Why Users Share the News: A Theory of Reasoned Action-Based Study on the Antecedents of News-Sharing Behavior

Social media have become an integral part of online news use, affecting how individuals find, consume, and share news. By applying the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), this study investigates the effects of motives, attitude, and intention on news-sharing behavior among German social media users (n = 333). Findings show that news-sharing attitude and subjective norms have a positive effect on news-sharing intention, which in turn has a positive effect on actual news-sharing behavior. Taken together, we see that a new media behavior in the early phases of its societal diffusion—like social media news sharing in Germany in 2015—can mainly be explained by a rational choice logic and is rooted in the motives of socializing and information seeking. This finding thus reflects the double nature of social media as a means for both information retrieval and social grooming.     

A large-scale test of the relationship between procrastination and performance using learning analytics

Abstract

Many studies have found a relationship between students’ self-reported procrastination and their grades. Few studies have used learning analytic data as a behavioural measure of procrastination in order to predict performance, and there is no systematic research on how this relationship may differ across assessments or disciplines. In this study we analyse nine years’ worth of institutional electronic submission records, a total of 73,608 assignment submissions, to examine the relationship between submission time and grades across assignments, students, courses, and disciplines in higher education. A significant negative relationship was found overall, with students who submitted closer to the deadline obtaining lower grades, however the size of the relationship was negligible, accounting for less than 1% of the variance in grades. The relationship varied significantly depending on student, assignment, course and discipline.     

Bursting paradigms: a colour wheel of practice-research

ABSTRACT

In this article, I question practice as a research paradigm by exploring its position in relation to non-positivist qualitative methodologies. Frayling’s [1994. Research in art and design. Royal College of Art Research Papers, 1(1), 1993/4] distinctions between research into, through, and as (for) practice are expanded to explore overlaps between these approaches. I argue for the need to understand the nuances of different epistemologies and ontologies that underpin diverse disciplinary approaches to practice-research. This is done through an analysis of a selection of Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded projects to find out how they are using and/or embedding practice in the research process. The resulting Colour Wheel of Practice-Research illustrates a spectrum of positions of practice in relation to research, suggesting existing research paradigms are bursting at the seams and that the “disciplinary matrix” of practice might offers other ways of knowing. The reason I have chosen to focus primarily on AHRC-funded projects is because it explicitly states its support of “practice-led research” and that it “remains dedicated to this area of research”. This article aims to add to knowledge of how and why practice-research is of continuing interest to research councils, universities, and those identifying as practice-based/led researchers.     

Are academic outcomes of higher education provision relevant to and deliverable in the workplace setting?

Current developments in higher education strongly indicate that the way ahead in many disciplines is much closer co-operation between academia and industry. There is growing demand that recognition should be given to learning, irrespective of the environment in which it occurs.This article reflects on what are deemed to be essential components of a degree, and considers how they might be transformed into forms suitable for demonstration in the work environment. The discussion is supported by findings of a survey carried out in conjunction with a development - Structured Industrial Practice Studies - which integrates academic learning and learning in the work environment for full-time students. The findings, however, are of relevance beyond the particular model of learning and mode of attendance. There appears to be potential for achieving in the workplace aspects of courses which, in recent times, have been the prerogative of higher education establishments. However, such potential is variable between working environments and is dependent on higher education providers adapting to different structures in delivery.     

Accidental digitoxin intoxication: an interplay between laboratory and clinical medicine

Introduction:

Two Italian adults arrived at the Emergency Department referring diarrhea, nausea and vomiting for 4 days; weakness, fatigue and visual hallucinations were also complained of. Patients reported the ingestion of some leaves of a plant, which they supposed to be “donkey ears”, a week before. Physical examination showed hypotension and bradycardia and ECG examination disclosed sinus rhythm and repolarization abnormalities (scooping of the ST-T complex) in both patients and a 2:1 AV block in the man.

Materials and methods:

Digoxin concentration was evaluated twice for each patient (at the admission and after 4 hours) by the automated immunoassay system ADVIA Centaur^®. Digitoxin concentration was evaluated by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Results:

Despite clinical picture was suggestive of digitalis intoxication, digoxin levels were undetectable. Due to the more severe clinical picture, the male patient was treated with anti-digoxin antibodies (Digifab^®) achieving a good clinical improvement and remission of the AV block within two hours. Initial diagnosis was confirmed by LC-MS/MS showing high digitoxin concentrations, but digoxin was undetectable. Patients remained stable and 48 hours later were discharged from the hospital.

Conclusion:

Whereas digoxin determination frequently relies on monoclonal antibodies which do not cross-react to digitoxin, polyclonal antibodies constituting Digifab^® recognize a large spectrum of cardiac glycosides, including digitoxin. This report emphasizes the primary role of the clinical approach to patients in the emergency setting and how an active communication and a continuous sharing of professional experiences between Laboratory and Clinicians ensure an early and correct diagnosis.     

The art of the organiser: Raphael Samuel and the origins of the History Workshop

The History Workshop movement took its stance on the democratisation of history making, becoming notorious for its exuberant gatherings and impassioned ‘histories from below’. At the centre of the early Workshop was the British historian Raphael Samuel, who has been described as the personification of its intellectual and ethical politics. This paper examines Samuel’s role in the Workshop arguing that his distinctive intellectual personality was critical in shaping its early form and ethos. Drawing on a biographical approach, it explores the development of this persona over the course of his formative years. It argues that Samuel’s life history provides an insight into the renewed appeal of libertarian ideas in post-war British radical political and educational thought and that as an individual he illuminates the application of these ideas to the social role of the historian-educator.     

How We Used to Build the Future: 30 Years of Collection Development Trends

This session highlighted trends in continuing resource collections and collection management throughout the 30-year period from 1985 through 2015. Electronic resources became available in the 1990s and grew in prevalence from the 2000s through the present, changing the make-up of library collections and also how libraries measure collections and collection usage. Two librarians and two vendors shared their perspectives on these changes in collection development, describing how library collections now contain a combination of older formats and older ways of collecting data, and new, electronic content and automated ways of collecting and disseminating data about collections.     

Demonstration of Classroom Survival Skills in Kindergarten: A five-year transition study of children with intellectual disabilities

Thirty-three children with a range of intellectual disabilities who participated in a transition program embedded within a model inclusive preschool program were enrolled in mainstream kindergarten classes from 1995 to 1999. In the second of four kindergarten terms the classroom survival skills, on-task behaviour across a range of activities and following teacher directions, were measured by observing the children with intellectual disabilities and a typical peer, nominated by each classroom teacher. While the teacher-nominated peers outperformed the students with intellectual disabilities in total time-on-task, the level achieved by the children with intellectual disabilities was still at the lower end of what is regarded as average. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in on-task behaviour during independent activities but the difference between the groups during whole class instruction was highly significant. This may have implications for the selection of strategies for preparing children for transition and the adaptation of teaching practices. On-task behaviour did not vary a great deal across level of intellectual disability but gender may have been a contributing factor. There appeared to be a greater difference between students with and without disabilities in responding to teacher directions. The results of the present study suggest that successful demonstration of these critical skills requires more appropriate teacher preparation and intervention at the kindergarten level.