Capturing Research Value in Commercial Design Outputs

The aim of this project was to make children's activities on digital devices visible, in order to be understood, which could then assist educators to extend these activities, thus potentially increasing children's learning. The purpose of the study was to explore the children's activities as they used a range of digital technologies. The research was framed by two research questions: a) 'what activities do children engage in around digital devices within an early childhood classroom?' and b) 'how do these activities relate to elements of Vygotsky's theorisation about young children's play?' By examining these questions the study, which will inform early childhood education practices through four implications in learning with and through technologies in early childhood settings. Historically, the research literature in early childhood technologies has focused on educators' use of technological devices with a focus on using desktop computers. Researchers exploring digital technology in early childhood education have called for further investigation into the role digital technology plays in the current context. This includes thinking beyond how educators use technologies in the classroom to the implications for children's play, learning and development; and what this might mean for pedagogy and curriculum. This study used a single site, case study approach where the researcher, who was also the educator, along with the children, documented the use of two iPadsREPLACE1, two digital cameras, a FlipREPLACE1 camera and a computer within the kindergarten classroom. Sociocultural theory framed the research, in particular Vygotsky's views on children's play, learning and development. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used for analysing the data collected and the results were then discussed in detail.;The study resulted in four main findings which were: 1) digital devices are supportive cultural tools for fostering social interactions; 2) time is needed to explore the technology; 3) digital devices assist leading activity; and 4) children shift from recording artefacts to recording imaginative episodes. These findings formed the basis of four implications for educators which included: 1) educators need to provide children with the time and knowledge to appropriately use ICT and extend their learning; 2) educators need to plan, provide for and encourage social interactions between children using digital technologies; 3) educators need to develop children's skills as mentors for each other in their ICT use; and 4) educators need to consider and provide apps that encourage imaginative play. This investigation identified the necessity for further research around children's need for time to explore digital devices to assist them in moving from explorative to imaginative behaviours

A number of challenges are currently impacting the quality of Earth science education in Australia. These include the introduction of a new Australian Curriculum that requires students learn about abstract Earth science concepts; the inadequacy of teachers' professional knowledge to address pedagogically these demands; the limitations of teacher education to alleviate pre-service teachers' perceived pedagogical inadequacy in teaching Earth science; and issues of students' durably held alternative conceptions about Earth science phenomena and perceived disengagement with the subject. These challenges call for research that investigates the efficacy of innovative conceptual change pedagogies that promote students' engagement with Earth science and enhance their conceptual understanding. In response to this need, this study investigated the value of using student-generated stopmotion animation, or 'slowmation', as a conceptual change instructional approach. This study employed a mixed-methods intervention research design, generating both quantitative and qualitative data, in order to investigate three research questions: (1) Does the process of constructing a slowmation have a significant effect on students' conceptual change? (2) How does the process of constructing a slowmation influence students' conceptual change; and (3) Is students' interest, generated by the construction of a slowmation, a significant predictor of conceptual change? Four classes of Year 9 students participated in this study. Two classes were treated as an intervention group and participated in the construction of a slowmation (N=52), while two comparison classes experienced 'teaching as usual' (N=43). All students in the intervention and comparison conditions completed a two-tiered multiple-choice test (i.e., the GeoQuiz), developed and validated by the researcher, which tested students' alternative Earth science conceptions before and after their participation in the study. A Likert-style survey that gauged students' interest in learning science, the Student Interest in Learning Science (SILS) Survey, was also administered to all students before and after the project. Selected students from the intervention condition were audio recorded to capture their discussions during the construction process, and the same students were interviewed about their learning experience upon completion of the project. In answer to the first research question, a significant improvement was found in the GeoQuiz scores of students who constructed a slowmation, which indicates that conceptual change occurred. At the same time, a significant improvement was also found for students in the comparison classes. This suggests that creating a slowmation was no more effective in bringing about conceptual change than teaching as usual. In response to the second research question, analysis of the qualitative data in this study found that the construction process afforded 'teachable moments' as students recursively checked the accuracy of their representations with their teacher. The construction process also stimulated students' enjoyment, which they perceived to enhance their learning. Despite these affordances, however, significant pedagogical considerations arose from the use of slowmation as an instructional strategy in a junior secondary school context. These issues appeared to inhibit opportunities for conceptual change to occur. Finally, in answer to the third research question, it was found that students' interest in learning about science, and geology, was significantly greater if they participated in the construction of a slowmation, compared to teaching as usual. Interest was also found to be a significant predictor of students' conceptual change. The findings from this study have important implications for understanding the value of using slowmation construction as a conceptual change strategy in a junior secondary science context. As such, they informed the development of a pedagogical framework, the Learning with Slowmation framework, for constructing slowmations in a junior secondary science context. This framework, as well as the significance and implications of the broader findings for improving teaching practice in Earth science education, are presented.

