Exploring Singing Vocal Pedagogy in the Greek Elementary School through Interactive Technologies

Author(s):  
Sofia Stavropoulou ◽  
Anastasia Georgaki

A growing body of interdisciplinary research suggests that children's structured engagement in musical activities may have a positive impact on social inclusion by means of offering opportunities for social bonding, developing interpersonal relationships and empowering self-expression, health and well-being. In this paper we investigate the amelioration of children's voice accuracy and quality in signing through a visual feedback software. The research took place in two public elementary schools in Athens in a total of sixty children aged 6-9 years old and with a different cultural background. The statistical analysis on the effectiveness of the software has proved the amelioration of the children's voice quality before and after its use.

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie J. Francis ◽  
Susan H. Jones ◽  
Ursula McKenna

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that events such as the Christmas Eve Carol Services at Liverpool Cathedral that include some regular churchgoers (people who attend services most weeks) and much larger numbers of occasional visitors (who may attend church only once or twice a year) make a significant impact on the psychological health and well-being of the participants. Using a repeat-measure design, participants were invited to complete a copy of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire while they were waiting for the service to begin and then to complete a second copy during a five-minute organ improvisation just before the close of the service. Data provided by 802 participants who completed both copies of the instrument demonstrated a significantly higher score on the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire at time two than at time one, suggesting that attendance at the service had exerted a positive impact on psychological health and well-being.Contribution: Situated within the science of cathedral studies, this article demonstrates by means of a repeated-measure study that cathedrals can make a significant impact on the psychological health and well-being of the wider community served by them. The same well-being measure was completed by 802 participants at the Christmas Eve Carol Services before and after the event, with a significant increase in scores at time two.


Author(s):  
Karolina Baras ◽  
Luísa Soares ◽  
Carla Vale Lucas ◽  
Filipa Oliveira ◽  
Norberto Pinto Paulo ◽  
...  

Smartphones have become devices of choice for running studies on health and well-being, especially among young people. When entering college, students often face many challenges, such as adaptation to new situations, establish new interpersonal relationships, heavier workload and shorter deadlines, teamwork assignments and others. In this paper, the results of four studies examining students' well-being and mental health as well as student's perception of challenges and obstacles they face during their academic journey are presented. In addition, a mobile application that acts as a complement to a successful tutoring project implemented at the authors' University is proposed. The application allows students to keep their schedules and deadlines in one place while incorporating virtual tutor features. By using both, the events from the student's calendar and his or her mood indicators, the application sends notifications accordingly. These notifications encompass motivational phrases, time management guidelines, as well as relaxation tips.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (03) ◽  
pp. 519-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideko Sato ◽  
Teeranee Techasrivichien ◽  
Atsuko Omori ◽  
Masako Ono-Kihara ◽  
Masahiro Kihara

AbstractObjectiveThe goal of this study was to assess the psychosocial consequences among nurses affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake in order to identify their coping strategies and explore possible countermeasures against complex disasters.MethodsIn 2012, we conducted a qualitative study and screened participants for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).ResultsThirty-eight nurses participated in this study. The result showed a relatively high proportion of probable PTSD (39%). Thirty-two conceptual codes emerged from the data and were grouped into 8 categories: “initial acute stress,” “acute stress turning chronic,” “chronic physical and mental fatigue,” “occupational stress,” “fear of the impact of radiation on children’s health,” “occupational satisfaction,” “positive influences of the disaster experiences,” and “impact of mutual care through interpersonal cognition.”ConclusionsThe study reveals that mutual care may have a positive impact in assisting recovery and enhancing the psychological well-being of nurses. We suggest that disaster management should take into consideration the conflict between professional and family responsibilities. In the light of the chronic impact of the nuclear crisis, enhanced support for interpersonal relationships and human resources, as well as appropriate safety precautions, is urgently needed to help affected nurses. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:519-526)


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S254-S254
Author(s):  
Patricia A Oh

