The use of ICT devices by older people with a special focus on their type and respondents’ age: A Czech case study

The recent demographic trends show a rapid increase of aging population, especially in developed countries. Therefore, there is an urgent need to look for the opportunities of maintaining the quality of life of this aging population. One of the solutions seems to be the use of information and communication technology (ICT) devices, which can promote autonomy of older people by facilitating the execution of many routine activities such as shopping or communication. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of ICT devices among older people in the Czech Republic with respect to their type and respondents’ age. The methods include a questionnaire survey, as well as statistical processing of data collection. The results indicate that present seniors are becoming more digitally literate, especially in the use of mobile phones. However, the use of the technological devices then dramatically drops at the age of 75 years. In addition, the results indicate that future research should focus on the use of mobile phones, respectively smartphones, and its effectiveness on the improvement of quality of life of older generation groups.     

‘Decolonialism’ and the Counselling Profession: The Aotearoa/New Zealand Experience

This paper makes a case for the coining and exploration of a term ‘decolonialism’. Although there is likely to be greater familiarity with the use of the term ‘decolonization’ for the work indigenous people might undertake on themselves to transcend the shackles of colonization, this paper suggests that colonizers also need to work at ridding themselves of vestigial mechanisms of control. The paper suggests the term ‘decolonialism’ to represent this challenge. However, the issues go deeper than the examination of a counsellor’s personal beliefs, awareness and worldview, but also extend to the systems that underscore and guide the counselling profession. Whilst such issues are of relevance to various contexts around the world, this paper focuses on a case study of the reformation of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors—Te Roopu Kaiwhiriwhiri O Aotearoa as an example of the counselling profession striving to decolonialize its structure and its practices.     

The Effect of Supplementing Instruction with Conceptual Change Texts on Students’ Conceptions of Electrochemical Cells

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of instruction supplemented by conceptual change texts (CCTs) over traditional instruction on students’ understanding of electrochemical (galvanic and electrolytic) cell concepts. The participants of the study consisted of 64 students from the two classes of a high school located in Turkey. Classes were randomly assigned to experimental group, which was exposed to CCTs as a supplementary material, and to control group, which was exposed to traditional instruction. A 23-item multiple-choice test was developed assess students’ conceptual understanding of electrochemical cells. This test was administered to both groups before and after the instruction. The results of ANCOVA indicated that students who were instructed by using CCTs had better conceptual understanding of electrochemical cells than those experiencing traditional instruction when their prior electrochemical cell concepts understanding was statistically controlled. The findings of this study suggest that CCTs can be used as a cost- and resource-effective supplement to classroom instruction to promote students’ understanding science concepts.     

Finnish Mothers’ and Fathers’ Constructions of and Emotions in Their Daily Lives

This article focuses on parents’ construction of and emotions in their everyday lives. The study brings into focus the meanings in the foreground of everyday life, while also revealing new insights into cultural beliefs and prejudices. Interviews were conducted with five nuclear and four divorced families, and each participant (N?=?18) was interviewed twice. The second interview was a photo-narrative interview, for which each participant took photographs pertaining to their daily life. Content and thematic analysis were applied to the data. Three main categories of everyday life emerged from the data: family daily life, couples’ daily life, and one’s own daily life. The importance of and pleasure derived from one’s own daily life were emphasized as the foundation of well-being for both the individual and the whole family.     

The Effects of Gratitude Journaling on Turkish First Year College Students’ College Adjustment,Life Satisfaction and Positive Affect

This study examined the effects of gratitude journaling on first-year college students’ adjustment, life satisfaction, and positive affect. Students who scored high (i.e., scores between 35 and 56) on the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al. in Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 385–396, 1983) and low (i.e., scores between 48 and 144) on the University Life Scale (Alada? et al. in Türk Psikolojik Dan??ma ve Rehberlik Dergisi, 2(20), 41–47, 2003) were invited to participate in the study. Among the 24 students who met the criteria, 21 volunteered to participate. Students in the experimental group (11) kept a gratitude journal for 3 weeks, whilst those in the control group (10) were not involved in any gratitude-related activity. Results indicated that students in the experimental group had significantly higher post-test scores on gratitude, adjustment to university life, life satisfaction, and positive affect. Results related to gratitude interventions, positive emotions and college student adjustment are discussed.     

Eco-School in kindergartens: the effects,interpretation, and implementation of a pilot program

This study presents an analysis of a Czech pilot project in implementing the Eco-School program in kindergartens. The evaluation applied a mixed design that included pre/post testing of children using picture-based questionnaires, and interviews with the teachers responsible for conducting the program. The findings revealed a significant increase in the pro-environmental attitudes of the children (N = 419) between the pre-test and the post-test. The results of the qualitative part showed a broad spectrum of the ways in which the program was interpreted by the teachers (N = 16): while some teachers interpreted the program in a highly instrumental way, others interpreted it as emancipatory. Their different ways of interpreting the program led the teachers to different models of distribution of power between the adults and the children. Some of the teachers made the effort to establish a democratic participation of the children in setting the program agenda, but others manipulated the children to obtain their agreement with pre-selected activities. Although the study did not find any evidence that the instrumental implementation of the program would be less effective in promoting children’s attitude change, it showed differences in the interpretation of the merit of the program among the teachers.     

Integrated use of technologies and techniques for construction knowledge management

The last two decades have witnessed a significant increase in discussions about the different dimensions of knowledge and knowledge management (KM). This is especially true in the construction context. Many factors have contributed to this growing interest including globalisation, increased competition, diffusion of new ICTs (information and communication technologies) and new procurement routes, among others. There are a range of techniques and technologies that can be used for KM in construction organisations. The use of techniques for KM is not new, but many technologies for KM are fairly new and still evolving. This paper begins with a review of different KM techniques and technologies and then reports the findings of case studies of selected U.K. construction organisations, carried out with the aim of establishing what tools are currently being used in U.K. construction organisations to support knowledge processes. Case study findings indicate that most organisations do not adopt a structured approach for selecting KM technologies and techniques. The use of KM techniques is more evident compared to KM technologies. There is also reluctance among construction companies to invest in highly specialised KM technologies. The high costs of specialist KM technologies are viewed as the barrier to their adoption. In conclusion, the paper advocates integrated use of KM techniques and technologies in construction organisations.     

Development and validation of perceptions of online interaction scale

The aim of this study was to develop a measurement instrument which is compatible with literature, of which validity and reliability are proved with the aim of determining interaction perceived by learners in online learning environments. Accordingly, literature review was made, and outline form of the scale was formed with item pool by taking 14 expert opinions. As a result of exploratory factor analysis of data obtained from participation of 177 learners from eight different universities, it was seen that the scale consisted of 30 items and 3 dimensions. These dimensions are learner–content interaction, learner–instructor interaction and learner–learner interaction. Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient of the whole scale was .95. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that fit indexes of the structure provided a good and acceptable fit. Based on these findings, Perceptions of Online Interaction Scale is a valid and reliable tool that may be used in measuring interaction occurring in online learning environments.