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Automated boredom recognition using multimodal physiological signals
No full textIncreasing access to affordable physiological sensors and computing devices has bolstered the development of emotionaware systems that recognize human emotions. However, to date, there has been little research testing machine-driven approaches to recognizing boredom, particularly in learning contexts. To address that, this study tests the automatic recognition of boredom induced during a video lecture using a multimodal recognition system relying on physiological signals. Electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), galvanic skin response (GSR), and eye gaze data were recorded from 84 healthy adults (mean age = 26.90 ± 5.29) as they watched both non-boring and boring educational videos to control and induce boredom. Signal features were extracted from the physiological data and validated using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests prior to evaluating their utility for boredom recognition with three separate machine-learning classification techniques, namely Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), Random Forest (RF), and Gradient Boosting (GB), with leave-one-out cross-validation. Both unimodal and multimodal recognition systems were assessed by evaluating model performance using each physiological signal separately or in combination (using decision fusion). Multimodal recognition was found to enhance model performance when compared to any single modality, with the highest average boredom recognition accuracy of 88.56% ± 0.82% recorded for EEG + eye gaze modal fusion with RF.Accepted versio
Contract teaching as a liminal bridge: How pre-entry beliefs become commitment in PE teacher socialisation
No full textThe open access publication is available at https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2025.1719826Introduction: High rates of teacher turnover continue to pose a significant challenge to the sustainability of physical education (PE) worldwide. This study explored how pre-entry and induction experiences influence preservice PE teachers’ commitment to the profession, drawing on occupational socialisation theory.Methods: A a convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed involving 79 preservice PE teachers in Singapore (Postgraduate Diploma, n = 48; Diploma, n = 31). Quantitative data from self-report measures of Initial Socialised Beliefs (ISB), Contract Teaching Stint Experience (CTSE), and Commitment to Teach (CTT) were analysed using mediation models. Pre-entry experiences were measured using the Initial Socialised Beliefs (ISB) scale (10 items), induction experiences were captured using the CTS Experience (CTSE) scale (5 items), and Commitment to Teach (CTT) was assessed using a 5-item intention scale. Qualitative responses to open-ended items provided explanatory depth and triangulation.Results: ISB was positively associated with CTT, and CTSE partially mediated this relationship. Teachers who described supportive mentorship, progressive teaching responsibilities, and early classroom success reported higher commitment, whereas administrative overload and weak induction reduced motivation.Discussion: The findings suggest that structured, high-quality CTSE can transform positive pre-entry beliefs into a lasting professional commitment. Schools and training programmes can strengthen retention by fostering meaningful early-career support through mentor pairing, workload design, and opportunities for authentic teaching success.Conclusion: The transition from pre-entry to induction represents a pivotal phase in shaping the professional trajectories of PE teachers. Intentional design of school-based experiences—centred on mentorship, workload balance, and feedback—can strengthen teacher retention and sustain the quality of the PE workforce.</p
Ritual, emotion, and alterity: Festive entanglements at Bangkok’s Khaosan Road during Songkran
No full textThe Thai Water Festival or Songkran marks the start of the traditional Thai New Year. It is characterized by its water-splashing festivities and is one of the most anticipated annual events for tourists and locals alike. This article examines the globally renowned water-splashing celebration on Khaosan Road, the popular and often controversial backpacker enclave of Bangkok, by adopting an ethnographic approach to explore the emotional entanglements among local street vendors and festivalgoers. Qualitative street interviews were conducted with street vendors and festivalgoers to gain a more nuanced understanding of their experiences and interpretations of Songkran at Khaosan Road. The authors argue that Songkran is a cultural rite of passage that impacts one's perception of time and space, where social norms are relaxed to a point where ritual and disorder co-exist in a liminal fashion. While foreign tourists enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere, some local street vendors often tolerate the disorder to retain memories of Songkran's cultural significance and an opportunity for economic gain. Through the confluence of embodied experiences, emotions, and festivity in the confines of Khaosan Road, Songkran is argued to be transformative for many who partake in it. Subsequent discussions highlight the role of interaction ritual chains in creating a liminal environment in terms of space, sights and sounds, enabling a liberating but temporary experience of alterity.Accepted versio
NIE-NTU Best Foot Forward 2025 (21 Feb 2025)
No full textA section of the participants at the Best Foot Forward 2025
Evaluating and enhancing educational games in Singapore's “Huanle Huoban” Chinese curriculum for primary schools
No full textThis paper evaluates the current educational games in Singapore’s Huanle Huoban Chinese Curriculum for Primary School. By analysing its game features, it aims to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the games and suggest areas for improvement for effective language learning to occur
Cooling-mediated N2 plasma engineering of facet-selective iron nitride frameworks for enhanced electrocatalysis
No full textIn-situ plasma processing serves as a cost-effective strategy for modulating surface structure while simultaneously functionalizing material surface, owing to the low-contamination environment and its capability to induce strong surface-substrate interaction. However, current research primarily focuses on correlating plasma discharge parameters with the resultant surface morphology and facet orientation, often overlooking the dynamic evolution of critical parameters during plasma processing, particularly the surface thermal field. This leads to suboptimal surface structure modulation, thereby limiting the practical applicability of plasma-based surface engineering. Herein, we introduce a facile cooling-mediated N2-plasma processing strategy to directly engineer iron nitride nano-framework on Fe surface, while concurrently modulating the surface facets. Operando plasma diagnostics, combined with numerical simulations, are employed to unravel the role of the surface-thermal field in governing the formation of catalytically favorable facets. Given the strong dependence of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) behavior on surface structure, the resultant iron nitride frameworks via cooling-mediated plasma processing (cFeNC) exhibit improved catalytic performance compared to those fabricated through conventional thermally preserved plasma (hFeN). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further confirm that the enhanced catalytic behaviors of cFeNC arise from the preferential exposure of highly reactive facets. Our strategy presents a cost-effective pathway for facet engineering of nitride surfaces, providing a promising route towards advanced electrocatalytic materials.RI 7/22 RS
