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Playing at the School Table: Systematic Literature Review of Board, Tabletop, and other Analogue Game-Based Learning Approaches
Get PDFThe unique characteristics of games have led scientific research to increasingly focus on their potential role in learning processes. Currently, their effectiveness in fostering experiential learning and skill acquisition in several areas is already supported by the existing evidence, mainly about the potential of digital games. Paradoxically, the current post-digital era seems to have led to a growing popularity of analogue games. The present Systematic Literature Review aimed to map the existing literature on the potential of board, tabletop, or other analogue games in learning processes. It intended to systematize the contemporary state of the art (2012-2022) around the pedagogical role of these games, their effectiveness, the promoted learning outcomes, the methodological aspects of the interventions, the used games – including mechanics and other characteristics – and the current discussions around inclusion and accessibility in analogue game-based learning. Adopting the PRISMA methodology, we searched ACM Digital Library, EBSCO, ERIC, Scopus - Elsevier, and Web of Science databases, as well as other peer-reviewed “grey literature” sources. The search resulted in an initial sample of 2741 articles that was then screened by inclusion and exclusion criteria previously defined according to the research objectives. We obtained a final sample of 45 articles. To formulate the mapping of existing research, these studies were analyzed using a combination of statistical, content, and critical analysis procedures. The obtained results support the role of board, tabletop, and other analogue games in educational contexts – based on their educational potential – with a broad range of knowledge, cognitive, and psychological outcomes. The study also emphasized the relevance of these games in the promotion of soft skills and other aspects typically associated with meaningful learning, such as engagement, satisfaction, flexibility, and freedom of experimentation. However, important limitations were found in a fair amount of the pedagogical approaches studied, which can be mostly attributed to the low prevalence of modern board games that relate what is intended to be learned to aspects of game design and have little to no consideration of accessibility and inclusion aspects in these studies
Lived experience of mental distress and sense-making in black ethnic groups according to cultural heritage
Get PDFObjective: Previous research has highlighted men and women from black ethnic groups are more likely to be diagnosed with poor mental health and may have difficulty recognising experiences as such, due to perceptions of stigma and culturally defined attributions of distress. The aim of this research was to explore how black ethnic groups experience mental distress and find meaning in their experiences according to cultural heritage.
Method: Semi-structured interviews with four participants and an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis were conducted.
Results: Findings describe an awareness of cultural stigma relating to mental health, emotional distance impacting disclosure within the family, mental health as a misunderstood concept and feelings of empowerment through acceptance and supported disclosure. Whilst cultural heritage was important for developing awareness and understanding of stigma, attributed meanings of mental distress were individualistic.
Discussion: Awareness of how stigmatic cultural conceptualisations are generationally represented and systemically maintained is vital to understanding how people from black ethnic groups experience mental distress. Clinical implications are discussed to explore how the socio-cultural and mental health needs of this population can be met
Graphene nanoplatelets/Barium titanate Polymer Nanocomposite Fibril: A Remanufactured Multifunctional Material with Unprecedented Electrical, Thermomechanical and Electromagnetic Properties
Get PDFThrough this paper, we introduce a novel, zero-waste, and recycling plastic waste solution which is fully scalable to produce Graphene nanoplatelets/Barium titanate (GNP/BaTiO3) Polymer Nanocomposite Fibrils that can be used in a myriad of engineering applications. We performed a detailed investigation to systematically evaluate the compatible and non-compatible recycled polypropylene (PP)/Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) blends in combination with functional (electrical, piezoelectric and dielectric) materials for in-situ fibril production. The nanocomposite fibrils made from recycled polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and GNPs/BaTiO3 with high aspect-ratio disparity (400:1) were produced with added value in terms of significantly enhanced electrical, thermomechanical, and electromagnetic interference shielding characteristics. Single screw extrusion