This thesis explores the issue of supervision in the legal profession, with a focus on supervised practice. Supervised practice is a form of work-based training and acts as an important segue between formal university-based legal education and independent legal practice. Supervision is an important issue relevant to a number of contemporary legal education and legal profession debates including: the legal education framework; changes in the nature of legal practice driven by technology; and mental health and well-being. Despite this, the area remains very underdeveloped in the literature. There is some indirect empirical evidence that identifies supervision as important to the development and well-being of lawyers. However, a conceptual understanding of supervision, and the processes it includes, is absent in the literature. Specifically, there is no evidence that identifies the nature of supervision received during supervised practice, whether that supervision is effective and what the impact of that supervision is. This thesis will address this gap in the literature by asking and answering the following Central Research Question: “What are the implications of the legal profession’s current conception of, and approach to, supervision during supervised practice?” This gap in the literature will be addressed by developing an empirically supported theoretical understanding of supervision in legal practice, which surprisingly is yet to be done. The empirical dimension of this research is derived from comprehensive, supervision-specific survey data that provides a rich source of information on the perceptions and experiences of a broad cross section of practising lawyers in Queensland. This thesis relies on a mixed-methods approach to answer the central research question by developing a conceptual framework used to guide and inform the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. Developing the conceptual framework includes a review and analysis of aspects of the legal education, legal profession and legal practice management literature. This uncovers that supervision in legal practice is conceived primarily as a tool for risk management and profitability. The legal profession’s approach to supervision is myopic when contrasted with supervision in other professional disciplines. The supervision scholarship in other related endeavours has a stronger theoretical foundation and evidence base. In other professional disciplines, supervision is conceived as a multi-functional, relationship-based endeavour concerned with training and development in the workplace. Effective supervision is underpinned by a strong supervisory relationship supported by a range of mechanisms including regular and frequent meetings. When positioned against the literature in other professional disciplines, the legal profession’s conception of supervision can be described in terms of focussing on normative (management) functions with an emphasis on monitoring. This is a limited form of administrative supervision and deficient in its lack of focus on formative (training) and restorative (supportive) functions. The survey data provides evidence that current supervision practices are likely to be ineffective for several reasons including a failure to foster strong supervisory relationships. Supervisees completing supervised practice are significantly more likely than other supervisees to perceive their supervision as inappropriate given their lack of practice experience. There are number of reasons why this is the case. The main underlying reason is that supervision fails to act as a forum for training, development and support. In addition, the supervisory relationship is weakened by a failure to structure supervision around regular frequent meetings and create an environment where supervisees generally feel able to disagree with their supervisor. These factors together provide evidence that the impact of current supervision practices is that lawyers completing supervised practice are at a high risk of not receiving the training and development needed at this stage of their legal training. From this central finding, this thesis makes a number of recommendations directed at the legal profession (including law societies, admitting authorities and individual firms) about how to respond to this challenge. In addition, this thesis also identifies a series of prospects for further research to build on these base-line findings in an underdeveloped area of scholarship.