Abstract Age-friendly communities promote active, healthy, socially connected aging. Opportunities for social connections are key for older residents to enjoy the best possible health and well-being. Communities that join the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities (AARP NAFSC) include an aging lens in eight areas of community life—social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication and information, housing, transportation, community support and health services, and outdoor spaces and buildings. By addressing factors in these eight areas, communities encourage residents to enjoy formal participation in activities and groups and informal contacts with friends, neighbors and other residents. The purpose of this exploratory study was to find out if communities that join the AARP NAFSC plan and implement changes to enhance social connectedness. A review of 62 AARP-approved action plans nationwide, showed that social connectedness was included in 74% of the mission statements and was a goal in 92% of the plans. The lack of resources in rural communities creates special challenges; many age-friendly initiatives depend on community volunteers to implement changes on a shoe-string budget. To learn how rural age-friendly communities promote social connections, an email survey was distributed to 46 AARP NAFSC communities in rural Maine. All the communities responded. Fostering social connectedness was an explicit goal for 88% of the communities. Areas of implementation included services and activities (83%), communication (61%), transportation (30%), programming to include isolated residents (26%), accessible public spaces (22%), and intergenerational volunteering (17%). Implications will be discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwen K. Healey

This exploratory qualitative study used a case study method to explore Inuit women’s perspectives on their health and well-being. Data were gathered using face-to-face interviews from a purposive sample of women in one Nunavut community who self-identified as Inuit. Data analysis and interpretation were guided by an established approach in qualitative research called “immersion/crystallization.” Various strategies, including methods of verification and validition, were employed to ensure the scientific rigour and reliability of the study’s findings. The mechanisms through which culture and tradition affected women’s perceptions of health and well-being were clearly illustrated and clearly significant to the interview subjects. Women used examples of teenage pregnancy and parenting issues to illustrate traditional practices in Nunavut communities and their significance in an increasingly non-traditional society. Women stressed the importance of speaking Inuktitut and teaching it to their children. Many associated their ability to speak Inuktitut with their ties to Inuit traditions. Women described the grief experienced from loss of culture leading to problems related to identity, social inclusion and wellness. Culture and traditional knowledge were identified as key determinants of health for Canadian Inuit women. This study provides important information to inform and guide health promotion and illness prevention planning. The study will also help decision-makers and health professionals address some of the health issues affecting Inuit women by providing them with some insight into Inuit women’s local and contemporary circumstances. The results of this work can support local efforts to identify priorities for policy and program development relevant to Inuit women’s specific needs. Finally, the relevance of insight gained through the health perspectives of Inuit women in Nunavut deserves further investigation in relation to other Arctic regions, both in Canada and in the larger circumpolar community.


2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Argyle ◽  
Tony Kelly

Purpose – Recent years have seen the advocacy of person-centred approaches to dementia care. An important component of this approach has been the use of arts in the promotion of health and well-being. However, relatively little attention has been given to the barriers and facilitators experienced in trying to implement these types of interventions in a dementia care setting. It is therefore, the purpose of this paper is to help to redress this neglect by examining the process of implementing a personalised musical intervention for the clients of a specialist dementia home care service. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on interviews with five project stakeholders, the paper examines, not only the potential benefits to be gained from the musical intervention but also identifies the barriers experienced in its implementation and ways in which they could be overcome. Findings – It was found that although the musical intervention had a potentially positive impact, there were multi-levelled barriers to its implementation including issues of training, leadership as well as contextual issues such as commissioning and resourcing more generally. Originality/value – The key role played by these issues in the process of implementation suggests that practice should transcend its focus on individual wellbeing and address the wider factors that can facilitate or prevent its fulfilment. While the multi-levelled nature of the obstacles identified suggest that the implementation of innovative interventions within health and social care settings should adopt a similarly eclectic approach.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Susana León-Jiménez