was utilized to fabricate the nanocomposite fibrils with the in-situ fibril morphology of polyethylene terephthalate and GNPs/BaTiO3 exhibiting improved electrical conductivity. It was demonstrated that such fibril morphology would restrict the chain mobility of polymer molecules, which ultimately benefited improved viscosity and strain energy. Moreover, the study demonstrated a positive reinforcement effect from the utilization of polyethylene terephthalate fibrils and GNPs/BaTiO3 in a polypropylene matrix, dominated by the high aspect ratio, stiffness, and thermal stability of GNPs/BaTiO3. Furthermore, it was observed that the mechanical properties and tension-bearing capacity of the polypropylene were significantly improved by the incorporation of the in-situ fibril polyethylene terephthalate. The study also demonstrated that the protection of the remanufactured nanocomposites against electromagnetic interference has been significantly improved with the increasing GNPs/BaTiO3 content and the morphological transition from spherical to fibril-shaped polyethylene terephthalate
Reluctant Gangsters Revisited
Get PDFIn the UK, there has been considerable controversy about the existence and nature of street gangs. In 2007, Pitts (2007, 2008) published the first of what has become a wave of UK gang studies (Densley, 2012, 2013; Deuchar 2009; Harding, 2014, Andell and Pitts, 2017, 2018; McLean, 2019; Whittaker et al, 2018, 2019, 2020) that have marked a growth in interest in gangs (Andell, 2019). Early debates focused upon whether gangs were a response to inner city poverty and structural disadvantage (Pitts, 2008, 2012, 2016) or a social construction based upon media portrayals of young people, particularly young black people, in negative ways (Hallsworth, 2013; Hallsworth and Young, 2008). Pitts’ study provided a clear baseline for future gang studies and he responded to criticisms of unguarded ‘gang talk’ by highlighting how academics who underplayed the harm identified by victims, families and youth workers were acting as ‘reluctant criminologists’, refusing to transform private troubles into public issues (Pitts, 2012).
The chapter presents the results of study (Whittaker et al, 2018, 2019) of gangs in a London borough that is a ten-year follow up to the original classic study (Pitts, 2007, 2008) undertaken in the same area. Many gang studies have focused upon the level of individual gang members rather than the whole gang, have been cross sectional, are time bounded and are rarely replicated. Consequently, capturing the process of how gangs evolve has been challenging.
The current study offers a rare opportunity to study gangs within a specific territory over two time periods, ten years apart. It contributes to the emerging literature on the nature and extent of gangs in the United Kingdom by investigating the extent to which there are similarities or differences in street gangs in the area studied by Pitts and explore how gangs appear to have changed in the past 10 years
Racism and the Representation of the Murder of Stephen Lawrence in Audio: An Analysis of Audience Experience of the Immersive Story Environment
Get PDFThis article investigates audio as a storytelling medium and its capacity to provide immersive story experiences, examining the potential of immersive or spatialised audio to engage young people with the complex and pressing issue of racism. It focuses on the artwork [re]locate, a multi-channel audio installation revisiting the racially motivated murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. [re]locate places members of the audience at the bus stop where Stephen Lawrence was attacked, and allows them to experience an audio-only reconstruction of events associated with the murder. Based on a thematic analysis of the qualitative feedback elicited after encounters with the artwork, the article seeks to understand young people’s perspectives on events, their sense of engagement with the story, and the aesthetic and technical features of the installation that create a sense of immersion, and induce presence. It argues that the perceived potency of the artwork, and its ability to engage young people not only resides in the inherent qualities of sound, but also in the capacity of spatialised audio design to heighten the sense of immersion, induce presence and enhance cognitive and emotional perspective taking
The Self-Care Observatory: Health Literacy
No full textThe Self-Care Observatory came into being following the 2023 London Self-Care Summit at Imperial College which included SCARU, UTS, WHO and many many others.
The concept of a repository of self-care evidence was raised. Existing experience of a similar online research 'Greatest Hits' approach has been used and individual enthusiasm and (albeit minimal) technical abilities exploited to produce the current site.
This is a pragmatic response to a universally perceived need
Critical Review of a Multinational Corporation's Corporate Social Responsibility Practice - A Case Study.
