Cultural History’s Absent Audience

ABSTRACT

This article reconsiders Peter Mandler’s essay ‘The Problem with Cultural History,’ and the complexities of locating evidence of culture’s impact upon ordinary people, or ‘throw.’ A brief examination of the history of market research and public opinion surveys in the 20th century offers important lessons for the cultural historian faced with locating and interpreting evidence of audience response that is either rarely there, or more disturbingly, rarely meaningful by our current standards of interpretation. Ultimately this paper asks of my fellow cultural historians: Does culture matter as much as we cultural historians want it to?     

Making students part of the dataset: a model for statistical enquiry in social issues

This article reviews a flexible model for engaging students in statistical enquiry. Data from a student survey are first used to stimulate interest and introduce statistical concepts, while easing the transition to working with larger ‘real world’ secondary data.     

青少年运动员的膳食营养偏差研究

研究目的：探讨青少年运动员对营养知识的掌握、饮食习惯的现状和膳食营养状况,为指导运动员合理膳食营养及开展营养知识宣传教育提供依据。研究方法：以浦东新区青少年运动员为对象,共302人。采用膳食调查和营养知识和饮食习惯的问卷调查。研究结果：男、女青少年运动员的能量摄入量均不足,且三大能源物质比例摄取不合理;结论与建议：1加强供能物质谷类食物的摄入2加强钙的摄入3多吃蔬菜和水果,补充维生素。     

Monitoring or avoiding health information--the relation to inner inclination and health status

Background: The way a person responds to health information, for instance by actively seeking it out or avoiding it, is an important part of overall coping with health issues. This study starts from the assumption that there are individual differences in information behaviour in charged contexts such as when faced with the stress and anxiety of compromised health. Objective: To shed light on mechanisms through which personal characteristics (locus of control) and world views (sense of coherence) influence health information interest and health information seeking in relation to health status. Method: The methods used in this study are quantitative. The material consists of data procured via a postal survey, which was posted to a representative sample group consisting of 2500 Finnish citizens aged 18–65 years. The statistical analysis consists of F‐tests for means, frequency analyses and cross tab‐analyses (chi‐square and Goodman–Kruskal gamma). Results: Persons with perceived health problems are comparatively more characterised by external locus of control and by lower motivation to act on health issues. Conclusion: More research is needed before these complex relationships are fully understood. However, the results of this study show that internal locus of control entails high interest in, and low avoidance of, health information.     

Web‐based versus paper‐based data collection for the evaluation of teaching activity: empirical evidence from a case study

The collection of teaching evaluation questionnaires in the traditional paper‐and‐pencil format is a costly and time‐consuming process and yet it is a common assessment practice in many university systems. web‐based data collection would reduce costs and significantly increase the efficiency of the overall evaluation process in numerous ways. Results for both types of surveys are reported from two years of progressive introduction of the web‐based survey by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy. In the first year, two faculties representing scientific and humanistic fields were selected for a web‐based survey. In the second year, eight out of 12 faculties took part in the web survey. This data collection strategy allowed for responses from non‐attending students and facilitated a comparison of attitudes between attending and non‐attending students.     

Students' increased time spent on social media,and their level of coronavirus anxiety during the pandemic,predict increased social media addiction

Background

During the COVID-19 pandemic period, the level of anxiety and the duration of social media use increased in university students.

Objectives

This study aimed to examine the relationship between coronavirus anxiety and social media addiction in university students.

Methods

The sample consisted of 346 university students in Turkey. The data were collected online using the Sociodemographic Data Form, the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale Short Form and the Social Network Addiction Scale. The data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance, Mann–Whitney U test, Pearson correlation analysis, chi-square analysis and multiple linear regression analysis.

Results

The results showed that the mean coronavirus anxiety score was higher in men than in women. Social media addiction increased as the daily time spent by the students on social media increased. A positive correlation was found between the daily time spent on social media before the pandemic and social media usage during the pandemic. It was concluded that students use social media more during the pandemic than before it and that social media addiction increases as the students' coronavirus anxiety increases.

Conclusion

It is important to plan initiatives to reduce coronavirus anxiety to prevent social media addiction in young people.

Study Location and Sample

The research population consisted of 1st and 2nd year students who are studying in the Medical Services and Techniques Department of Vocational School of Health Services at a university located in the west of Turkey, during the Fall Term of academic year 2020–2021. Students in this department are studying in anaesthesia, dialysis, first and emergency aid, medical laboratory techniques, medical imaging technique, and medical documentation and secretarial programmes.     

A 10-year follow-up survey of US academic libraries highlights the COVID-19 experience and greater interest in health information outreach

Background

As follow-up to their previous survey on health information outreach (HIO) in 2010, the authors became interested in the evolving nature of HIO activities at academic libraries within the past decade.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to understand how HIO activities at academic libraries have evolved since 2010, especially considering the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

An online survey, designed to collect quantitative data on general HIO activities and qualitative data specifically on COVID-19 information outreach, was distributed to over 1700 librarians at US general academic and academic health science libraries.

Results

Two hundred and fifty-five respondents completed the survey. Quantitative findings generally paralleled the 2010 results, except in a few areas. Most notably, a greater percentage of librarians in 2020 were participating in HIO (44%) than in 2010 (37%). Qualitative findings revealed that librarians are leveraging traditional information services and implementing innovative partnerships to promote reputable health information resources on COVID-19.

Discussion

Evidence suggests that further engagement and campus partnerships can enhance libraries' supportive roles as trustworthy purveyors of quality health information.

Conclusion

US academic librarians are increasingly engaging in HIO to support the health information needs of campus communities and should consider aligning outreach activities with national health goals.