Preventing intrauterine growth restriction and improving infant growth outcomes in Bangladesh

Quality monitoring in infrastructural design-build projects : the analysis of an audit-based monitoring system

Learners benefit from collaboration because it triggers effective interaction processes such as externalization, elicitation and negotiation of knowledge. In order to communicate effectively, learners need to have a certain representation of their peers' knowledge. We refer to the process of building and maintaining a representation of the peers' knowledge as peer knowledge modeling. The present thesis aim at making contributions to the fields of computer support collaborative learning and work (CSCL, CSCW) on three main levels. First, as an empirical contribution, we investigate the process of peer knowledge modeling in the context of CSCL. Our main research question inquires the effects of a socio-cognitive support, providing co-learners with cues about their peer's prior knowledge, on collaborative learning outcomes and processes. In an empirical study (the KAT experiment), university students (N=64) participated in a remote computer-mediated dyadic learning scenario. They were provided (or not) with a visual representation of their partner's prior-knowledge level through a Knowledge Awareness Tool (KAT). Results showed that the KAT enhances co-learners' collaborative learning gain. This effect appears to be mediated by the positive effect of the KAT on participants' accuracy in estimating their peer's knowledge. Analyses on the process level showed that participants of the KAT condition produce more elaborated utterances. KAT condition dyads' interactions are more focused on knowledge negotiation, whereas the control condition dyads are mainly focused on task completion. The KAT seems to provide a sensitizing metacognitive support, structuring and regulating the collaboration by helping co-learners to cope with their knowledge gaps and discrepancies. Second, as a methodological contribution, we examine the affordance of dual eye tracking techniques as an innovative methodology to investigate, on a deeper level, the socio-cognitive processes underlying collaboration. We introduce DUET (DUal Eye-Tracking), a method using a multimodal technique to collect rich data featuring peers' synchronized gaze patterns, verbal interaction and potentially activities. We examine the main research applications of DUET and exemplify them with analyses conducted in the context of the KAT experiment. DUET method appears to be a promising technique to investigate collaborative processes on a deep level. Finally, as a third computational contribution, we built upon micro-level analyses of the verbal referencing process to introduce and test REGARD, a computational model allowing to automatically detect verbal references and locate the specific object of reference. The results of the test show a reasonably good accuracy of the REGARD algorithm to detect and associate verbal references to objects of reference. We discuss the design and research application of the REGARD model for the field of CSCL, CSCW and more generally HCI.

