Scaffolding children’s musical creativity : a case of a kindergarten teacher in Hong Kong

Drawn from a larger mixed methods study, this case study provides an account of aspects of the music education programme that occurred with one teacher and a kindergarten class of children aged three and four years. Contrary to transmission approaches that are often used in Hong Kong, the case depicts how musical creativity was encouraged by the teacher in response to children’s participation during the time for musical free play. It shows how the teacher scaffolded the attempts of George, a child aged 3.6 years to use musical notation. The findings are instructive for kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong and suggest ways in which teachers might begin to incorporate more creative approaches to musical education. They are also applicable to other kindergarten settings where transmission approaches tend to dominate and teachers want to encourage children’s musical creativity.

The impact of users’ cognitive style on their navigational behaviors in web searching

User-Web interactions have emerged as an important area of research in the field of information science. In this study, we investigate the effects of users’ cognitive styles on their Web navigational styles and information processing strategies. We report results from the analyses of 594 minutes recorded Web search sessions of 18 participants engaged in 54 scenario-based search tasks. We use questionnaires, cognitive style test, Web session logs and think-aloud as the data collection instruments. We classify users’ cognitive styles as verbalisers and imagers based on Riding’s (1991) Cognitive Style Analysis test. Two classifications of navigational styles and three categories of information processing strategies are identified. Our study findings show that there exist relationships between users’ cognitive style, and their navigational styles and information processing strategies. Verbal users seem to display sporadic navigational styles, and adopt a scanning strategy to understand the content of the search result page, while imagery users follow a structured navigational style and reading approach. We develop a matrix and a model that depicts the relationships between users’ cognitive styles, and their navigational style and information processing strategies. We discuss how the findings from this study could help search engine designers to provide an adaptive navigation support to users.

Modelling web search behaviour : a user’s cognitive style perspective [Unpublished]

Many researchers have investigated and modelled aspects of Web searching. A number of studies have explored the relationships between individual differences and Web searching. However, limited studies have explored the role of users’ cognitive styles in determining Web searching behaviour. Current models of Web searching have limited consideration of users’ cognitive styles. The impact of users’ cognitive style on Web searching and their relationships are little understood or represented. Individuals differ in their information processing approaches and the way they represent information, thus affecting their performance. To create better models of Web searching we need to understand more about user’s cognitive style and their Web search behaviour, and the relationship between them. More rigorous research is needed in using more complex and meaningful measures of relevance; across a range of different types of search tasks and different populations of Internet users. The project further explores the relationships between the users’ cognitive style and their Web searching. The project will develop a model depicting the relationships between a user’s cognitive style and their Web searching. The related literature, aims and objectives and research design are discussed.

aa-cell in practice : an approach to musical live coding

Live coding performances provide a context with particular demands and limitations for music making. In this paper we discuss how as the live coding duo aa-cell we have responded to these challenges, and what this experience has revealed about the computational representation of music and approaches to interactive computer music performance. In particular we have identified several effective and efficient processes that underpin our practice including probability, linearity, periodicity, set theory, and recursion and describe how these are applied and combined to build sophisticated musical structures. In addition, we outline aspects of our performance practice that respond to the improvisational, collaborative and communicative requirements of musical live coding.

Contemporary take on Caesar a triumph of style over substance [Review]

AFTER a great deal of success with last year's "emo" adaptation of Hamlet, David Berthold begins La Boite Theatre Company's 2011 season, his second season at the helm, with an adaptation of Julius Caesar.

