The trialogical learning approach in practice: reflections from pedagogical cases

In the development of 21st century life skills, specific activity-based learning approaches could be helpful. This article describes the Trialogical Learning Approach, considered from the point of view of its interpretation and evaluation by teachers across a range of pedagogical courses. The aim of the paper is to provide both a summary of reflections on current practices and recommendations for potential enhancements to the trialogical pedagogical application. After a description of the approach, we focus on the role of pedagogical scenarios in educational design and reflective practice and, specifically, the scenarios used by teachers involved in the European project KNORK who have implemented TLA in their courses. From the content analysis of 53 pedagogical scenarios we have derived that: a) teachers were competent in designing their course following the trialogical approach prescriptions, b) teachers believed that the approach had promoted professional, collaborative and digital skills, thus satisfying their initial expectations, and c) a better management of group work and evaluation has been identified as major element requiring improvement. Methodological reflections about the use of the scenario as a corpus of data are discussed

Peer e-tutoring: effects on students' participation and interaction style in online courses

In this paper, we describe a procedure to promote active participation in online courses by supporting students in performing the role of an e-Tutor during group activities. A case study, conducted to explore the procedural effects both on students’ interactions and on their perceptions about the role, is discussed. Eighteen university students (67% female, mean Age = 23 years) took part in online collaborative learning activities as part of a 15-week blended learning course. Twelve participants took turns in covering the role of e-Tutor. Findings were based on a mixed methods analysis of 7105 contributions posted online by the 18 students. An analysis of e-Tutor self-assessment forms was also considered. Results indicated that utilising peer-based e-Tutors promoted substantial active participation in online discussions. Moreover, students performing the role of e-Tutor adopted a supportive, collaborative and educational style, which was maintained even after their turn as e-Tutor had ended

Online social network data as sociometric markers

Data from online social networks carry enormous potential for psychological research, yet their use and the ethical implications thereof are currently hotly debated. The present work aims to outline in detail the unique information richness of this data type and, in doing so, to support researchers when deciding on ethically appropriate ways of collecting, storing, publishing, and sharing data from online sources. Focusing on the very nature of social networks, their structural characteristics and depth of information, a detailed and accessible account of the challenges associated with data management and data storage is provided. In particular, the general non-anonymity of network data sets is discussed, and an approach is developed to quantify the level of uniqueness that a particular online network bestows upon the individual maintaining it. Using graph enumeration techniques, it can be shown that comparatively sparse information on a network is suitable as a sociometric marker that allows for the identification of an individual from the global population of online users. The impossibility of anonymizing specific types of network data carries implications for ethical guidelines and research practice. At the same time, network uniqueness opens up opportunities for novel research in psychology

Looking for trouble: A multilevel analysis of disagreeable contacts in online social networks

Identifying characteristics of troublemakers in online social networks, those contacts who violate norms via disagreeable or unsociable behaviour, is vital for supporting preventative strategies for undesirable, psychologically damaging online interactions. To date characterising troublemakers has relied on self-reports focused on the network holder, largely overlooking the role of network friends. In the present study, information was obtained on 5113 network contacts from 52 UK-based Facebook users (age range 13 – 45; 75% female) using digitally derived data and in-depth network surveys. Participants rated their contacts in terms of online disagreement, relational closeness and interaction patterns. Characteristics of online troublemakers were explored using binary logistic multilevel analysis. Instances of online disagreement were most apparent in the networks of emerging adults (19 to 21 years). Contacts were more likely to be identified as online troublemakers if they were well connected within the network. Rates of offline and Facebook exchanges interacted such that contacts known well offline but with low rates of Facebook communication were more likely to be identified as troublemakers. This may indicate that users were harbouring known troublemakers in a bid to preserve offline relationships and reputational status. Implications are discussed in terms of an individual’s susceptibility to undesirable encounters online

