The internet as a new distribution channel of scientific grey literature: The case of Italian WWW servers

The enormous range of information sources and communication services available on the Internet today recalls the information explosion and information overload that characterizes this century. We are certainly facing new kinds of information and communication patterns, based on direct electronic communication between end-users among themselves and/or between end-users and information sources. Moreover, this new channel of communication provides the opportunity to distribute different types of information, which in some cases are available only in a networked environment. The aim of this article is to analyze whether this new scenario has stimulated the production and the direct distribution of grey literature as well as changing its “traditional” features. The starting point of the study are the Italian WWW servers of the National Research Council.     

The Effectiveness of Collaborative Augmented Reality in Gross Anatomy Teaching: A Quantitative and Qualitative Pilot Study

In the context of gross anatomy education, novel augmented reality (AR) systems have the potential to serve as complementary pedagogical tools and facilitate interactive, student-centered learning. However, there is a lack of AR systems that enable multiple students to engage in collaborative, team-based learning environments. This article presents the results of a pilot study in which first-year medical students (n = 16) had the opportunity to work with such a collaborative AR system during a full-day gross anatomy seminar. Student performance in an anatomy knowledge test, conducted after an extensive group learning session, increased significantly compared to a pre-test in both the experimental group working with the collaborative AR system (P < 0.01) and in the control group working with traditional anatomy atlases and three-dimensional (3D) models (P < 0.01). However, no significant differences were found between the test results of both groups. While the experienced mental effort during the collaborative learning session was considered rather high (5.13 ± 2.45 on a seven-point Likert scale), both qualitative and quantitative feedback during a survey as well as the results of a System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire (80.00 ± 13.90) outlined the potential of the collaborative AR system for increasing students' 3D understanding of topographic anatomy and its advantages over comparable AR systems for single-user experiences. Overall, these outcomes show that collaborative AR systems such as the one evaluated within this work stimulate interactive, student-centered learning in teams and have the potential to become an integral part of a modern, multi-modal anatomy curriculum.     

Cross-cultural comparisons of child-reported emotional and physical abuse: rates, risk factors and psychosocial symptoms

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to assess the incidence of child emotional and physical abuse, associated risk factors and psychosocial symptoms in a cross-cultural comparison between post-communist bloc countries. Method: One-thousand one-hundred forty-five children ages 10-14 from Latvia (N = 297), Lithuania ( N = 300), Macedonia (N = 302), and Moldova (N = 246) participated in the study. They completed questionnaires assessing their experience of emotional or physical abuse, and provided information about family risk-factors and psychosocial symptoms, including PTSD-related symptoms. RESULTS: Incidence rates of maltreatment differed by country, as did levels of reported psychosocial symptoms. Incidence of emotional and physical abuse differed by region, with higher levels of abuse reported in the rural regions. In all four countries, a similar association between emotional/physical abuse and psychosocial symptoms was found, with the uniformly largest correlation between emotional abuse and anger. When examining the combined scores of emotional and physcial abuse, even higher correlation's were found, particularly in relation to anger and depression. In all four countries, parental overuse of alcohol was associated with emotional and/or physical abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Findings show differences by country in child-reported levels of emotional and physical abuse, but similar patterns of correlation with psychosocial symptoms and the risk factors of parental alcohol overuse and living in a rural area.     

Drawing digital pictures: An investigation of primary pupils’ representations of ICT and schools

The relatively restricted nature of children's use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) inside the school setting has long been noted by researchers. With this in mind, this article offers a grounded analysis of drawings collected from 355 primary pupils (years three to six) from five English primary schools depicting desired future forms of school ICT provision. The article contends that the nature and content of these future orientated pictures reflect many of the tensions underlying children's current engagements with ICTs in school. Specifically the article discusses how the drawings offer valuable insights into the issues underlying pupils’ understandings of ICT and schools, not least: the restrictions of the school as organisation; the oppositional relationship between the ‘work’ of learning in school and the ‘play’ of using digital media at home; the unequal power relations that exist between pupils, schools and teachers. The article concludes that rather than accede to demands for free and unfettered use of game consoles and portable devices in the classroom, schools should instead concentrate on fostering informed dialogues with young people about the potential educational benefits of school ICT use.     

Serving Others and Gaining Experience: A Study of University Students Participation in Service Learning

Unlike other countries, Italy has no 'service learning', the method enabling students to join accredited voluntary organisations in order to gain experience in serving others. An investigation was conducted in 2006 and 2007 to understand the opportunity that service learning provides to young adults, community and volunteer associations. The objectives were, first, to determine whether there is a need to forge links between the university and the world of volunteer work and, second, to describe the specific areas of action in the local context. A total of 603 video-recorded interviews were conducted. The findings show that there is a need to create a network for helping institutions, neighbourhoods and young adults to assess the demand and provide an organised response for educational and community needs. As a result, starting from this year, Turin University will be operating the first service learning in Italy.     

Considerations for Integrating Technology in Developing Communities in Latin America

This article discusses issues related to introducing new information and communication technologies (ICT) into Latin American countries. Latin American countries are gaining world focus with political changes such as the death of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and the election of the first Latin American Pope. This region will host the World Cup, Olympics and IMF World Bank annual meetings in the next 5 years; meanwhile they are projected to continueto experience moderate economic growth (IMF Survey, 2013). We suggest that successful innovation may be achieved through a combination of fundamental concepts of change with a culturally sensitive approach. This article discusses general concerns related to the diffusion of new technologies, the importance of cultural context, and the organization needed within the community for success. The literature review is based three assertions the characteristics of the native culture, general concerns of innovation for new technologies, and the context and organization needed by the community. We assert that to have successful integration of ICTs, innovators must understand the needs of the individuals who will use the innovation, as well as, the key factors that influence the culture, stakeholders, and common goals of the community and employ a strategy that utilizes industry, government and educators to produce lasting change.     

Quantification of Helicobacter pylori levels in soil samples from public playgrounds in Spain

Helicobacter pylori are ubiquitous Gram-negative bacteria with a high estimated level of infection in the world populations, but a majority of the infected persons are asymptomatic. This pathogen has been classified by the World Health Organization as a class I carcinogen and recognized as the causal agent of most peptic ulcers and chronic gastritis that might lead to stomach cancer. Although not all the transmission pathways of these bacteria into humans have been properly identified, enough data have suggested that the oral-oral or fecal-oral ones are the main infection routes. Helicobacter pylori have been detected in non-treated water and in drinking water, which suggested that water might be an important infection source. As childhood is the critical period of infection, the aim of the present work was to examine the presence of Helicobacter pylori in soil samples from public playing areas of Spanish parks.     

Educational psychologists’ report-writing: acts of justice?

One of the major tasks of educational psychologists is the writing of reports. Often, all involvement, assessment and intervention culminate in the production of a report. This paper explores critically the tensions involved in writing reports which are closed down in their conformity to requirements of different bodies, while looking for possibilities of openings in this closure. We acknowledge that report-writing is caught in the economies of exchange and the impossibility of gift-giving, based on the writing of Jacques Derrida. This paper will draw upon a small qualitative study of seven experienced school psychologists, and using a Derridian framework, it makes the familiar strange and the strange familiar [Biesta, G., J. Allan, and R. Edwards. 2011. “The Theory Question in Research Capacity Building in Education: Towards an Agenda for Research and Practice.” British Journal of Educational Studies, 59 (3): 225–239.] on the process of report-writing.