Embracing Death: Mexican Parent and Child Perspectives on Death

A mixed-method approach was used to explore parent and child perspectives on death in Mexico. Parents’ and children’s death-related experiences and understanding of death were examined. While all children in this sample displayed a biological understanding of death, older children were less likely to endorse that all living things die. Children also displayed coexistence of beliefs related to death that can be attributed to both their biological and spiritual understanding of death. We also found that older children were more likely to report that a child should feel sad following the death of a loved one. These findings highlight how cultural practices shape the development of cognitive and affective processes related to death.     

Active Learning in Architectural Education: A Participatory Design Experience (PDE) in Colombia

Contemporary architecture teaching in Colombia still resembles the traditional master–apprentice model, which is also common in many parts of the world. The model of regular curricular focus on classroom‐based modules where theory and practice are predominantly disengaged, leaving the students to make their connections. Students that learnt with these models face greater difficulties to apply knowledge, compared with students taught with active learning formats. It is argued that participatory design processes could be catalytic for change in this area, by empowering participants in the co‐creation of their socio‐spatial context. This article aims to contribute by suggesting a methodology for a Participatory Design Experience (PDE), which could be applied to transform a conventional teaching module into a student‐centred learning environment. The methodology was tested and refined through a case study, demonstrating its effectiveness in architectural education. The article describes it in detail in order to be replicated by educators in comparable scenarios.     

Experimental verification of Faradaic charging in ac electrokinetics

This paper investigates the phenomenon of Faradaic charging in ac electrokinetics. Faradaic reactions were suggested as a key effect responsible for the reversal of pumping direction in ac micropumps. However, this hypothesis has yet to be proven convincingly and directly. Here we present an ion detection strategy to determine the production of ions through Faradaic hydrolytic reactions originating from direct application of voltage to electrolytic solutions during ac electrokinetics. Experiments were performed with symmetrical planar electrodes aligned along a microfluidic channel. Fluorescein, a pH-dependent dye, was employed as the pH indicator for the detection of ion production. Images were captured for analysis at various voltage levels. From analyzing the fluorescence intensity and its distribution, it can be concluded that the production of ions from hydrolytic reactions takes place and increases with the ac voltage. The coefficient of deviation indicates a significant enhancement at ac voltage above 11 V_pp. Lastly, we demonstrate a strategy using dc-biased ac electrokinetics to achieve controllability in direction and magnitude of the net fluid flow in pumping application.     

The PCC ISNI Pilot: Exploring Identity Management on a Global,Collaborative Scale

Abstract

The Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) conducted a multi-institution Pilot project to contribute metadata to the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) database. In addition to describing the goals, structure, and activities undertaken in the Pilot, this article examines some of the experiences of PCC metadata practitioners as they sought to incorporate ISNIs into their metadata workflows and pursue a wide range of ISNI use cases. Lastly, the article outlines next steps that flowed from the Pilot as the PCC has parlayed its newly developing identity management expertise into additional PCC program explorations.     

Advancing the literate behaviors of a Hmong American fifth grader through cross‐age,paired, interactive tutoring

The adoption and teaching of multicultural education appears not to have transformed society's responses to difference in any obvious way. Consequently, it is proposed that multicultural education, as it is currently practiced, which focuses on teaching about other cultures, be refocused in favor of moral education, which will provide participants with a set of moral principles they can refer to when confronted by difference. To arrive at this proposal, a context is constructed, in which the disputatious nature of the concept, culture, is presented. This shows its controversial nature, yet it is used as an unproblematised point of departure in multicultural education. Social constructions of culture are then discussed and these are shown to be caricatures of what culture really is; yet these caricatures are often communicated as being representative of people's cultures. Finally, it is contended that the political dimension of multicultural education is not confronted; yet this dimension is crucial to our understanding of the asymmetrical relations of power that continue to characterize multicultural societies, and this is perpetuated by unchallenged assumptions that are made in the teaching of multicultural education.     

Goal orientation profile differences on perceived motivational climate, perceived peer relationships, and motivation-related responses of youth athletes

The aims of this study were twofold: (a) to determine if dispositional achievement goal orientation profiles that are reported in the literature would be observed in a sample of youth athletes, and (b) to examine potential achievement goal orientation profile differences on perceptions of the motivational climate, perceptions of peer relationships, and motivation-related responses. Male soccer players (n=223) aged 9-12 years (mean=10.9, s=0.6) completed a multi-section questionnaire containing assessments of dispositional goal (task, ego) orientations, the perceived task- and ego-involving features of the motivational climate, perceived peer acceptance and friendship quality (positive friendship quality, conflict), perceived ability, soccer enjoyment, and satisfaction with one's performance and the team. Four profiles were observed that closely matched those observed by Hodge and Petlichkoff (2000), though in the present study a lower proportion of participants exhibited achievement goal profiles consisting of relatively high ego orientation. Achievement goal profile differences were found for all variables except positive friendship quality, with a general trend for those reporting relatively lower task goal orientation to exhibit less adaptive responses. Overall, the findings support achievement goal frameworks (e.g. Nicholls, 1989) and suggest that further examination of dispositional achievement goals may afford a deeper understanding of social relationships and motivational processes in youth sport.     

Coordinating learning analytics policymaking and implementation at scale

Many Latin-American institutions recognise the potential of learning analytics (LA). However, the number of actual LA implementations at scale remains limited, notwithstanding considerable effort made to formulate guidelines and frameworks to support the LA policy development. Guidance on how to coordinate the interaction between the LA policymaking and implementation is mostly missing, leaving a difficult challenge up to practitioners. In this study we propose a coordination model to support future LA initiatives at scale. We explore the problem by comparing two cases in Belgium and Ecuador. Following up we use the LA implementation timeline as a driver for planning the interaction between the policymaking and implementation. We continue by testing an application of the model with LA experts predominantly from Latin-American institutions, asking them to map low-level items of the SHEILA policy framework to four implementation phases. The results of this mapping support that LA policy building can be spread over time, that it can coincide with LA implementation at scale, and that both efforts can be coordinated. It is hoped that this study will provide additional guidance for future Latin-American and other LA initiatives.