Research indicates individuals hold implicit intelligence beliefs on a continuum from an entity theory, where intelligence is fixed, through to an incremental theory, with intelligence recognised as malleable (Dweck, 1999). According to Haimovitz & Dweck (2017) teachers’ theories of intelligence are important in maintaining and priming students’ intelligence beliefs, as intelligence beliefs are antecedents to student motivation (Yeager & Dweck, 2017). Therefore, it is important to understand teachers’ intelligence beliefs and their enactment of intelligence feedback in-situ. Research in teacher beliefs suggests both teacher belief and practice are nuanced with wider contextual considerations (e.g., influence of school policy) (Fives & Buehl, 2014), and that context plays a large role in guiding teacher feedback. Further investigation into the intelligence belief-intelligence feedback relationship of teachers may assist with our understanding of the manifestation of intelligence beliefs in intelligence feedback. As few studies have investigated the role of teacher intelligence beliefs and their intelligence feedback (Rissanen et al., 2018a; 2019), this Doctoral research aimed to provide further insight into the intelligence belief-intelligence feedback relationship. Data were collected through a mixed-methods design with ten Secondary school teachers in England. The data collection procedure consisted of an implicit theory of intelligence self-report (De Castella, 2015), video recorded lesson observation (coding teacher intelligence feedback) and a semi-structured interview, including stimulated-recall. Teachers were required to discuss their intelligence feedback in interviews, where segments of video observations were used for reflection. This methodological approach was considered a strength of the research, given that teachers could provide attributions to their own intelligence feedback, which was corroborated with self-reports. Data were analysed using a two phase approach, with phase one answering the three research questions associated with the Doctoral study, through thematic analysis. Phase two analysis was undertaken using an abbreviated grounded theory approach, in order to utilise the data, which went beyond the research questions and gain further insight into participant intelligence beliefs, in-situ experiences and feedback attributions. Findings indicate that the intelligence belief-intelligence feedback relationship of teachers was influenced by other teacher beliefs about students (e.g., social background and behaviour) and context (e.g., school, school policy and exam pressures). In addition, the self-reported intelligence beliefs of teachers within this Doctoral study did not always align with verbalised intelligence beliefs and intelligence feedback. Thus, intelligence beliefs were not always salient to teacher intelligence practice, as previously hypothesised (Haimovitz & Dweck, 2017). This Doctoral study identified beliefs which are stronger influences on intelligence feedback, such as school context, and provides a unique contribution to the literature in highlighting the limited role of teachers’ theories of intelligence on intelligence feedback in naturalist scenarios. Given the complexities of the belief-practice relationship, as identified by others (e.g., Buehl & Beck, 2014; Rissanen et al., 2018a; 2019), a hypothesised model of the intelligence belief-intelligence feedback relationship is also presented, as part of the findings, which is an additional contribution to the literature of teachers’ theories of intelligence.

In Bosnia Herzegovina the development of clear policy objectives and endorsement of a long-term, coherent and mutual agricultural and rural development policy have also been affected by structural problems: a lack of reliable information on population and other relevant issues, the absence of an adequate land registry system and cadastre. Moreover in BiH the agricultural and rural sectors are characterized by many factors that have typically affected transition countries such as land fragmentation, lack of agricultural mechanization and outdated production technologies, and rural aging, high unemployment and out-migration. In such a framework the condition and role of women in rural areas suffered for the lack of gender disaggregated data and a consequent poor information that lead to the exclusion of gender related questions in the agenda of public institutions and to the absence of targeted policy interventions. The aim of the research is to investigate the role and condition of women in the rural development process of Republic of Srpska and to analyze the capacity of extension services to stimulate their empowerment. Specific research questions include the status of women in the rural areas of Republic of Srpska, the role of government in fostering the empowerment of rural women, and the role of the extension service in supporting rural women. The methodology - inspired by the case study method developed by R. Yin - is designed along the three specific research questions that are used as building blocks. Each of the three research questions is investigated with a combination of methodological tools - including surveys, experts interviews and focus groups - aimed to overcome the lack of data and knowledge that characterize the research objectives.