Friendship has been studied along centuries, since ancient times to present-day, as the basis of the social cornerstone, present at all stages of the lifespan and belonging to the world of truthful sentiments. Benefits of friendship on health have been demonstrated. Less is known about the role of friendship on seniors. The aim of this case study has been to show how the end friendship developed in an adults’ school operating for more than 40 years in Barcelona is having a positive impact on the well-being and health of their participants. Through the communicative discussion group, we have deepened in the trajectories of some of the school participants. The results show how participation in the school and the dialogic gatherings have contributed to the emergence of a non-instrumental friendship feeling and to consider an impact on the perceived general wellness and health and an improvement of their life quality. It is discussed how this research provides more elements to the existing literature. More research on how other communitarian environments have similar effects on this population, or on the impact of these dialogical spaces in the development of end friendships in other stages of the life cycle would be of interest.


Author(s):  
Karin Kragsig Peschardt ◽  
Ulrika Karlsson Stigsdotter

The use of urban green environments has repeatedly been associated with improved health and well-being for people living in cities. This study focuses on the health promoting potential of pocket parks in the dense city area of Copenhagen. A natural experiment was conducted, which evaluated one pocket park, Dantes Plads, before and after a redesign. Six people were interviewed about their perception of the change. First of all, the results show that Dantes Plads is primarily used for ‘rest and restitution’. Furthermore, the interviewees prefer to have the presence of sun, shade and planting in relation to rest and restitution, while varied ‘terrain’ may create fascination thereby providing the opportunity for restoration. ‘Noise level’ is perceived differently from subject to subject, while ‘benches’ as well as ‘visual angels’ should not be oriented directly towards disturbing surroundings. The findings add to existing knowledge on the design of health promoting pocket parks for ‘rest and restitution’ in dense city areas.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 123-141
Author(s):  
V.G. Anikina ◽  
E.G. Khoze ◽  
I.V. Strizhova

The article presents the results of studying the mental states of adolescent students involved in the work using didactic VR programs implemented using VR technologies of different levels, demonstrated using different technical means (stationary PC, VIVE helmet), causing immersive experience of different quality. Before and after work, the participants were controlled: activation, excitement, tone, well-being; mood, asthenia, euphoria; the severity of the presence effect. As a result, it was shown that the participants who were involved in the work with the help of a PC experienced a decrease in indicators at the level of reliable statistical significance for the activation parameter. When working with VIVE helmets, reliable increases are shown in terms of activation, arousal, tone, well-being, asthenic state and euphoria. In general, we can talk about the intensive and positive impact of didactic VR programs broadcast with the help of higher level VR technologies on the mental states of students, which can become a source of formation of their stable and productive educational and cognitive motivation.


Author(s):  
Berrin Erdogan ◽  
Talya N. Bauer ◽  
Aysegul Karaeminogullari

Overqualification is a unique form of underemployment, which represents a state where the employee’s education, abilities, knowledge, skills, and/or experience exceed job requirements and are not utilized on the job. Potentially conflicting upsides and downsides of the phenomenon created a fruitful area of research. Thus, overqualification has received considerable attention both in the academic literature and popular press. Studies of overqualification have emerged and received considerable attention in diverse fields including education, labor economics, sociology, management, and psychology. Antecedents of overqualification include individual differences (such as education, personality, age, sex, job search attitudes, previous work experience, past employment history, vocational training and type of degree, migrant status) and environmental dynamics (such as the characteristics of the position held and size of the job market). Commonly studied outcomes of overqualification include job attitudes, performance, proactive behaviors and creativity, counterproductive behaviors, absenteeism and turnover, health and well-being, feelings of job security, wages, upward mobility, and interpersonal relationships. While the effects are typically negative, there are some contemporary findings revealing the potential benefits of overqualified employees for their work groups and organizations. In recent years, boundary conditions shaping the effects of overqualification have also been identified, including factors such as empowerment and autonomy, overqualification of referent others, personality traits, and values. Despite the accumulating research on this topic, many unanswered questions remain. Conflicting findings on some of the outcomes and limited empirical investigations of theory-based mediators promise a lively and still developing field of research.


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