That's a rap : the making of an Australian hip hop integrated musical film

To date, the majority of films that utilise or feature hip hop music and culture, have either been in the realms of documentary, or in ‘show musicals’ (where the film musical’s device of characters’ bursting into song, is justified by the narrative of a pursuit of a career in the entertainment industry). Thus, most films that feature hip hop expression have in some way been tied to the subject of hip hop. A research interest and enthusiasm was developed for utilising hip hop expression in film in a new way, which would extend the narrative possibilities of hip hop film to wider topics and themes. The creation of the thesis film Out of My Cloud, and the writing of this accompanying exegesis, investigates a research concern of the potential for the use of hip hop expression in an ‘integrated musical’ film (where characters’ break into song without conceit or explanation). Context and rationale for Out of My Cloud (an Australian hip hop ‘integrated musical’ film) is provided in this writing. It is argued that hip hop is particularly suitable for use in a modern narrative film, and particularly in an ‘integrated musical’ film, due to its: current vibrancy and popularity, rap (vocal element of hip hop) music’s focus on lyrical message and meaning, and rap’s use as an everyday, non-performative method of communication. It is also argued that Australian hip hop deserves greater representation in film and literature due to: its current popularity, and its nature as a unique and distinct form of hip hop. To date, representation of Australian hip hop in film and television has almost solely been restricted to the documentary form. Out of My Cloud borrows from elements of social realist cinema such as: contrasts with mainstream cinema, an exploration/recognition of the relationship between environment and development of character, use of non-actors, location-shooting, a political intent of the filmmaker, displaying sympathy for an underclass, representation of underrepresented character types and topics, and a loose narrative structure that does not offer solid resolution. A case is made that it may be appropriate to marry elements of social realist film with hip hop expression due to common characteristics, such as: representation of marginalised or underrepresented groups and issues in society, political objectives of the artist/s, and sympathy for an underclass. In developing and producing Out of My Cloud, a specific method of working with, and filming actor improvisation was developed. This method was informed by improvisation and associated camera techniques of filmmakers such as Charlie Chaplin, Mike Leigh, Khoa Do, Dogme 95 filmmakers, and Lars von Trier (post-Dogme 95). A review of techniques used by these filmmakers is provided in this writing, as well as the impact it has made on my approach. The method utilised in Out of My Cloud was most influenced by Khoa Do’s technique of guiding actors to improvise fairly loosely, but with a predetermined endpoint in mind. A variation of this technique was developed for use in Out of My Cloud, which involved filming with two cameras to allow edits from multiple angles. Specific processes for creating Out of My Cloud are described and explained in this writing. Particular attention is given to the approaches regarding the story elements and the music elements. Various significant aspects of the process are referred to including the filming and recording of live musical performances, the recording of ‘freestyle’ performances (lyrics composed and performed spontaneously) and the creation of a scored musical scene involving a vocal performance without regular timing or rhythm. The documentation of processes in this writing serve to make the successful elements of this film transferable and replicable to other practitioners in the field, whilst flagging missteps to allow fellow practitioners to avoid similar missteps in future projects. While Out of My Cloud is not without its shortcomings as a short film work (for example in the areas of story and camerawork) it provides a significant contribution to the field as a working example of how hip hop may be utilised in an ‘integrated musical’ film, as well as being a rare example of a narrative film that features Australian hip hop. This film and the accompanying exegesis provide insights that contribute to an understanding of techniques, theories and knowledge in the field of filmmaking practice.

Computer assisted instruction and individual cognitive style preferences in learning : does it matter?

This paper reports the findings of a pilot study aimed at improving learning outcomes from Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI). The study involved second year nursing students at the Queensland University of Technology. Students were assessed for their preferred cognitive style and presented with either matched or mismatched instructional material. The instructional material was developed in accordance with four cognitive styles (Riding & Cheema, 1991). The findings indicate groups that received instructional material which matched their preferred cognitive style, possibly, performed better than groups that received mismatched instructional material. The matched group was particularly better in the explanation and problem solving tasks.

An examination of the relationship between emotional intelligence, leadership style and perceived leadership outcomes in Australian educational institutions