A System Perspective on Business Models

METHOD OF INFANT FEEDING AS A PREDICTOR OF MATERNAL RESPONSIVENESS By Emily Eiwen Drake R.N., Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2005 Major Director: Sharron S. Humenick, R.N., Ph.D. Professor, Department of Maternal Child Nursing, School of Nursing Infants need to develop effective, secure attachment to their primary caregivers in the first year of life. Researchers have not been able to identify all the factors that may influence the development of infant attachment. Most of the studies in this area have been done without regard to infant feeding as a potential factor. Maternal responsiveness appears to be key in the child’s development of secure attachment behaviors, yet even after decades of research on infant attachment and maternal responsiveness, there is little evidence available to assist with early identification of families at risk and few interventions known to be effective in promoting maternal responsiveness. The research questions for this study were: 1) Do mothers who exclusively breastfed their infants for at least 6 weeks report more maternal responsiveness behaviors 2-4 months after delivery compared to mothers who exclusively formula feed their infants? 2) How well does breastfeeding duration predict self-reported maternal responsiveness at 2-4 months once socio-demographics and maternal characteristics (i.e., self-esteem, satisfaction with life) are statistically controlled? A cross-sectional survey design was used to assess the variables of maternal responsiveness, feeding patterns, and maternal characteristics in a convenience sample of 200 mothers in the first 2-4 months after delivery. The 60-item instrument included scales to measure maternal responsiveness (MIRI: Amankwaa et al., 2002), self-esteem (RSE: Rosenberg, 1965), and satisfaction with life (SWLS: Diener et al., 1985) as well as infant feeding and socio-demographic questions. A mixed mode data collection strategy was used combining Internet data collection with traditional paper-and-pencil survey methods. Somewhat surprisingly, mothers who exclusively breastfed for at least 6 weeks did not report any more maternal responsiveness behaviors compared to mothers who formula fed their infants. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that satisfaction with life, self-esteem, and parity, but not breastfeeding, explained a significant portion of the variance in self-reported maternal responsiveness scores. Further research in this area is needed. It should be noted that this is one of few studies of maternal responsiveness using a self-report instrument and may also be the first study of maternal responsiveness using Internet data collection. 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study was to compare self-reported maternal responsiveness in breastfeeding versus formula feeding mothers in the first 2-4 months after delivery. Infant feeding practices were evaluated as a potential predictor of maternal responsiveness. In chapter one, the problem statement, background, significance, research questions, and purpose of the study will be discussed. This chapter includes a summary of the theoretical framework and a discussion of the need for further research on maternal responsiveness. Maternal responsiveness has been labeled as a critical factor in the cognitive and emotional development of children (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978; Raval et al., 2001). Derived from classic attachment theory (Ainsworth & Wittig, 1969; Bowlby, 1969), maternal responsiveness is a construct that describes sensitive interactions between mother and child. The early maternal-child relationship is critically important because it serves as the basis for the development of secure infant attachment and promotes healthy child development; thus, it was the focus for this study. It was hypothesized that the breastfeeding experience, along with other factors, may directly affect the mother’s responsiveness to her infant’s cues. Ultimately it was anticipated that

Orientation and Mobility is a uniquely crafted pedagogical practice blending specific microteaching skills to enable students with vision impairment to achieve functional interpretation of extra-personal and peri-personal space. Linked to student wellbeing, social participation, employment and self-determination, Orientation and Mobility is a cornerstone of equity and access for students with vision impairment. Despite this, in mainstream primary education little is known about Orientation and Mobility learning and teaching and how it aligns with the Australian Curriculum. Orientation and Mobility learning and teaching is examined from the perspectives of three female primary school students with vision impairment, a parent, a teacher, the researcher, and a panel of Orientation and Mobility specialists. These perspectives are interwoven with a detailed reflexive interrogation of the Orientation and Mobility lessons over one school semester within the contexts of the Far North and North Queensland Department of Education regions and the Australian Curriculum. This study explores how one Queensland Orientation and Mobility teacher, the researcher, explicitly communicates nonvisual, visual, tactile, and auditory concepts to primary school students with vision impairment. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner's bioecological systems theory, the Orientation and Mobility learning experiences are captured through an interpretative methodology comprising narrative inquiry and autoethnography, both underpinned by hermeneutic phenomenology. Insider researcher data are gathered from semi structured interviews, online panel responses, and audio recordings of the Orientation and Mobility lessons. Autoethnographic field notes, document materials, and reflexive teaching journals are used to support the thematic and discourse analysis. Results confirm that for the non-expert participants there was a substantial lack of awareness of the impact of vision impairment on learning and development, and the potential contribution of Orientation and Mobility. Systemic and cultural barriers to equitable inclusive education for these North and Far North Department of Education students with vision impairment were uncovered. Orientation and Mobility learning and teaching was clearly shown to overlap with and embed content from the Australian Curriculum. A key finding was the isolation of a core set of micro-teaching skills pertinent to Orientation and Mobility learning and teaching. These skills were identified as: Orientation and Mobility teacher attention to dialogic language and feedback, extended interaction wait times, and shared attention to spatial and contextual environments within the Orientation and Mobility lesson. As this skill set can be used to design Orientation and Mobility learning and teaching experiences that explicitly scaffold the development of non-visual, visual, tactile, auditory, and kinaesthetic pre-cursor concepts, it was given the appropriated name of practice architecture. An important practical outcome of the research was the formulation of an ontogenetic model of Orientation and Mobility learning and teaching. This model, which closely follows the natural development of each student with vision impairment, may serve as a tool that enables teachers to more systematically chart the biophysical attributes of the student with vision impairment. It thereby provides a learning and teaching framework for designing interactions with students with vision impairment. The ontogenetic framework has the potential to facilitate greater integration of what–and–how learning occurs in Orientation and Mobility with what–and–how learning might occur in the regular classroom.

