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Redesigning learning games for different learning contexts: Applying a serious game design framework to redesign Stop & Think
Get PDFThe Activity Theory-based Model of Serious Games (ATMSG) provides a visual framework through which designers and researchers can explicitly map the gaming, learning, and instructional design of their learning game mechanics and game flow. Here, we use the ATMSG to redesign an existing learning game, Stop & Think (S&T), which was created to train children to apply their inhibitory control skills when solving counterintuitive mathematics and science problems. S&T was previously found to be effective at increasing science and mathematics achievement when the activity was led by a teacher in the classroom. However, we sought to modify its design for use by children in an independent learning scenario (e.g., homeschooling). This work contributes to the literature by demonstrating how the ATMSG was used iteratively during the redesign of S&T for use in a child-led context. We found the ATMSG useful for (i) identifying design gaps created by removing the teacher from the gaming activity, thereby outlining areas of the game requiring modification, (ii) ideation to facilitate discussion about how different design ideas would impact the structure of the game and the feasibility of the approach, (iii) negotiating design decisions between team members, communicating proposed changes in the design amongst stakeholders, seeking approval from project leaders, and serving as a design document for developers, and (iv) cataloguing changes made to the game throughout the redesign process, thereby archiving versions of the game which can be used to reflect upon how each version might impact counterintuitive reasoning. Yet, we also found some challenges in using the ATMSG, including its lack of ability to represent non-structural design decisions (e.g., visual strategies, adaptivity), its impractical format for representing more complex games, and its time-consuming nature
The Prospective Co-Parenting Relationship Scale (PCRS) for sexual minority and heterosexual people: preliminary validation
Get PDFThe coparenting relationship begins with a process of planning and negotiation about having children. Available psychological instruments have not been adapted to sexual minority people, which compromises their ecological validity. This mixed method study aimed to adapt and validate a prospective version of the Co-Parenting Relationship Scale in a Portuguese sample of sexual minority and heterosexual adults who did not have children and who were in a dyadic relationship. In study 1, cognitive interviews were used to gather participants’ reflections about the original items and the role played by the family of origin and anticipated stigma in coparenting (n = 6). In study 2, using a sample of individuals from 18 to 45 years old, two Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFA) were conducted separately for sexual minority (n = 167) and heterosexual persons (n = 198), and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted for heterosexual persons (n = 176). Results showed underscored the importance of families of origin independent of sexual orientation. Different factorial structures for sexual minority and heterosexual persons were observed. Among sexual minority persons, the role of stigma was also highlighted. Implications for practice and research are discussed
“You can't start a fire without a spark”. Enjoyment, anxiety, and the emergence of flow in foreign language classrooms
Get PDFThe present study adopted a mixed-methods approach using a convergent parallel design to focus on the role that positive and negative emotions have in the Foreign Language (FL) classroom on the ontogenesis of positive flow. Participants were 1044 FL learners from around the world. They provided quantitative and qualitative data on FL enjoyment (FLE), classroom anxiety (FLCA) and experience of flow via an on-line questionnaire (Dewaele and MacIntyre 2014). FLE was a significantly stronger predictor of frequency of flow experience than FLCA. Further statistical analyses revealed that flow experiences are typically self-centred, infrequent and short-lived at the start of the FL learning journey and when the perceived social standing in the group is low. They become an increasingly shared experience, more frequent, stronger and more sustained as learners reach a more advanced level in their FL. What starts as an occasional individual spark can turn into a true fire that extends to other group members. The findings are illustrated by participants’ reports on enjoyable episodes in the FL classroom in which some reported complete involvement in an individual or collective task, merging of action and awareness, joyful bonding with classmates, intense focus and joy, loss of self-consciousness, sense of time and plac
Defence acquisition and procurement: how (not) to buy weapons
