Goma Curriculum, A Character Education Paradigm: Composing a Text for Shaping Classroom Character Culture

The written text, and approaches to reading it, serves well as an analogy for the classroom space as a “text” that teachers are able to compose; and students are able to read, interpret meaning(s) of, and make responses to and about (Rosenblatt, 1988). Researchers point to ways in which the classroom can be conceptualized as a text to be evoked, experienced, and read (Freire & Macedo, 1987; Powell, 2009; Rosenblatt, 1988; Spears-Bunton & Powell, 2009). The present study analyzed secondary data including: 10 transcripts of teacher talks and six self-reports retrieved from the program evaluation archives of DOR Foundation. The data described six teachers’ classroom experiences subsequent to professional development centered on Goma character education curriculum that was used during a summer youth program located in South Georgia. Goma, an acronym that stands for Goal, Objective, Method, and Attitude, is a character education paradigm derived from The Inclusive Community Building Ellison Model, the theoretical framework used for this study. The Model identifies conflict resolution as one of its five foci (Hunt, Howard, & Rice, 1998). Hunt (2006) conceived Goma as part of a 7-Step unitary process, also named the 7-Step pathway, to demonstrate how conflict resolution is accomplished within a variety of contexts. Analysis of the data involved: (a) a priori coding of teacher talks transcripts using the components of the Goma 7-Step pathway as coding categories, (b) emergent coding of teacher talks transcripts for the types of experiences teachers evidenced, and (c) emergent coding of teachers’ self-reports for categories of teachers’ instructional activities. Results of the study showed positive influence of Goma curriculum on participating teachers and their instructional practices. Teachers were shown to have had cognitive, instructional, emotional, and social experiences that were most evident when they reported changes in their attitudes toward their students, themselves, and their instructional practices. The present study provided implications for classroom teachers wherein all aspects of teachers’ instructional practices can be guided by principles of positive character; and can be used to help compose the kinds of “texts” that may likely contribute to a classroom character culture.

Sex-Positive Curricula: An Investigation of the Relationship Between Physical Fitness, Self-Concept and Sexual Functioning

Despite the well-recognized benefits of exercise, Americans are gaining weight in astounding proportions and levels of physical activity are on the decline. The purpose of this study was to investigate a relationship between physical fitness, self-concept and sexual health. There is a dearth of knowledge on this relationship specifically in the context of sex-negative curricula, which is the dominate discourse in the United States. One hundred and thirty-three participants between the ages of 18 - 50 volunteered for fitness testing and data collection. Physical fitness was assessed through body fat, resting metabolic rate, cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility. Self-reported exercise was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Self-concept was measured by the Six Factor Self-Concept Scale, which presented a total self-concept score and as six individual concepts of self (likability, morality, task accomplishment, giftedness, power and vulnerability). Additionally, sexual function was measured by Derogatis Interview for Sexual Functioning and presented as both an aggregate score and five separate constructs of sexual functioning (fantasy/cognition, arousal, orgasm, behavior/experience, and drive/desire). Questions pertaining to sexual partners, sex education, and demographic information were also included. The results of the General Linear Model indicated significant relationships between physical fitness, self-concept and total sexual functioning. The sexual behavior/experience of men was predicted by body fat percentage and flexibility. In women, behavior/experience was predicted by body fat percentage and arousal was predicted by cardiovascular endurance. Total self-concept was related to muscular endurance. When men were isolated in the analysis, likability was positively related to sexual behavior/experience, and task accomplishment was inversely related to sexual behavior/experience. In women, giftedness was related to cognition/fantasy, arousal, orgasm and total sexual functioning. No relationships were found between physical fitness and the number of sexual partners in men; however, both muscular strength and the power self-concept were significantly related to number of sexual partners in women. As a result of these findings, women may be inclined to exercise to improve arousal and sexual functioning. Furthermore, educators should note the findings of a positive relationship between physical and psychological health and sexual well-being because they provide support for the development and adoption of sex-positive curricula that incorporate potential benefits of sexual activity.