The study was designed to investigate how collaborative writing techniques influence on English writing products of Korean college students and the improvement of their English writing abilities, compared to an individual writing opportunity. 54 college students (48 Korean students and 6 international students) taking two parallel in-tact English composition classes offered by a national university participated in this study. The participants, depending on which section of the writing course they registered, were asked to work on writing an English essay either collaboratively or individually, as three writing phases, pre-, during-, and post-writing step with a variety of activities, proceeded. Three major research instruments (students` written texts, survey, and interview) were employed to answer three research questions on the contribution of collaborative writing to their English writing improvement. The findings were that collaborative writing techniques were helpful for EFL college students not only to achieve knowledge of English, in particular, usage of grammar and punctuation but to develop their communication skills and English writing strategies even though the study failed to demonstrate that students writing their essay collaboratively produced better written texts than those writing individually. Lastly, pedagogical implications for college English composition courses and suggestions for future studies were also provided.

Background: Over the past 40 years, the magnitude of improvements in cardiovascular (CV) mortality has been greater for men than for women. Most concerning is the high rate of mortality in young women who experience ischemic heart disease (IHD). Since IHD is largely preventable, it is imperative that researchers identify the age- and sex-specific conditions that contribute to IHD. In doing so, the possibility arises for tailored or targeted primary and secondary prevention strategies. One sex-specific condition that may contribute to the disease burden of IHD is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects between 7% and 18% of women of reproductive age. Pathognomonic features of PCOS include anovulation, hyperandrogenism, and/or polycystic ovaries on ultrasound assessment; dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and obesity, known risk factors for IHD, are also common. Indeed, many studies consistently demonstrate that PCOS worsens women’s risk profiles for CV disease, particularly when risk factors can persist beyond menopause. Recent meta-analyses of mechanistic studies have suggested that PCOS increases CV risks through inflammatory, endothelial, and coagulation alterations. However, it is unclear if PCOS contributes to IHD among younger women. Furthermore, the presence of these intermediate risk factors does not necessarily translate into poor CV outcomes. This literature review outlines how current evidence about the effect of PCOS on CV outcomes is inconclusive because of the challenges associated with diagnosing PCOS during and after midlife, the confounding effect of obesity on the manifestations and sequelae of PCOS, and the relatively low incidence of IHD among women under 65 years of age. Purpose: We are planning a study that aims to resolve some of the inconsistencies and gaps in knowledge about the association between PCOS and clinically significant IHD. Our proposed study will address the research question: Are women with premature IHD more likely than controls to have had signs of PCOS during their reproductive lives? The case-control design, comparing the prevalence of putative PCOS among women with known acute coronary syndromes (ACS) with that among women without ACS, is novel. Implications: The findings from this study may identify which young women would derive the most benefit from early screening, to reduce the incidence and burden of CV disease and to help formulate primary and secondary prevention strategies.

Development of a Building Information Modelling Asset (BIMAsset) value realisation model

The Impact of Health Sector Reform on State and Society in Bangladesh, 1995-2005