Get PDFBook synopsis: The acquisition and procurement of major weapons systems is fraught with difficulties. They tend to be delivered late, over budget and unable to meet requirements. This Element provides an economic analysis of why this happens. Market structure, demand by the military and supply by the arms firms, shapes the conduct of the agents and generates the poor performance observed. The military are trying to counter an evolving threat, subject to a budget constraint, high R&D costs and new technologies. The interaction between a government made up of warring tribes and arms firms with considerable market and political power is further complicated by a set of what economists call 'principal-agent' problems, which are examined. While the poor performance has prompted many countries to propose reforms, the difficulty of the task and the institutional incentives faced by the actors mean that the reforms rarely solve the problem
Å cryo-EM structure of ex vivo RML prion fibrils
Get PDFMammalian prions propagate as distinct strains and are composed of multichain assemblies of misfolded host-encoded prion protein (PrP). Here, we present a near-atomic resolution cryo-EM structure of PrP fibrils present in highly infectious prion rod preparations isolated from the brains of RML prion-infected mice. We found that prion rods comprise single-protofilament helical amyloid fibrils that coexist with twisted pairs of the same protofilaments. Each rung of the protofilament is formed by a single PrP monomer with the ordered core comprising PrP residues 94–225, which folds to create two asymmetric lobes with the N-linked glycans and the glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor projecting from the C-terminal lobe. The overall architecture is comparable to that of recently reported PrP fibrils isolated from the brain of hamsters infected with the 263K prion strain. However, there are marked conformational variations that could result from differences in PrP sequence and/or represent distinguishing features of the distinct prion strains
Mass psychology and psychosocial assemblies
Get PDFIn the hundred years since Freud’s Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego was published, much has changed and much has stayed the same. This article explores the resonance of Freud’s book with contemporary issues around inclusion and exclusion, masses and assemblies, and the question of how a practice of ethical relationality can emerge across a shared social terrain. Drawing on concepts from psychosocial studies and leaning especially on Judith Butler’s recent work on assemblies and on grievability, I argue that patterns of division and exclusion, notably along racialised lines, emerge from insistently violent responses to vulnerability. Understanding the intricate intersection between what are usually differentiated as ‘personal’ and social’ domains in ways recognisable within group analysis, is an important move towards contesting this violence and towards a situation in which all lives become grievable
A chemical approach to the selection of soils for the reproduction of Earth-based mortars for conservation purposes: case report from a Brazilian historic site
No full textEarthen buildings frequently demand the use of protective renders and plasters that should be, in several aspects, compatible with the underlying structures. To this end, earth-based mortars have traditionally been used and are common in historic houses. Their periodic replacement or repair is inevitable and intrinsic with their naturally sacrificial role, but restorations are also expected to follow suitability criteria, as well as minimum performance standards. In this paper, an approach to the reproduction of wall-finishes close to the original formulations found on historic buildings is proposed and described using the case study of a historic site in Brazil. The problem was addressed using the elemental composition data of a set of original mortars and a bank of local soils that were treated by multivariate statistical analysis. The final restoration mortars, that were obtained also by adjusting their granulometric profile by means of the mixture of sand, exhibited satisfactory performance in terms of adhesive strength and water absorption, as well as of resistance to water erosion when stabilized with lime
Insights from the NANOforArt project: application of Calcium-based Nanoparticle dispersions for improved preservation of parchment documents
No full textFollowing pilot testing of the effects of alkaline-based nanoparticles on modern parchment, the treatment was extended to historical parchment. This paper describes the application and impact of calcium hydroxide and calcium carbonate nanoparticles dispersed in (i) propan-2-ol and (ii) cyclohexane on a parchment book cover dated 1570. The cover showed signs of damage resulting from contact with iron gall inks and low pH values (∼4–5). Protocols for the damage assessment of collagen in parchment as developed in the IDAP project (Improved Damage Assessment of Parchment) were used to evaluate the impact of the conservation treatments on parchment. Preliminary results have shown that the application of calcium-based nanoparticles did not produce any adverse effects on the state of preservation of collagen. In addition, positive outcomes emerged: the pH was re-adjusted to a neutral value, a strengthening and consolidation effect was observed, and the nanoparticles exhibited a protective action upon artificial ageing of the treated parchment
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