Repetition and internal allusion in Lucretius' De Rerum Natura

This thesis aims to solve the apparent problem of the frequent repetitions in Lucretius' De Rerum Natura (DRN). Verbal repetitions of many different lengths pervade DRN, and are noted in the scholarship. Yet a consensus has not been reached as to their purpose and function, or even if they rightly belong in the text. Multi-linear repetitions are viewed as a temporary stop-gap which Lucretius would have removed or adjusted had he lived long enough to effect it; or as later interpolations; while shorter repetitions are underplayed or even ignored altogether. But repetitions and internal allusions in DRN are part of a purposeful, meaningful didactic and rhetorical strategy, and they form much of the intellectual structure of the poem. These internal connections combine in DRN to form a remarkably complex intratextual network. The thesis argues that repetition is a crucial way in which Lucretius conveys his arguments and persuades the reader to pursue a rational life. Chapter 1 analyses the ways in which Lucretius’ epic predecessors used repetition and how Lucretius may have applied these models. Chapter 2 looks at the internal evidence for the alleged unfinished state of the poem and examines the function of long repetitions in DRN. Chapter 3 investigates the rhetorical background to and functions of different kinds of repetition in DRN. Chapter 4 explores the didactic and psychological effects of repetitions and internal allusions. Chapter 5 shows how repetition creates an image of the world Lucretius describes: just as Lucretius tells us that atoms and compounds make up different substances depending on their arrangement in combination, so repetitions perform different functions and produce different outcomes depending on their placement in the text. Throughout the poem, repetition serves again and again to reinforce Lucretius’ message, creating argumentative unity, and bringing order from chaos

Spiralling out of control? Online vulnerability in ego-centric networks

Online social network sites (SNS) are a ubiquitous method of socialising in the digital era. A potential source of social support, their continued and frequent use has been linked to a fear of missing out (FOMO) and the implicit desire to regulate offline psychological needs deficits through online connective behaviours. This thesis provides an examination of the online vulnerability implications associated with social networking. A multi-methods approach was used combining self-report surveys with digitally derived data from participants’ online networks. Participants were sampled by age-group (adolescents, university students, and adults), rendering an overall sample of 506 (53% male; 13 to 77 years) UK based Facebook users, from which subsequent study-specific datasets were derived. Data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling, mediation analysis, multilevel modelling, and social network analysis. The results indicate that: (1) FOMO and online connective behaviours mediate the relationship between offline psychological vulnerability and exposure to negative online experiences; (2) offline vulnerabilities have the capacity to initiate a cycle of potentially problematic online behaviour; (3) maintaining a large, diverse network of social connections is associated with higher levels of reported exposure to negative online experiences; (4) the presence of certain types of individuals / online entities might be associated with an individual experiencing negative online experiences, and (5) adult users might be less likely to perceive themselves as vulnerable to negative online experiences when compared to adolescent users. The research contributes to knowledge and understanding of online life by providing a digitally enhanced perspective of the implications that offline psycho-social motivations, online behaviours, and user characteristics can have on an individual’s vulnerability to negative online experiences

El Consorcio Ambiental Dominicano (CAD) : una década de trabajo en red y desarrollando alianzas estratégicas para promover la conservación y la gestión participativa de los recursos naturales en la República Dominicana

Este informe documenta los resultados de un estudio de caso preparado por el Instituto Caribeño de Recursos Naturales (CANARI), bajo el proyecto "Movilizando fortalezas: Fortaleciendo capacidades para la participación equitativa, efectiva y sostenida en la conservación de la biodiversidad en las islas del Caribe", financiado por la Fundación John D. y Catherine T. MacArthur, así como el proyecto “Fortaleciendo las capacidades de la sociedad civil para la conservación en los Territorios Británicos de Ultramar en el Caribe” financiado por la Iniciativa Darwin, Departamento de Medio Ambiente, Alimentación y Asuntos Rurales del Reino Unido

N-(4-Methoxy­phen­yl)-tert-butane­sulfinamide

In the title compound, C11H17NO2S, the mol­ecules inter­act head-to-tail through N—H⋯OS hydrogen bonds, giving discrete centrosymmetric cyclic dimers. The N—Car­yl bond length [1.4225 (14) Å] is inter­mediate between that in N-phenyl-tert-butane­sulfinamide [1.4083 (12) Å] and the N—Calk­yl bond lengths in N-alkyl­alkanesulfinamides (1.470–1.530 Å), suggesting weaker delocalization of electrons over the N atom and the aromatic ring due to the presence of the 4-meth­oxy group

Social network engagement and subjective well-being: a life-course perspective

Social networking is a digital phenomenon embraced by billions worldwide. Use of online social platforms has the potential to generate a number of benefits including to well-being from enhanced social connectedness and social capital accumulation, but is also associated with several negative behaviours and impacts. Employing a life-course perspective, this paper explores social networking use and its relationship with measures of subjective well-being. Large-scale UK panel data from wave 3 (2011-12) and 6 (2014-15) of Understanding Society reveals that social network users are on average younger, aged under 25, but that rising use is reported across the life-course including into old age. Probit, multinomial logistic, and ANCOVA and change-score estimations reveal that membership, and greater use, of social networks is associated with higher levels of overall life satisfaction. However, heavy use of social networking sites has negative impacts, reflected in reductions in subjective well-being. Socio-economic disadvantage may drive these impacts among young (in education), unemployed and economically inactive heavy SNS users