Communicated Stereotypes,Attitudes, and Intended Accommodation of Appalachians

ABSTRACT

The study illuminates intergroup cognitions and intended communication towards Appalachians. American MTurk workers’ (N = 252) open-ended responses illuminated stereotype content of “backwards,” “uneducated,” “poor,” “mountain dwelling,” “self-reliant,” “kind,” and “prejudiced,” corroborating non-Appalachians’ closed-ended responses that Appalachians are deemed moderately competent and warm. The previous contact with an Appalachian yielded no significant differences in “attitudes towards Appalachians” scores. Intended (non)accommodations towards Appalachians commonly included “no adjustments,” with a variant array of overaccommodations (e.g. talking slower) and avoidance that either invoked or enforced stereotypes. Results may inform future testing and enhancement of intergroup and interpersonal communication with and about Appalachians.     

Lessons learned from two years of K-MOOC experience

In October 2015, Korea launched its first massive open online course (MOOC) program entitled K-MOOC. This study analyzes the K-MOOC learner data provided by the National Lifelong Learning Agency. The data include the 272 courses implemented between 26 October 2015, and 31 August 2017 and the participants who took the said courses. The number of participants in the K-MOOC courses in the same period stands at 289,163. The average completion rate of K-MOOC was 9.3%. It is not far below the average completion rate of MOOCs in general, which is known to be 10% or lower. A comparison between Korea’s K-MOOC and the United States’ edX, which consists of similar courses to the former, shows that the most visible difference between the two lies in the average number of participants per course. An average K-MOOC course is taken by 1,063.1 participants, whereas an average edX course serves 15,341.5 participants. Moreover, there were 91% of participants who accessed the K-MOOC courses from their host country, whereas it was 29% for edX.     

The Phenomenon of Information Literacy

Information literacy is being increasingly recognised as an important educational outcome for university graduates. How it is experienced, however, has only recently become the subject of scrutiny. The study reported here examines varying conceptions of information literacy amongst a group of lecturers, librarians, staff developers and learning counsellors. A phenomenographic approach was used to discover their conceptions. Data were gathered from participants, both male and female, through interviews, e‐mail discussions and workshops. As an outcome of the analysis, seven categories, or “faces” of information literacy were discovered. These categories depict information literacy as it is conceived or experienced. They provide target conceptions for the educational process which differ from the more conventional competencies or skill‐based objectives.     

Using characteristics of serious leisure to classify rock climbers: a latent profile analysis

The growth of the climbing industry enables more people to use this sport to promote a healthy lifestyle. Given this trend, it is important to understand the heterogeneity of rock climbers and differences in their attributes, motivations and behaviors. In this study, the characteristics of serious leisure (SL) were used to classify rock climbers. Four hundred and eighty-six rock climbers recruited in this study were classified into three groups: low commitment (LC; N?=?82), high commitment (HC; N?=?355) and dedicated groups (N?=?49). A high mean on the financial return item distinguished the dedicated group (M?=?7.52) from the other two. Subsequently, the results of multinomial logistic regression, with the dedicated group as the baseline category, showed that with increases in experiences (i.e. days of climbing in the past year and years of climbing) and internalized motivations (i.e. intrinsic, identified and introjected motivations), a climber is less relatively likely of being in the LC group. Further, comparing the HC group with the dedicated group, with increases in experiences and introjected motivation, a climber is less likely of being in the HC group. The results of the classification complemented the results of previous qualitative SL studies regarding diverse participation in leisure commitment. The results with respect to motivation supported that internalization is associated with increases in commitment. Service providers should keep current regarding dynamic climbing culture and help clients fulfill diverse needs of commitment to rock climbing. The findings of this study enhance existing knowledge of recreationists’ development in the pursuit of adventure recreation.     

The Difference a Year Makes: An Exploratory Self-Directed IEP Case Study

The Self-Directed IEP has been found effective in increasing student participation in the first Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting following Self-Directed IEP instruction. To date, no published reports have examined the extent students are involved during their second IEP meeting following Self-Directed IEP instruction. This study presents an exploratory mixed method case study analysis of a student with a learning disability in sophomore and junior year IEP meetings to illustrate the difference a year can make in IEP meeting participation, the development of postschool goals, confidence, maturity, and self-advocacy. Results indicate a marked increase from year one to year two in the student's word count and speaking rate, a more focused postschool employment vision, and an increase in meeting leadership. Discussion of these results and suggestions for additional research are offered.