Development and validation of a computationally efficient pseudo 3D model for planar SOFC integrated with a heating furnace

Efficient numerical models facilitate the study and design of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), stacks, and systems. Whilst the accuracy and reliability of the computed results are usually sought by researchers, the corresponding modelling complexities could result in practical difficulties regarding the implementation flexibility and computational costs. The main objective of this article is to adapt a simple but viable numerical tool for evaluation of our experimental rig. Accordingly, a model for a multi-layer SOFC surrounded by a constant temperature furnace is presented, trained and validated against experimental data. The model consists of a four-layer structure including stand, two interconnects, and PEN (Positive electrode-Electrolyte-Negative electrode); each being approximated by a lumped parameter model. The heating process through the surrounding chamber is also considered. We used a set of V-I characteristics data for parameter adjustment followed by model verification against two independent sets of data. The model results show a good agreement with practical data, offering a significant improvement compared to reduced models in which the impact of external heat loss is neglected. Furthermore, thermal analysis for adiabatic and non-adiabatic process is carried out to capture the thermal behaviour of a single cell followed by a polarisation loss assessment. Finally, model-based design of experiment is demonstrated for a case study.

Bullying Involvement and Adolescent Substance Use: A Study of Multilevel Risk and Protective Factors

Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2016-08-02 13:18:40.65

Using health-related quality of life instruments for children with long-term conditions : On the basis of a national quality registry system

Introduction: There has been a continuous development of new technologies in healthcare that are derived from national quality registries. However, this innovation needs to be translated into the workflow of healthcare delivery, to enable children with long-term conditions to get the best support possible to manage their health during everyday life. Since children living with long-term conditions experience different interference levels in their lives, healthcare professionals need to assess the impact of care on children’s day-to-day lives, as a complement to biomedical assessments. Aim: The overall aim of this thesis was to explore and describe the use of instruments about health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in outpatient care for children with long-term conditions on the basis of a national quality registry system. Methods: The research was conducted by using comparative, cross-sectional and explorative designs and data collection was performed by using different methods. The questionnaire DISABKIDS Chronic Generic Measure -37 was used as well as semi-structured interviews and video-recordings from consultations. Altogether, 156 children (8–18 years) and nine healthcare professionals participated in the studies. Children with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) (n 131) answered the questionnaire DISABKIDS and children with rheumatic diseases, kidney diseases and T1D (n 25) were interviewed after their consultation at the outpatient clinic after the web-DISABKIDS had been used. In total, nine healthcare professionals used the HRQOL instrument as an assessment tool during the encounters which was video-recorded (n 21). Quantitative deductive content analysis was used to describe content in different HRQOL instruments. Statistical inference was used to analyse results from DISABKIDS and qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the interviews and video-recordings. Results: The findings showed that based on a biopsychosocial perspective, both generic and disease-specific instruments should be used to gain a comprehensive evaluation of the child’s HRQOL. The DISABKIDS instrument is applicable when describing different aspects of health concerning children with T1D. When DISABKIDS was used in the encounters, children expressed positive experiences about sharing their results with the healthcare professional. It was discovered that different approaches led to different outcomes for the child when the healthcare professionals were using DISABKIDS during the encounter. When an instructing approach is used, the child’s ability to learn more about their health and how to improve their health is limited. When an inviting or engaging approach is used by the professional, the child may become more involved during the conversations. Conclusions: It could be argued that instruments of HRQOL could be used as a complement to biomedical variables, to promote a biopsychosocial perspective on the child’s health. According to the children in this thesis, feedback on their results after answering to web-DISABKIDS is important, which implies that healthcare professionals need to prioritize time for discussions about results from HRQOL instruments in the encounters. If healthcare professionals involve the child in the discussion of the results of the HRQOL, misinterpreted answers could be corrected during the conversation. Concurrently, this claims that healthcare professionals invite and engage the child.

Development of metabotropic glutamate receptors from trigeminal nuclei to barrel cortex in postnatal mouse

Expression patterns of group I (mGluR1α and mGluR5)and group II (mGluR2/3) metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes were examined immunocytochemically in the trigeminal system of mice during the first 3 weeks of postnatal development, when somatotopic whisker representations are sequentially established from brainstem through thalamus to cerebral cortex. Immunostaining for all three epitopes formed whisker-related patterns in the trigeminal nuclei from postnatal day (P) 0, in the ventral posterior thalamic nucleus from P2, and in the posteromedial barrel subfield of somatosensory cortex (SI) from P4. The appearance of whisker-related patterns was preceded by increased levels of immunostaining of the neuropil, which subsequently declined from the trigeminal nuclei upward. In SI, mGluR1α-positive neurons were observed in all cortical layers from P2. mGluR5 was localized in neurons, glial cells, and neuropil from P2. mGluR2/3 immunostaining was distributed only in the neuropil at all ages. The three receptor subtypes showed moderate to high expression in deep layer V throughout development. Transient expression peaked in the hollows of layer IV barrels from P4 to P9, and then fell off as expression increased in supragranular layers from P14 to P21. The deep aspect of the cortical subplate (layer VIb) showed dense mGluR5 and less dense mGluR1α immunostaining throughout development. Up-regulation of expression of group I and II mGluRs is correlated with the growth and refinement of connectivity and the establishment of somatotopic patterns in the three main relay stations of the trigeminal system. This finding suggests roles for mGluRs in the early processing of sensory information and in developmental plasticity.

Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

Background: This article describes the procedures and development of the rst Portuguese Report Card on Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents. Methods: Comprehensive searches for data related to indicators of physical activity (PA) were completed by a committee of physical activity and sports specialists. Grades were assigned to each indicator consistent with the process and methodology outlined by the Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card model. Results: Nine indicators of PA were graded. The following grades were assigned: Overall Physical Activity Levels, D; Organized Sport Participation, B; Active Play, D; Active Transportation, C; Sedentary Behaviors, D; Family and Peers, C; Schools, B; Community and the Built Environment, D; and Government, C. Conclusions: Portuguese children and adolescents do not reach suf cient physical activity levels and spend larger amounts of time spent in sedentary behaviors compared with recommendations. Effective policies of PA promotion and implementation are needed in different domains of young people’s daily lives.

Results From Portugal’s 2016 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

Background: This article describes the procedures and development of the first Portuguese Report Card on Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents. Methods: Comprehensive searches for data related to indicators of physical activity (PA) were completed by a committee of physical activity and sports specialists. Grades were assigned to each indicator consistent with the process and methodology outlined by the Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card model. Results: Nine indicators of PA were graded. The following grades were assigned: Overall Physical Activity Levels, D; Organized Sport Participation, B; Active Play, D; Active Transportation, C; Sedentary Behaviors, D; Family and Peers, C; Schools, B; Community and the Built Environment, D; and Government, C. Conclusions: Portuguese children and adolescents do not reach sufficient physical activity levels and spend larger amounts of time spent in sedentary behaviors compared with recommendations. Effective policies of PA promotion and implementation are needed in different domains of young people’s daily lives.

Organizational Cooperation and Knowledge Management in Research and Development Organizations

Organizational Cooperation (OC) is a current concept that responds to the growing interdependence among individuals and teams. Likewise, Knowledge Management (KM) accompanies specialization in all sectors of human activity. Most KM processes are cooperation-intensive, and the way both constructs relate to each other is relevant in understanding organizations and promoting performance. The present paper focuses on that relationship. The Organizational Cooperation Questionnaire (ORCOQ) and the Short form of the Knowledge Management Questionnaire (KMQ-SF) were applied to 639 members of research and development (R&D) organizations (Universities and Research Institutes). Descriptive, correlational, linear multiple regression and multivariate multiple regression analyses were performed. Results showed significant positive relationships between the ORCOQ and all the KMQ-SF dimensions. The prediction of KMQ-SF showed a large effect size (R2 = 62%). These findings will impact on how KM and OC are seen, and will be a step forward in the development of this field.

Feasibility in Using Technological Resources for Implementing the Environmental Culture Cross-Cutting Factor for Sustainable Development in the Costa Rican Basic General Education

The purpose of this research was to analyze whether the use of technological resources may be feasible in the implementation of the environmental culture cross-cutting factor for sustainable development, which focuses on environmental issues related to the contents of the Science study program for the seventh year of the basic general education. The research design is qualitative with a dominant approach and uses some quantitative elements specifically in the design of instruments and some data analysis techniques. The type of study was developed with a multi-method approach; a trend that has been shaping a research style which integrates various methods in a single design. For this, we identified the didactic strategies and their relationship to both, technology and the environmental axis for sustainable development, used by six Science teachers of the 7th grade, in public institutions of the province of Heredia, Central Valley, Costa Rica, as well as the opinion of 20 students from that same grade. The main results include the opinions of the students, who showed a considerable interest in classes where technological resources are used. However, teachers do not show great interest or positive opinions on this matter; in addition, they are not well trained on the use of technological resources. It was also identified that the teaching personal who participated in the study do not develop this curricular axis.

