Effects of Plant Communities on Human Physiological Recovery and Emotional Reactions: A Comparative Onsite Survey and Photo Elicitation Study

We investigated the effects on humans, in terms of skin conductance levels (SCLs) and positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS) scores, of plant communities that differed in their vegetation structure (single-layer woodland, tree-shrub-grass composite woodland, tree-grass composite woodland, and single-layer grassland) through two perceptual methods: onsite surveying and photo elicitation. The results showed that (1) the choice of perception method significantly impacted the PANAS scores of the participants but had no influence on the SCL and (2) viewing a single-layer grassland reduced the SCL (representing the physiological stress level) and improved the positive affect score. The recovery effects for the four vegetation communities were ranked in the order of single-layer grassland > tree-shrub-grass composite woodland > single-layer woodland > tree-grass composite woodland. (3) Gender and professional background significantly impacted the plant community perception methods and landscape experience, and negative affect scores were lower for male participants than for female participants. Participants without backgrounds in landscape design exhibited higher positive affect scores under photo elicitation. Based on the conclusions drawn above, the onsite survey is preferable between the two perception methods. It is recommended that in future landscape designs, combinations of plant community types should be reasonably matched through onsite perception. These research results can provide a scientific basis for the future design of landscapes based on perception experience.

Experiences of families involving a parent with progressive deafblindness

Usher syndrome is a progressive form of deafblindness, which can have significant psychological consequences. This study aimed to get insight in the perceived impact of Usher syndrome type 2 (USH2) on families with a parent affected by this syndrome, and in the experiences of these families with social, professional, and peer support. Participants were 10 parents with USH2 living in the Netherlands, 10 of their co-parents, and 10 of their children. The parents filled in questionnaires and participated in a semi-structured interview. A photo-elicitation interview and a semi-structured interview were administered to the children. Interviews were transcribed and systematically coded, using thematic and open coding. Parents rated the family’s quality of life in general as satisfactory. Both negative and positive consequences were described of USH2 for the family. Parents without USH2 and their children stated to provide support to the parent with USH2, which was often described as self-evident. Some parents without USH2, however, described their family tasks as a burden. Some parents also reported that psychological problems of the parent with USH2 affected the well-being of other family members. Several parents and some children expressed that the syndrome was hardly discussed within the family. Unfulfilled family support needs were mentioned, a lack of involvement of family members in the professional support, as well as a lack of professional and peer support for children and partners. This study revealed that USH2 in a parent has impact on the entire family. Family-centred approaches are recommended for professionals who support parents with Usher syndrome.

How does a primary school organize outdoor swimming and water safety lessons?

The main purpose of this study was to explore how a primary school organized a week with outdoor education, and especially what characterized the outdoor swimming and water safety (SWS)-lessons. The SWS-lessons were part of the physical education (PE) program. Two teachers and one headmaster from a primary school participated in the study. Four days of video observation of SWS-lessons were used in photo-elicitation interviews with teachers and the headmaster. The findings revealed that the headmaster highly prioritized the outdoor education practice in this school and that the teachers’ colleagues showed great eagerness to cooperate and prioritize these lessons. The week’s organization was characterized by collaborating management, and the outdoor SWS-lessons were characterized by experiential learning, challenge by choice, and risk awareness. The outdoor education practice corresponded well with the Norwegian curriculum goals about learning to be safe in, on, and around water.

Effects of Collaborative Digital Gameplay on Students’ Three Dimensions of Engagement in Mathematics

This study attempts to provide an in-depth understanding of the influence of collaborative digital gameplay on students’ behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement in mathematics. This mixed-method study used pre- (N = 45) and post-test (N = 43) engagement surveys and photo-elicitation interviews (N = 6) to investigate how a six-day experiment involving collaborative digital gameplay on Wuzzit Trouble affects students’ engagement in mathematics. The quantitative results showed collaborative digital gameplay did not elicit a significant increase in students’ engagement in mathematics from pre-test to post-test. Moreover, the qualitative results of analyzing the measurement of three-dimensional engagement showed four factors – learning achievement, teacher support, peer collaboration and task characteristics – were associated with students’ engagement in a collaborative digital gameplay classroom. The findings suggest the classroom context plays an important role in three-dimensional engagement, which efficiently improve students’ conceptual understanding and arithmetic skills.

