Micro: global music made in J‐pop?

Abstract

This article tackles J‐pop as a result of diverse influences from Western music. Its strength stems from its capacity to ‘tame the exotic’, i.e. assimilate and recreate from styles that were uncommon for Asian cultures by integrating elements of rock, reggae, hip hop, etc and labelling these J‐rock, J‐reggae, J‐rap. This assimilation and indigenization process in J‐pop creation could be seen as a way to resist against competitors from other places of music production. The article also attempts to identify the specificities and assets of J‐pop in the music scene in general. It elaborates on J‐pop's coolness, and the reason why it could expand throughout East‐Asia. Pop music and pop culture flows in East‐Asia could be regarded then as a means to trigger a sense of community and togetherness through the consumption of pop culture products. Throughout the analysis on J‐pop, the article will rely on one musical example, Def Tech and Micro, as this artist tends to explore various musical genre and intermingles them, so as to create a specific style, coined ‘Jawaian reggae’.     

Preservice Teachers' Beliefs About Using Maker Activities in Formal K-12 Educational Settings: A Multi-Institutional Study

This qualitative study examined preservice teachers' beliefs about using maker activities in formal educational settings. Eighty-two preservice and early-career teachers at three different universities in the United States took part in one-time workshops designed to introduce them to various maker tools and activities applicable to K–12 educational environments. Data were collected from 16 focus groups conducted during the workshops in spring 2016. Researchers analyzed the data using the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1985, 1991) to better understand the teachers' attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control related to making activities, with the ultimate goal of using this information to assist teacher preparation programs in preparing their students to implement maker tools and strategies in their future classrooms. Participants expressed favorable attitudes toward implementing maker activities in their future classrooms and noted these tools and activities aligned with instructional strategies encouraged in their teacher preparation programs, including problem-based learning, inquiry learning, and hands-on learning activities, but noted several perceived barriers such as access to resources and working with reluctant peers and administrators.     

Transfer of Instructional Practices from Freedom Schools to the Classroom

The instructional practices of three current classroom teachers who formerly served as Servant Leader Interns (SLIs) in the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools (CDFFS) Program were examined. Haskell (Transfer of learning: cognition, instruction, and reasoning. Academic Press, San Diego, 2001) outlined eleven principles of transfer of learning, which were used to survey the levels of transfer established from service in Freedom Schools to practice in the traditional classroom. Individual surveys, The Freedom School Pedagogies Teacher Observation Record along with interviews of each participant was used for data collection; all three components were used to triangulate the findings. The findings from this study verified that low transfer was observed when minimal application of the principles of learning were applied. This study revealed that for transfer to occur at high levels, it is imperative that adherence to all 11 principals is made and the understanding of transfer, the application of transfer, and reflection on transfer are implemented. If transfer of instructional practices is a goal of CDFFS for SLIs, the CDFFS program should consider implementing transfer of learning theory in future SLI training.     

Southern agency and digital education: an ethnography of open online learning in Dili,Timor-Leste

ABSTRACT

This ethnography, based on fieldwork in Dili, Timor-Leste between 2015 and 2017, adopts an orthodox sociological theorising of agency to investigate the ways in which people in Dili negotiate the numerous interacting structural barriers to digital education. Having identified a lack of attention to learner agency in the literature on the promotion and adoption of MOOCs and OER in the Global South (King, Pegrum, and Forsey [2018]. ‘MOOCs and OER in the Global South: Problems and Potential’. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 19 (5): 2–20. doi:10.19173/irrodl.v19i5.3742), the paper addresses Connell’s [(2008). Southern Theory: The Global Dynamics of Knowledge in Social Science. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin] influential criticism of the imbalances in global knowledge production, and explores the parallels in technologically enhanced learning. A new concept- Southern agency- is developed through the stories of three Timorese students and their engagement with digital education, focussing on the influences of local infrastructure, family, literacies and the colonial legacy. The paper highlights the need for more extensive research into local practices of learning with technologies and advocates Southern agency as a heuristic device to gain valuable insights into the lived experience of Southern learners.     

Measuring the economic impact of institutions of higher education

Frequently institutions of higher education commission formal studies to measure their short-term economic impact on the surrounding regions. The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss several of the methodological considerations which arise in the design and use of economic impact studies, as well as to present new evidence regarding the effectiveness of alternative survey methods for collecting the personal expenditure data frequently used in such studies. The survey results suggest that mail surveys may yield more accurate responses regarding important personal financial information than more costly telephone interviews. This paper also offers some guidance in the design of economic impact studies and points out some of the increasing pressures to integrate studies of short-term economic impacts with analysis of higher education's impact on long-term regional economic development.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the meetings of the Western Economic Association, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 1987.     

A cross-disciplinary approach to teaching data literacy and proportionality

The Thinking with Data project (TWD) expands on current notions of data literacy by (1) focusing on proportional reasoning as key to data literacy and (2) leveraging the non-mathematics disciplines to engage students in deep thinking about the context of data and the application of proportionality. A set of four 2-week, sequential modules for cross-disciplinary implementation in seventh-grade classrooms was designed and evaluated. Using a quasi-experimental approach, we found that student data literacy was increased through the focused integration of social studies, mathematics, science, and English language arts. In this article, we describe our theoretical approach to designing and implementing the modules, report on student learning gains in mathematics, and describe teacher reactions to the materials. In sum, our study provides evidence that the TWD approach has the potential to build data literacy while also allowing students to learn core discipline-based content standards.     

Cataloging Databases and Web Sites in OCLC and Voyager

Use of dynamic links from subject-based finding aids to records for electronic resources in the OPAC is suggested as one method for by-passing the OPAC search interface, thus making the library's electronic resources more accessible. This method simplifies maintenance of links to electronic resources and aids instruction by providing a single, consistent access point to them. Results of a usage study from before and after this project was completed show a consistent, often dramatic increase in use of the library's electronic resources.     

Perspectives of elders in thriving marriages on why their marriages thrive

Lengthy lifespans prompt research on how aging adults thrive in their marriages. This qualitative research study explored the perspectives of 14 elder couples nominated as thriving in their marriages. The 28 participants, living in the United States, ranged in age from 70 to 89. Twelve couples were in first marriages that ranged from 43–67 years. Two couples were in second marriages for 27 and 29 years. The participant group was diverse in race, ethnicity, religion, and birthplace but not in socio-economic-status and formal education level. Together the two researchers, also over 70, conducted two interviews with each couple, also together, in the two-year study. The in-depth, semi-structured interviews were the major source of data; secondary sources were a values-ranking inventory, a self-anchoring scale activity, an exercise on findings from other studies, and two small focus group discussions. The findings were: a) thriving couples experienced significant and pervasive in-depth love, b) shared extensive commonalities, c) teamed mutually, d) solved problems and confronted challenges well, d) welcomed caring gestures and expressions of appreciation, and e) valued physical affection and sexual intimacy. The insights and advice shared could benefit not only married elder couples, but also single elders in their social relationships, couples considering marriage, and those who work with elders in hospitals, healthcare facilities, and counseling services.