Adult Recollections of Name-calling at School

A sample of 220 adults responded to a questionnaire on their recollections of name-calling and nicknames while at school. Hurtful names were reported by 141 participants, who described coping with them primarily by means of verbal retaliation or ignoring the names. Participants rarely told teachers and most stated that their school was unhelpful. Although the experience was regarded less negatively over time, this was not the case for those who reported finding the names most hurtful. These participants reported greater effects on all areas of school life and a stronger association of name-calling with physical bullying, and they rated their current feelings about the past experience as more negative. The most common content of names referred to physical appearance, play on the individual's own name, and animals, trends also found in studies of children and in research into teasing.     

Understanding Nutrition: A Study of Greek Primary School Children Dietary Habits,Before and After Classroom Nutrition Intervention

The purpose of this study was first to assess and then to improve the diet of Greek primary school children teaching them healthy dietary habits and instructing them to face critically advertisements and media projected dietary models using a program which included intervention on cognitive, emotional, and social level. The results show that our intervention was more effective on the cognitive level and in particular on children's ability to estimate the dietary value of different kinds of food. However, their food preferences were not affected significantly, suggesting that these are more resistant to change since they are already consolidated and, therefore, need longer intervention.     

More human than human? Artificial intelligence in the archive

ABSTRACT

Not a day appears to go by without breaking news of some Artificial Intelligence (AI) advance that seemingly has the potential to transform our lives. As recordkeeping professionals, we can very well ask, ‘What about us?’ Where is the AI or automation to help us with our classification, appraisal and disposal work? If we are to meet the challenges of managing records in the digital age, such technology – together with appropriate skills and knowledge – will be necessary. How can AI automate our digital recordkeeping and archive work? In this article, the authors provide a snapshot of the practice of AI in Australian recordkeeping. What is the reality versus the hype of such technology, and what is actually being done now? In answering these questions, they first provide a brief introduction into AI techniques and their characteristics in relation to recordkeeping work. They then introduce four case studies from Australian archival and government institutions that have embarked on AI initiatives. In each case, they provide an overview of the project in terms of requirements, activities to date, outcomes and futures. The article concludes with a discussion of the lessons learnt, issues and implications of AI in the archive.     

Persistent factors facilitating excellence in research environments

The study presented here identifies robust and time-invariant features that characterise dynamic and innovative research environments. It takes as its point of departure the results of an empirical study conducted in 2002 which identified the common characteristics of 15 dynamic and innovative public research environments, and focusses on their development by revisiting the environments after more than a decade, hence mapping them in the current research landscape. Using a model for studies of research environments that was constructed and used in the Nordic countries, the study maps both internal elements and those in the framework of the environments that influence research performance and identifies persistent factors in dynamic and innovative research environments. The findings add to our understanding of how to improve the overall ecology of knowledge production and create optimal conditions that support research environments in pursuing and ensuring excellence. Implications for further research and policy are discussed.     

Quality assurance policies and practices in Scandinavian higher education systems: convergence or different paths?

Because there is close cooperation on quality assurance in the Scandinavian countries, one would expect there to be convergence of quality assurance policies and practices in Scandinavian higher education. Few studies have analysed these quality assurance policies and practices from a comparative viewpoint. Based on empirical evidence produced in connection with studies of recent quality reforms in Scandinavia and an approach based on linking diffusion and translation theories with institutionalist perspectives focusing on path dependency, the paper contributes to the current debate on Scandinavian quality assurance. The debate is compelling with regard to the Swedish case in particular, with its ‘one size fits all’ approach and exclusive focus on outcomes which has been heavily criticised by the higher education institutions and has turned out to be controversial from the European viewpoint.     

A comparative study on the effectiveness of the computer assisted method and the interactionist approach to teaching geometry shapes to young children

The purpose of this study is to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of computer assisted teaching of geometry shapes and an interactionist approach to teaching geometry in kindergarten versus other more traditional teaching methods. Our research compares the improvement of the children’s geometrical competence using two teaching approaches. The first one employs our ICT oriented learning method specifically targeting Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) and the van Hiele model for geometry shapes. The second method is based on the interactionist approach of teaching children in kindergarten. The sample consisted of 139 Greek kindergarten children from Crete. We conducted interventions based on the above two methods, in two experimental groups. The first experimental group consisted of 50 children who were taught geometry shapes according to the principles of Realistic Mathematics Education with the use of appropriate educational software. The second experimental group consisted of 45 children who were taught about geometry shapes with an interactionist approach without the use of computers. The control group consisted of 44 children and was taught about geometry shapes following the ways teachers chose to put the basic pedagogical principles of Curriculum for kindergarten into practice without the use of ICT. Children in all groups were pre-tested and post-tested for their geometry performance. The results showed that the teaching approaches of our interventions, the one with the additional use of ICT and the interactionist one, contribute significantly more to the development of kindergarten children’s geometry competence as compared to other traditional methods.     

Benefits of Peer Mentoring to Mentors,Female Mentees and Higher Education Institutions

In this article, we discuss a study of a pilot mentoring program for early career female researchers at a university that addressed the under-representation of female researchers in senior academic positions. Embracing a grounded theory approach, we draw on a design comprising an ex-ante and an ex-post evaluation. We disclose that development mentoring was at play. Benefits for the mentees consisted of guidance to career planning, competence awareness, establishment of networks, navigating in the research environment, and moral support. In our study we also show that the mentor–mentee relationship was reciprocal, as also mentors benefited. Benefits for the mentors comprised professional development, institutional recognition, and personal satisfaction. We conclude with an inventory of benefits, including for the institution in terms of a strengthened research environment.