Psychological Adjustment in Apert Syndrome: Parent and Young Person Perspectives

To date, limited research has been carried out into the psychological impact of having a diagnosis of Apert syndrome (AS) and the life experiences of families living with this condition. The aim of the current study was to explore psychological adjustment to AS from the perspectives of young people, and their parents, with the broader goal of informing care, and support for this population. Four young people (2 male) aged 11 to 15 years and their mothers were interviewed in their homes using a semistructured interview guide and photo-elicitation methods. Transcripts were analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Three superordinate themes were identified from the data: (1) Acceptance and Adjustment: A Cyclical Journey; (2) A Barrier to Adjustment: Navigating Treatment; and (3) Facilitating Adjustment: Social Support. Families described adjustment as a cyclical process, which was sensitive to change, particularly in the context of ongoing medical treatment. Families also utilized many resources, particularly in the form of social support, to adjust to the challenges of AS and build resilience. The findings of this study have important implications for the implementation of patient-centered care within designated craniofacial treatment centers, which should at a minimum include the provision of reliable information throughout the treatment pathway, additional support from health professionals at key times of transition, and the coordination of support across medical teams, and other key organizations in the child's life.

Answers on a Postcard: Photo Elicitation in the Service of Local Ecclesial Strategy

This article reports the findings of a practical Theological Action Research project in a Church of England diocese in the UK, using photo elicitation. This image-based approach resulted in findings that echoed existing diocesan strategies, but also highlighted other issues that may otherwise have remained implicit, specifically the mode of mission and concerns regarding growth and survival. The visual data itself is analysed, revealing that the images do not always function as direct signifiers, but instead were generating creative, intuited responses. From the data, four mirrors were developed to reflect back to the groups their responses. This approach enabled local strategies to emerge from within espoused theologies, but also to make explicit their coherence or departure from the normative missiologies of the diocese. Finally, the authors suggest that the exposure of church leaders within training to qualitative research methodologies is releasing a new kind of leadership to emerge.

Luontosuhteen katkokset ja jatkuvuudet: maahanmuuttajien kokemuksia pohjoisessa

A close relationship with nature and the exploitation of products provided by nature are an integral part of Finnish identity. In this review article, we study the nature relationships of immigrants in Finnish Lapland, both in the context of their previous life stages and current integration. We apply the ideas of geobiography and lifelong environmental relationship. We ask how the migrants’ nature relationship has taken shape in the course of life, and what kind of discontinuities and continuities exist. We have approached the issue with focus group interviews conducted among immigrants who have residence permits in Finland and live in Lapland. In interviews, photo-elicitation has had an important role. It seems that northern nature has not become familiar during the “formal” integration process. Nature experiences in Finland relate in many ways to experiences in the nature of the country of origin. Refugee camp is the biggest discontinuity in nature relationship. The nature of the original homeland is therefore very distant in time, but still important.

El censo de infraviviendas de Madrid: fichas, fotografías y control de la población chabolista madrileña durante la etapa franquista

El Censo de Infraviviendas elaborado por la Comisaría de Ordenación Urbana de Madrid y sus alrededores (COUMA) durante las décadas de los 50 y 60 del pasado siglo, configura un archivo material privilegiado para analizar uno de los fenómenos que más preocupó al Régimen franquista desde la posguerra: el crecimiento fuera de su control de las periferias urbanas. La llegada de familias trabajadoras emigrantes, fue ensanchando el extrarradio madrileño con el aumento de miles de chabolas autoconstruidas. Este artículo tiene como base un trabajo de campo antropológico en Vallecas, que ha incluido una lectura de carácter etnográfico de documentación de este período, en especial el Censo de Infraviviendas. Este archivo, prácticamente inédito, está compuesto por miles de fichas, que recogen información de cada una de las familias que habitaban las periferias, junto a la fotografía de las mismas a la puerta de sus chabolas. A lo largo del presente trabajo, se analiza la configuración de las fichas como prueba material de la presencia de la población chabolista, constituyendo un “campo documental” que formaba parte de la política de control y vigilancia a la que estaba sometida dicha población. Incluimos testimonios de vecinas vallecanas que vivieron este proceso, centrándonos a través de la técnica de photo-elicitation en uno de ellos. El análisis del Censo de Infraviviendas, mecanismo desde el que la COUMA ejercía el control y “prueba material” de esta época, pues las chabolas fueron derribadas, permite la reconstrucción de la experiencia de una población invisibilizada: la población chabolista madrileña en la etapa franquista.