Ask Dr. Discovery: the impact of a casual mobile game on visitor engagement with science museum content

Educational technology research and development - This study examines the impact of a mobile game app on science museum visitors’ level of engagement with exhibit content, compared to a non...     

Schooling,cognition and creating capacity for technological innovation in Africa

This paper examines the important role of schooling in creating capacities for technological innovation in Africa. Schooling is a principal source of the modern scientific knowledge which most individuals possess. However, increasing levels of educational attainment does not necessarily increase capacities for innovation; it is what students learn in school rather than how long they attend school that is important. Policies to strengthen the impact of schooling must be based on a better understanding of how the content, language and processes of instruction influence the ways individuals think about the natural world and perform practical tasks in daily life involving use of modern health and agricultural technologies.

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Zusammenfassung Im vorliegenden Artikel wird die bedeutende Rolle der Schulbildung zur Schaffung von Fertigkeiten und Fähigkeiten für die technologische Innovation in Afrika untersucht. Die Schulbildung ist die Hauptquelle der modernen wissenschaftlichen Kenntnisse, die die meisten Menschen besitzen. Jedoch bedeutet die Erhöhung der Leistungsanforderungen nicht notwendigerweise eine Erhöhung der Kapazitäten für die Innovation; wichtig ist nämlich eher, was die Schüler in der Schule lernen, als die Zeit, die sie sie besuchen. Strategien, um den Stellenwert der Schulausbildung zu steigern, müssen auf einem besseren Verständnis der Zusammenhänge beruhen, inwieweit Inhalt, Sprache und Lehrprozesse die Art und Weise beeinflussen, in der die einzelnen Schüler die natürliche Welt denken und die praktischen Aufgaben des täglichen Lebens erfüllen, indem sie sich der modernen Gesundheits- und Landwirtschaftstechnologien bedienen.

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Résumé Le présent article examine le rôle important de la scolarité dans le développement de capacités d'innovation technologique en Afrique. La scolarité est la source majeure du savoir scientifique moderne que la majorité des personnes possèdent. Cependant, les niveaux toujours plus hauts de compétences éducatives n'agrandissent pas nécessairement les capacités novatrices. C'est moins la durée de la scolarité des élèves que ce qu'ils apprennent qui importe. Les politiques visant à renforcer l'impact de la scolarité doivent s'appuyer sur une meilleure compréhension de la manière dont les contenus, la langue et les processus d'enseignement influencent l'opinion que les individus ont du monde naturel et la façon dont ils accomplissent quotidiennement leurs tâches pratiques en ayant recours aux technologies médicales et agricoles modernes.

     

The Cultural Bond? Cricket and the Imperial Mission

The Cultural Bond? Cricket and the Imperial Mission

Cricket tours provide an excellent insight into the relationship between the colonies and England during the Imperial era. New Zealand has never had much of a cricketing legacy, but the game was still cherished and English tours were enthusiastically followed because they provided a link with ‘home'. Two English cricket teams visited New Zealand in the Edwardian age, the Lord Hawke XI in 1902-03 and the MCC in 1906–07. These tours were intended to be a panacea for a struggling local game while providing an extension of the cultural bonds of Empire. Both tours were rich in Imperial code and ceremony but their impact was lost in translation. The Lord Hawke XI, although all conquering, failed to win the hearts and minds of the New Zealand public because of a series of on-field moments of poor sportsmanship, and the public response to the treatment of the professionals in the team. The MCC team provided a fair challenge to New Zealand team, but lacked the star appeal of the Lord Hawke team, leaving the public somewhat underwhelmed. Both tours exemplify the difficulty in balancing the ideals inherent in the game with the realities of colonial sporting expectation.

