Educational Robotics in Primary Education

The purpose of this chapter is to review the literature referring to the utilization of educational robotics (ER) in primary education. Keyword-based search in particular bibliographic databases returned 21 journal papers for the eight-year period of 2012-2019. The factors that were studied in each of them are as follows: learning environment, area of knowledge/course subjects, pedagogical framework, learning activities, robotic equipment, research methodology, and main findings. The outcomes, among other things, showed that the majority of ER activities took place in a formal learning environment and that ER is appropriate for teaching subjects of STEM education. Though many researches took into account various learning theories that support collaboration, problem-solving, discovery, and construction of knowledge, there were some researches that lacked any pedagogical framework. In spite of the positive cognitive and affective outcomes of ER in learning, there are aspects that require further investigation.

Is Football or Badminton Associated With More Positive Affect? The Links Between Affects and Sports Club Membership Among French Adolescents

Prior studies extensively examined the way sports club membership can lead to beneficial affective outcomes. Prior experiments also found that team sports, intensive sports, and sports that are frequently pursued can lead to even more affective benefits. However, no prior studies examined the differences between the affective benefits of specific sports. Based on prior results, we supposed that certain sports that meet all the previously set criteria—will provide the greatest affective benefits. The present large-scale investigation examined the data of adolescents (N = 12,849, female = 5,812, aged between 10 and 18, Mage = 12.56 years, and SDage = 2.00) and aimed to fill this gap. Firstly, the results showed that—although differences in affect can be found between the lack of club membership and most of the sports club memberships—the differences between the specific sports are less striking. Secondly, the sports that are associated with the highest level of positive and the lowest level of negative affectivity are not necessarily the ones expected. Finally, adolescents who practice athletics, reported the lowest means of negative, and the highest means of positive affect. However, it did not differ significantly from the results regarding the most practiced sport in France: soccer. Our results suggest that soccer as the most practice sport among French adolescents was associated with more positive affects than the majority of the 10 most licensed members French sports practiced by teens between 2008 and 2019. All in all, being a member of a sports club is associated with affective benefits, and some specific sports clubs can have some extra benefits.

Traditional versus developmental measures of weight suppression: Exploring their relationships with bulimic psychopathology

Objective: Weight suppression (WS) is related to a wide variety of eating disorder characteristics. However, individuals with eating disorders usually reach their highest premorbid weight while still developing physically. Therefore, a more sensitive index of individual differences in highest premorbid weight may be one that compares highest premorbid z-BMI to current z-BMI (called developmental weight suppression (DWS) here). Method: We compared the relationships between traditional weight suppression (TWS) and DWS and a wide variety of measures related to bulimic psychopathology in 91 females (M age, 25.2; 60.5% White), with clinical or sub-clinical bulimia nervosa. Results: TWS and DWS were correlated (r = .40). TWS was significantly related to only one of 23 outcome variables whereas DWS showed significant or near-significant relationships to 14 outcomes. DWS showed consistent positive relations with behavioral outcomes (e.g., binge eating) but consistent negative relations with cognitive/affective outcomes (e.g., weight concerns). Conclusions: Findings indicated a much more consistent relationship between the novel DWS measure and bulimic characteristics than with the traditional weight suppression measure. DWS showed both positive and negative relations with bulimic symptoms, though these findings require replication to confirm their validity. Consistent evidence indicated that the two WS measures served as mutual suppressor variables.

The Impact of Ambassador Animal Facilitated Programs on Visitor Curiosity and Connections: A Mixed-Methods Study

Many zoos and aquariums offer opportunities for visitors to have up-close encounters with ambassador animals; however, the impacts of these experiences on visitors’ connections to animals are not well documented. We used observations and family interviews in a sequential mixed-methods research study to explore how animal ambassador programs impact participants. We found that the type of ambassador animal did not affect the number of questions or comments made by participants during programs, suggesting broad interest in animals. Programs in which facilitators prompted participants with questions were especially successful at eliciting questions and guiding the topics of those questions, fueling deeper curiosity. Interviewees described themselves as “animal people” and self-reported practicing conservation behaviors, suggesting that their animal affiliative and pro-environmental identities could be leveraged to discuss conservation issues and encourage solutions-based behaviors. Lastly, opportunities to meet ambassador animals increased participants’ feelings of connecting to animals, building on previous research and corroborating findings. Programs should consider how to further build on these positive learning and affective outcomes by capitalizing on opportunities to provide deep insights into conservation issues and actions related to the ambassador animals.

Toward Optimized Effectiveness of Employee Training Programs

Although organizations invest heavily on employee training, the effectiveness of employee training programs has not been well-established. In the current study, we examine the training delivery features of employee training programs to derive a better understanding of features that may be of best benefit in the improvement of employee affective outcomes. Specifically, and via the use of meta-analysis ( k = 79 studies totaling 107 independent effect sizes), we focus on two broad classes of affective employee training outcomes including attitudinal and motivational outcomes. Results evidence support for the effectiveness of employee workplace training interventions and indicate that employee training programs associated with attitudinal versus motivational outcomes require different features while being delivered to reach optimal effectiveness.

A-76 Coping Style Moderates the Effect of Pain on Depression in Multiple Sclerosis

Objective The present study examined coping style as a possible moderator in the relationship between pain and depression in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Method Fifty-four PwMS (38 female) completed a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery and psychosocial questionnaires. Pain was measured using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and indices of pain severity and pain interference were derived. Active coping and avoidant coping scores were derived from the COPE Questionnaire. The Beck Depression Inventory-Fast Screen (BDI-FS) was used to measure depression. Results Regression analyses revealed that the interactions between pain severity and both avoidant (p = 0.005) and active (p = 0.004) coping composites significantly predicted depression. Simple effects tests revealed that pain severity predicted depression in PwMS with low active coping (p < 0.001) and high avoidant coping (p < 0.001), but not high active coping or low avoidant coping. The interactions between pain interference and both avoidant (p = 0.02) and active (p = 0.008) coping composites also significantly predicted depression. Simple effects tests revealed that pain interference predicted depression in PwMS with low active coping (p < 0.001), high active coping, (p = 0.048), and high avoidant coping (p < 0.001), but not low avoidant coping. Conclusions We found that coping style moderated the relationship between pain and depression in MS. Pain severity and pain interference predicted depression in PwMS who exhibited less active and more avoidant coping. Interventions that aim to reduce avoidant coping and increase active coping skills may be useful in improving affective outcomes in PwMS.