Get PDFAmidst growing global challenges facing multinational corporations (MNCs) in the process of designing, implementing and evaluating corporate social responsibility (CSR) effectively, the study critically reviewed the extent to which the existing CSR design, implementation and evaluation model of a subsidiary of an MNC operating in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, is addressing these challenges.
The study, grounded in review of the MNC’s CSR model based on Aravossis et al.’s CSR integrated framework, explored the extent to which it has enabled the corporation to meet the needs of its diverse stakeholder groups.
In exploring the corporation’s CSR model, I adopted the constructivist realism position that encompasses quantitative and qualitative research methodologies as they both apply similar logic when analysing phenomena. They are also deconstructive in probing natural unfolding episodes in the social world since both methodologies deal with data. These positions enabled me to interpret the flow of events taking place amongst the corporation’s stakeholder groups by focussing attention on their actions, utterances and behaviours.
Findings from the study suggest that the corporation’s CSR design, implementation and evaluation framework is not fit for purpose as it is ineffective in addressing the needs of its diverse stakeholder groups. In addition, decisions on CSR issues were taken by management of the corporation with little consultation and engagement of all stakeholder groups. The existing CSR process created negative relationships and lack of trust between the corporation’s management and local communities’ residents.
Based on these outcomes, the study made the following contributions: a provision of CSR framework that managers of MNCs could adopt to design, implement and evaluate CSR programmes; and a process that facilitates interactions and enhances positive relationships between MNCs and stakeholder groups in the design, implementation and evaluation of CSR projects
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Alternative Green Roofs – A Systematic Literature Review
Get PDFThere is general agreement on the importance of green roofs as ways of reducing GHG emissions, reducing overall costs and improving sustainability in urban areas. This systematic literature review highlights life cycle sustainability assessment as an essential criterion to evaluate green roofs. A bibliometric analysis was used to quantitatively review relevant literature. The Scopus database was chosen as a bibliographic database of academic publications. Thes period of search started from 2003 and final search was conducted on February 15, 2023. Based on further in-depth reading, 88 publication records which met the selection criteria, including 74 papers and 14 conference papers. Researchers from the United States contributed almost 31 % of the documents. We evaluated leading studies in this field and discussed assessment method, system boundaries and research gaps through a critical literature review and a systematic search review. Finally, we propose a framework and identify
a gap and future research. The environmental aspect of green roofs have received more attention than economic issues. We found that most economic evaluations of green roofs are limited to their construction stage. As yet there is no comprehensive social study on green roofs. We considered a unified study of the economic, environmental impact and social evaluation of green roofs to be warranted. Additionally, various measurement methods should be used to assess the economic profitability of green roofs over the long term. In summary, this study provides a deeper understanding of the environmental, social, and economic performance of green roofs and identifies research gaps as well as future research directions
Mobile Zoos and Other Itinerant Animal Handling Events: Current Status and Recommendations for Future Policies
Get PDFMobile zoos are events in which non-domesticated (exotic) and domesticated species are transported to venues such as schools, hospitals, parties, and community centres, for the purposes of education, entertainment, or social and therapeutic assistance. We conducted literature searches and surveyed related government agencies regarding existing provisions within laws and policies, number of mobile zoos, and formal guidance issued concerning operation of such events in 74 countries or regions. We also examined governmental and non-governmental guidance standards for mobile zoos, as well as websites for mobile zoo operations, assessed promotional or educational materials for scientific accuracy, and recorded the diversity of species in use. We used the EMODE (Easy, Moderate, Difficult, or Extreme) algorithm, to evaluate identified species associated with mobile zoos for their suitability for keeping. We recorded 14 areas of concern regarding animal biology and public health and safety, and 8 areas of false and misleading content in promotional or educational materials. We identified at least 341 species used for mobile zoos. Mobile zoos are largely unregulated, unmonitored, and uncontrolled, and appear to be increasing. Issues regarding poor animal welfare, public health and safety, and education raise several serious concerns. Using the precautionary principle when empirical evidence was not available, we advise that exotic species should not be used for mobile zoos and similar itinerant events