Le lien culturel ? Le cricket et la mission impériale

Les tournées de cricket donnent un excellent aperçu des relations entre les colonies et l'Angleterre pendant l'ère Impériale. La Nouvelle-Zélande n'a jamais vraiment eu d'héritage en cricket, mais le jeu était aimé et les tournées de l'Angleterre étaient suivies avec enthousiasme parce qu'elles fournissaient un lien avec la ‘maison’. Deux équipes de cricket anglaises ont visité la Nouvelle-Zélande dans la période Edwardienne, The Lord Hawke XI en 1902-3 et le MCC en 1906-7. Ces tournées étaient destinées àêtre une panacée pour un jeu local combattif en fournissant une extension des liens culturels de l'Empire. Les deux tournées furent riches en signes et cérémonies impériaux mais leur impact fur perdu dans la traduction. The Lord Hawke XI, bien que remportant tout, a échouéà gagner les c?urs et l'esprit du public de Nouvelle-Zélande en raison de leur faible sportivité dans une série d'événements sur le terrain et de la réponse publique au traitement des professionnels dans l'équipe. L'équipe MCC a opposé un défi honnête à l'équipe de Nouvelle-Zélande, mais n'a pas été aussi attractive que celle du Lord Hawke XI, sans parvenir vraiment à combler le public. Les deux tournées illustrent la difficultéàéquilibrer les idéaux inhérents au jeu et les réalités des attentes coloniales.

¿Un vínculo cultural? El críquet y la misión imperial

Las giras de críquet proporcionan una visión excelente de la relación entre Inglaterra y las colonias durante la época imperial. Nueva Zelanda nunca ha gozado de una gran tradición criquetera, pero el juego era apreciado y las giras de equipos ingleses tenían un seguimiento entusiasta, ya que proporcionaban un vínculo con ‘la madre patria’. Dos equipos de críquet ingleses visitaron Nueva Zelanda en la época eduardiana, el Lord Hawke XI en 1902-03 y el MCC en 1906-07. Se pretendía que estas giras fueran una panacea para el débil críquet local, al tiempo que supusieran un refuerzo de los lazos culturales con el Imperio. Ambas giras estuvieron preñadas de ritual y ceremonia imperial, pero su impacto quedó mitigado por problemas de comunicación intercultural. El Lord Hawke XI, aunque lo ganó todo, no pudo conquistar los corazones y las mentes del público neozelandés a causa de una serie de episodios antideportivos en el campo, y de la respuesta del público al tratamiento de los profesionales en el equipo. El MCC supuso un reto limpio para el equipo de Nueva Zelanda, pero carecía del atractivo estelar del Lord Hawke, lo que dejó al público más bien frío. Ambas giras ejemplifican la dificultad a la hora de hallar un equilibrio entre los ideales propios del juego y las realidades del deporte colonial.

Kulturelle Bindung? Kricket und die imperiale Mission

Kricket-Reisen eröffnen einen exzellenten Einblick in die Beziehung zwischen England und dessen Kolonien in der Ära des Imperialismus. Neuseeland hatte nie ein umfassendes Kricket-Erbe gehabt, trotzdem wurde das Spiel stets geschätzt und Besuche aus England fanden großen Anklang, da sie eine Verbindung zur ‘Heimat’ darstellten. Im edwardianischen Zeitalter bereisten zwei englische Kricketmannschaften Neuseeland; zum einen die Lord Hawke-Elf im Jahre 1902/03, zum anderen der Marylebone Cricket Club 1906/07. Diese Touren sollten ein Allheilmittel für die hiesigen Probleme des Spiels sein, indem sie eine Erweiterung der kulturellen Verbindung des Empires herstellten. Beide Touren waren durch ausdrucksstarke, imperiale Sprache und Zeremonien gekennzeichnet, deren Bedeutung aber nicht verstanden wurde. Obwohl sie alle Spiele gewann, schaffte es die Lord Hawke-Elf nicht, die Herzen und den Geist der neuseeländischen Öffentlichkeit für sich zu gewinnen, was mit einer Reihe von Unsportlichkeiten auf dem Feld und den öffentlichen Reaktionen in Bezug auf die Behandlung von Profisportlern im Team zusammenhing. Die Mannschaft des Marylebone Cricket Club stellte für das neuseeländische Team eine ansprechende Herausforderung dar, ihr fehlten jedoch die Stars, über die das Lord Hawke-Team verfügte, weshalb das Publikum weitgehend unbeeindruckt blieb. Beide Reisen verdeutlichen die Schwierigkeit, die inhärenten Ideale des Spiels mit den Realitäten der Erwartungshaltung im Kolonialsport übereinzubringen.