Design and Development of a Research Framework for Prototyping Control Tower Augmented Reality Tools

The purpose of the air traffic management system is to ensure the safe and efficient flow of air traffic. Therefore, while augmenting efficiency, throughput and capacity in airport operations, attention has rightly been placed on doing it in a safe manner. In the control tower, many advances in operational safety have come in the form of visualization tools for tower controllers. However, there is a paradox in developing such systems to increase controllers' situational awareness: by creating additional computer displays, the controller's vision is pulled away from the outside view and the time spent looking down at the monitors is increased. This reduces their situational awareness by forcing them to mentally and physically switch between the head-down equipment and the outside view. This research is based on the idea that augmented reality may be able to address this issue. The augmented reality concept has become increasingly popular over the past decade and is being proficiently used in many fields, such as entertainment, cultural heritage, aviation, military & defense. This know-how could be transferred to air traffic control with a relatively low effort and substantial benefits for controllers’ situation awareness. Research on this topic is consistent with SESAR objectives of increasing air traffic controllers’ situation awareness and enable up to 10 % of additional flights at congested airports while still increasing safety and efficiency. During the Ph.D., a research framework for prototyping augmented reality tools was set up. This framework consists of methodological tools for designing the augmented reality overlays, as well as of hardware and software equipment to test them. Several overlays have been designed and implemented in a simulated tower environment, which is a virtual reconstruction of Bologna airport control tower. The positive impact of such tools was preliminary assessed by means of the proposed methodology.

Investigation of the Impacts of Parental Chronic Illness on Youth Caregiving Experiences and Psychosocial Adjustment.

Objective: Parental chronic illness has an impact on several aspects of offspring’s life. Three major impediments to research progress in this field are undeveloped and untested theoretical frameworks, no clear conceptualization of youth caregiving, and no available instrument to assess such construct in Italian. To address these weaknesses, the aims of this PhD dissertation were: (1) to investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Young Caregiver of Parents Inventory-Revised (YCOPI-R); (2) to empirically examine a model of the effects of parental illness on youth and family functioning innovatively analyzing the role of psychological flexibility; (3) to test a refined conceptualization of youth caregiving. Methods: A total of 501 adolescents aged 11 to 24 (295 young caregivers and 206 young noncaregivers) completed a questionnaire regarding youth caregiving, parental illness, and youth adjustment. In the first study, young caregivers were compared to noncaregivers, while the other studies used only the young carers subgroup. Results: The first study indicated that the Italian version of the YCOPI-R demonstrated sound psychometric and was able to discriminate between young caregivers and noncaregivers. The second study underlined the key protective role of psychological flexibility in shaping youth adjustment and family functioning in the context of parental illness. The third study innovatively clarified the nature of youth caregiving, indicating that it is a tripartite construct related to both positive and negative youth adjustment outcomes. Conclusions. This PhD project drew attention towards youth of chronically ill parents, a segment of the young population which is presently almost completely neglected in Italy by health policies and healthcare providers. This PhD project ultimately shed light into the processes through which parental illness results in detrimental youth outcomes and highlighted avenues for interventions that target empirically supported mechanisms which ameliorate the detrimental effects of parental illness on youth.

"Ancestry, gender and language - The role of culture in economic development"

This thesis is a combination of research questions in development economics and economics of culture, with an emphasis on the role of ancestry, gender and language policies in shaping inequality of opportunities and socio-economic outcomes across different segments of a society. The first chapter shows both theoretically and empirically that heterogeneity in risk attitudes can be traced to the ethnic origins and ancestral way of living. In particular, I construct a measure of historical nomadism at the ethnicity level and link it to contemporary individual-level data on various proxies of risk attitudes. I exploit exogenous variation in biodiversity to build a novel instrument for nomadism: distance to domestication points. I find that descendants of ethnic groups that historically practiced nomadism (i) are more willing to take risks, (ii) value security less, and (iii) have riskier health behavior. The second chapter evaluates the nature of a trade-off between the advantages of female labor participation and the positive effects of female education. This work exploits a triple difference identification strategy relying on exogenous spike in cotton price and spatial variation in suitability for cotton, and split sample analyses based on the exogenous allocation of land contracts. Results show that gender differences in parental investments in patriarchal societies can be reinforced by the type of agricultural activity, while positive economic shocks may further exacerbate this bias, additionally crowding out higher possibilities to invest in female education. The third chapter brings novel evidence of the role of the language policy in building national sentiments, affecting educational and occupational choices. Here I focus on the case of Uzbekistan and estimate the effects of exposure to the Latin alphabet on informational literacy, education and career choices. I show that alphabet change affects people's informational literacy and the formation of certain educational and labour market trends.