In the field of leadership studies transformational leadership theory (e.g., Bass, 1985; Avolio, Bass, & Jung, 1995) has received much attention from researchers in recent years (Hughes, Ginnet, & Curphy, 2009; Hunt, 1999). Many previous studies have found that transformational leadership is related to positive outcomes such as the satisfaction, motivation and performance of followers in organisations (Judge & Piccolo, 2004; Lowe, Kroeck, & Sivasubramaniam, 1996), including in educational institutions (Chin, 2007; Leithwoood & Jantzi, 2005). Hence, it is important to explore constructs that may predict leadership style in order to identify potential transformational leaders in leadership assessment and selection procedures. Several researchers have proposed that emotional intelligence (EI) is one construct that may account for hitherto unexplained variance in transformational leadership (Mayer, 2001; Watkin, 2000). Different models of EI exist (e.g., Goleman, 1995, 2001; Bar-On, 1997; Mayer & Salovey, 1997) but momentum is growing for the Mayer and Salovey (1997) model to be considered the most useful (Ashkanasy & Daus, 2005; Daus & Ashkanasy, 2005). Studies in non-educational settings claim to have found that EI is a useful predictor of leadership style and leader effectiveness (Harms & Crede, 2010; Mills, 2009) but there is a paucity of studies which have examined the Mayer and Salovey (1997) model of EI in educational settings. Furthermore, other predictor variables have rarely been controlled in previous studies and only self-ratings of leadership behaviours, rather than multiple ratings, have usually been obtained. Therefore, more research is required in educational settings to answer the question: to what extent is the Mayer and Salovey (1997) model of EI a useful predictor of leadership style and leadership outcomes? This project, set in Australian educational institutions, was designed to move research in the field forward by: using valid and reliable instruments, controlling for other predictors, obtaining an adequately sized sample of real leaders as participants and obtaining multiple ratings of leadership behaviours. Other variables commonly used to predict leadership behaviours (personality factors and general mental ability) were assessed and controlled in the project. Additionally, integrity was included as another potential predictor of leadership behaviours as it has previously been found to be related to transformational leadership (Parry & Proctor-Thomson, 2002). Multiple ratings of leadership behaviours were obtained from each leader and their supervisors, peers and followers. The following valid and reliable psychological tests were used to operationalise the variables of interest: leadership styles and perceived leadership outcomes (Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, Avolio et al., 1995), EI (Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2002), personality factors (The Big Five Inventory, John, Donahue, & Kentle, 1991), general mental ability (Wonderlic Personnel Test-Quicktest, Wonderlic, 2003) and integrity (Integrity Express, Vangent, 2002). A Pilot Study (N = 25 leaders and 75 raters) made a preliminary examination of the relationship between the variables included in the project. Total EI, the experiential area, and the managing emotions and perceiving emotions branches of EI, were found to be related to transformational leadership which indicated that further research was warranted. In the Main Study, 144 leaders and 432 raters were recruited as participants to assess the discriminant validity of the instruments and examine the usefulness of EI as a predictor of leadership style and perceived leadership outcomes. Scores for each leadership scale across the four rating levels (leaders, supervisors, peers and followers) were aggregated with the exception of the management-by-exception active scale of transactional leadership which had an inadequate level of interrater agreement. In the descriptive and measurement component of the Main Study, the instruments were found to demonstrate adequate discriminant validity. The impact of role and gender on leadership style and EI were also examined, and females were found to be more transformational as leaders than males. Females also engaged in more contingent reward (transactional leadership) behaviours than males, whilst males engaged in more passive/avoidant leadership behaviours than females. In the inferential component of the Main Study, multiple regression procedures were used to examine the usefulness of EI as a predictor of leadership style and perceived leadership outcomes. None of the EI branches were found to be related to transformational leadership or the perceived leadership outcomes variables included in the study. Openness, emotional stability (the inverse of neuroticism) and general mental ability (inversely) each predicted a small amount of variance in transformational leadership. Passive/avoidant leadership was inversely predicted by the understanding emotions branch of EI. Overall, EI was not found to be a useful predictor of leadership style and leadership outcomes in the Main Study of this project. Implications for researchers and human resource practitioners are discussed.

Choreographic approaches to music composition for a new musical interface : the eMic

Gesture in performance is widely acknowledged in the literature as an important element in making a performance expressive and meaningful. The body has been shown to play an important role in the production and perception of vocal performance in particular. This paper is interested in the role of gesture in creative works that seek to extend vocal performance via technology. A creative work for vocal performer, laptop computer and a Human Computer Interface called the eMic (Extended Microphone Stand Interface controller) is presented as a case study, to explore the relationships between movement, voice production, and musical expression. The eMic is an interface for live vocal performance that allows the singers’ gestures and interactions with a sensor based microphone stand to be captured and mapped to musical parameters. The creative work discussed in this paper presents a new compositional approach for the eMic by working with movement as a starting point for the composition and thus using choreographed gesture as the basis for musical structures. By foregrounding the body and movement in the creative process, the aim is to create a more visually engaging performance where the performer is able to more effectively use the body to express their musical objectives.

