawitz et al., 2008; Legare, & Lombrozo, 2014). Hence, their impact is obvious: explanations give a basis for learning, whereas prior knowledge is fundamental for explanations (Williams, & Lombrozo, 2013).

scholarly journals Impact of Self Efficacy on Personal Growth among Distance Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-34
Author(s):  
Iram Batool ◽  
Ruqia Safdar Bajwa ◽  
Hamida Bibi ◽  
Asghar Ali Shah
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Distance Learners ◽  
Specific Situation ◽  
Personal Growth Initiative ◽  
Growth Initiative ◽  
The Impact

Self-efficacy is the person’s complete belief on his or her abilities that he or she succeeds in a specific situation. Different activities covered by Personal growth which develop aptitudes, improve identity and boost our quality of life. The present study was intended to explore the impact of self-efficacy on personal growth among distance learners. It was deeply focused on new emerging trend of distance learning in Pakistan. Data was collected through simple random sampling from participants (males and females) aged 20-32. For the purpose of data collection two scales were used in this research i.e., Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS -II; Robitschek, Ashton, Spering, Geiger, Byers, Schotts, & Thoen, 2012) and Self Efficacy scale (Schwarzer &Jerusalem,2000). Analysis of the data revealed that there is a significant impact of self-efficacy on personal growth. No gender differences were found on personal growth Initiative and self-efficacy. The findings conclude that the present study will be fruitful in uplifting the society’s emerging trend of distance learning and to provide quality education to the door step of every member of the society.

The Rorschach Ink-Blot Test as an Instrument for Evaluating Quality of Life in Breast-Cancer Victims

2005 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-138
Author(s):  
G. Marchioro ◽  
F. Barbato ◽  
G. Azzarello ◽  
O. Vinante
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Breast Cancer Diagnosis ◽  
Adjustment Disorder ◽  
Rorschach Test ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
The Impact

Background. The psychological discomfort associated to breast-cancer diagnosis and related treatments is universally recognized. However homogeneous modalities of intervention are lacking. The questionnaires are the most employed tools to analyze pre-morbidity personality traits and the quality of life of cancer patients, but they lack valid indicators of the patients' overall quality of life. On the other hand, counseling along with administered psychological tests allows listening and mutual relationship between patient and examiner. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Rorschach test, a multidimensional method of collecting data on personality functioning, as an instrument to assess mood disorders, object relation, self-image and quality of life in breast cancer patients. Methods. 135 consecutive women affected by operable breast cancer underwent psychological counseling and the Rorschach test within 2–4 weeks after surgery. Results of the test were interpreted according to the structural and experiential approaches. The discrimination between “compact” and “noncompact” tables makes it possible to study the changes of patients identity during the illness, while the Experienced Stimulation and Experience Actual indices, providing information about the patient's coping to therapeutic approach, were calculated according to the Exner system. The records from a sample of 60 healthy women, equally distributed in three age groups (< 50, 50–59, > 60) coming from the same Italian region (regional sample) and the results from 736 nonpatient Italian subjects (national sample) were used as controls. Results. Quantitative results were comparable within groups, except for parameters of cognitive characteristics regulating the approach to reality (G, G+, F+, Anat, Ban). No patient fulfilled the parameter configuration corresponding to depressive disorder, but alexithymia with a state reaction interpreted as an adjustment disorder with depressive mood was recorded. This trait was correlated with lower educational levels and increasing age.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document