     

“…If we were cavemen we'd be fine”: Facebook as a catalyst for critical literacy learning by dyslexic sixth‐form students

This article is derived from a study of the use of Facebook as an educational resource by five dyslexic students at a sixth form college in north‐west England. Through a project in which teacher‐researcher and student‐participants co‐constructed a group Facebook page about the students’ scaffolded research into dyslexia, the study examined the educational affordances of a digitally mediated social network. An innovative, flexible, experiential methodology combining action research and case study with an ethnographic approach was devised. This enabled the use of multiple mixed methods, capturing much of the rich complexity of the students’ online and offline interactions with each other and with digital media as they contributed to the group and co‐constructed their group Facebook page. Social perspectives on dyslexia and multiliteracies were used to help interpret the students’ engagement with the social network and thereby deduce its educational potential. The research concludes that as a digitally mediated social network, Facebook engages the students in active, critical learning about and through literacies in a rich and complex semiotic domain. Offline dialogue plays a crucial role. This learning is reciprocally shaped by the students’ developing identities as both dyslexic students and able learners. The findings suggest that social media can have advantageous applications for literacy learning in the classroom. In prompting learning yet remaining unchanged by it, Facebook can be likened to a catalyst.     

The Public Knowledge Project and the Simon Fraser University Library: A Partnership in Open Source and Open Access

The Public Knowledge Project is an ongoing collaboration between academics, librarians, publishers, editors, and software developers, working together to build alternatives in scholarly publishing. The project has developed a suite of open source software that significantly reduces the time and expense required for producing academic journals and conferences, and facilitates making research results freely available through open access. This article examines the history of the project, provides an overview of its open source software, discusses the growing community participating in the project, and considers its future directions.     

Critical Factors in Cultural Immersion: A Synthesis of Relevant Literature

This synthesis of the literature on cross-cultural immersion experiences gives emphasis to the need for effective pedagogy for enhancing multicultural counseling competency, with cultural immersion being a potentially valuable training tool. The authors examine the empirical literature towards identifying both helpful and hindering structural and process factors in immersion experiences. Consideration is given to enhancing training experiences and suggestions for future research are provided.     

Growth in Externalizing and Internalizing Problems in Childhood: A Prospective Study of Psychopathology Across Three Generations

Three generations of participants were assessed over approximately 27 years, and intergenerational prediction models of growth in the third generation’s (G3) externalizing and internalizing problems across ages 3–9 years were examined. The sample included 103 fathers and mothers (G2), at least 1 parent (G1) for all of the G2 fathers (99 mothers, 72 fathers), and 185 G3 offspring (83 boys, 102 girls) of G2, with prospective data available on the G2 fathers beginning at age 9 years. Behavior of the G2 mother, along with father contact and mother age at birth were included in the models. Intergenerational associations in psychopathology were modest, and much of the transmission occurred via contextual risk within the family of procreation.     

Digital Games, Gender and Learning in Engineering: Do Females Benefit as Much as Males?

The aim of this paper was to explore whether there is a gender difference in the beneficial effects of Racing Academy, which is a video game used to support undergraduate students learning of Mechanical Engineering. One hundred and thirty-eight undergraduate students (15 females and 123 males) participated in the study. The students completed a pre-test a week before they started using Racing Academy. The pre-test consisted of a test of students’ knowledge of engineering, and a measure of students’ motivation towards studying engineering. A week after using Racing Academy the students completed a post-test which was identical to the pre-test, except it also included a measure of how frequently they used Racing Academy and how motivating the students found playing Racing Academy. We found that after playing Racing Academy the students learnt more about engineering and there was no gender difference in the beneficial effect of Racing Academy, however there is some evidence that, female students found Racing Academy more motivating than male students. The implications for the use and design of video games for supporting learning for both males and females are discussed.     

Private initiatives in higher education in Kenya

Africa's higher education crisis has prompted the growth of private institutions. Enrollments are very low and in most African countries do not account for a significant proportion of university enrollments. The largest number of private institutions are in Kenya which is the subject of a case study. Private institutions provide professional training in fields of employment opportunity but also offer an education that emphasizes character building functions of higher studies. Private higher education is expensive to provide and costly to attend. Many private institutions are caught in a dilemma. They can not achieve significant efficiencies by reducing instructional costs without damage to the quality of their programs, and they are reluctant to raise tuition and accommodation charges because of the distorting effects on student recruitment. As long as public higher education is provided at low or no cost and private higher education is entirely self-supporting, the private sector will have a peripheral role in higher education in Kenya and other African countries.