Closing the loop 21st century style : providing feedback on written assessment via MP3 recordings

Feedback on student performance, whether in the classroom or on written assignments, enables them to reflect on their understandings and restructure their thinking in order to develop more powerful ideas and capabilities. Research has identified a number of broad principles of good feedback practice. These include the provision of feedback that facilitates the development of reflection in learning; helps clarify what good performance is in terms of goals, criteria and expected standards; provides opportunities to close the gap between current and desired performance; delivers high quality information to students about their learning; and encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem. However, high staff–student ratios and time pressures often result in a gulf between this ideal and reality. Whilst greater use of criteria referenced assessment has enabled an improvement in the extent of feedback being provided to students, this measure alone does not go far enough to satisfy the requirements of good feedback practice. Technology offers an effective and efficient means by which personalised feedback may be provided to students. This paper presents the findings of a trial of the use of the freely available Audacity program to provide individual feedback via MP3 recordings to final year Media Law students at the Queensland University of Technology on their written assignments. The trial has yielded wide acclaim by students as an effective means of explaining the exact reasons why they received the marks they were awarded, the things they did well and the areas needing improvement. It also showed that good feedback practice can be achieved without the burden of an increase in staff workload.

Association between feeding style and weight gain in infants aged 2–7 months

Introduction: Feeding on demand supports an infant’s innate capacity to respond to hunger and satiety cues and may promote later self-regulation of intake. Our aim was to examine whether feeding style (on demand vs to schedule) is associated with weight gain in early life. Methods: Participants were first-time mothers of healthy term infants enrolled NOURISH, an RCT evaluating an intervention to promote positive early feeding practices. Baseline assessment occurred when infants were aged 2-7 months. Infants able to be categorised clearly as feeding on demand or to schedule (mothers self report) were included in the logistic regression analysis. The model was adjusted for gender, breastfeeding and maternal age, education, BMI. Weight gain was defined as a positive difference in baseline minus birthweight z-scores (WHO standards) which indicated tracking above weight percentile. Results: Data from 356 infants with a mean age of 4.4 (SD 1.0) months were available. Of these, 197 (55%) were fed on demand, 42 (12%) were fed on schedule. There was no statistical association between feeding style and weight gain [OR=0.72 (95%CI 0.35-1.46), P=0.36]. Formula fed infants were three times more likely to be fed on schedule and formula feeding was independently associated with increased weight gain [OR=2.02 (95%CI 1.11-3.66), P=0.021]. Conclusion: In this preliminary analysis the association between feeding style and weight gain did not reach statistical significance, however , the effect size may be clinically relevant and future analysis will include the full study sample (N=698).

The rest flies down the wind : complexities of late style in the work of Christina Stead

Examining the late style of a writer is like skirting around quicksand. End-of-career reflection can subvert long standing critical accounts; revisionist publishing histories or newly minted archival work can do likewise. And, as Nancy J. Troy suggests, an artist’s last thoughts are rarely planned as such (15). In the case of Christina Stead any consideration of late style is made more difficult because, chronologically speaking, her ‘late’ works were written some 20 years before her death in 1983. Thus chronology can be deceptive, as Nicholas Delbanco points out in Lastingness: The Art of Old Age. Stead’s last novel, I’m Dying Laughing The Humourist, was completed, at least in rough draft form in 1966, when Stead was 64, but friends and readers suggested many changes. The book was published posthumously in 1986. Stead’s work is receiving increasing critical attention so a discussion of her ‘late style’ is important, particularly given that her fiction seems to refuse so many attempts at category-making. This perspective reveals two interesting aspects of her late work: first her consistent engagement with the problems of age for women, and in particular women writers, and second, the consequence of a life-long attention to the representation of dialogic sound in her novels, a preoccupation that results in what can be termed an aural signature. My discussion refers to Edward Said’s and Nicholas Delbanco’s ideas about late style by way of a focus on selective biographical issues and Stead’s engagement with radical politics before moving to an examination of what can be called an aural signature in several novels. Her fiction demonstrates one of the agreed markers of late style: she was constantly looking forward and looking back through innovation in form and content.