Facilitate Peer Interaction Research Articles

Using AI-Based Virtual Companions to Assist Adolescents with Autism in Recognizing and Addressing Cyberbullying.

Social media platforms and online gaming sites play a pervasive role in facilitating peer interaction and social development for adolescents, but they also pose potential threats to health and safety. It is crucial to tackle cyberbullying issues within these platforms to ensure the healthy social development of adolescents. Cyberbullying has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes among adolescents, including anxiety, depression, academic underperformance, and an increased risk of suicide. While cyberbullying is a concern for all adolescents, those with disabilities are particularly susceptible and face a higher risk of being targets of cyberbullying. Our research addresses these challenges by introducing a personalized online virtual companion guided by artificial intelligence (AI). The web-based virtual companion's interactions aim to assist adolescents in detecting cyberbullying. More specifically, an adolescent with ASD watches a cyberbullying scenario in a virtual environment, and the AI virtual companion then asks the adolescent if he/she detected cyberbullying. To inform the virtual companion in real time to know if the adolescent has learned about detecting cyberbullying, we have implemented fast and lightweight cyberbullying detection models employing the T5-small and MobileBERT networks. Our experimental results show that we obtain comparable results to the state-of-the-art methods despite having a compact architecture.

Translanguaging as Interactional Resources Employed by Students in EFL Student-Led Group Task Interaction

This study aimed to investigate the strategies used by students during group tasks in the EFL classroom. The study focused on translanguaging as one of the strategies to facilitate communication and interaction among students. The data was collected by recording the classroom discussions of a focused group in an EFL class at a Chinese university over three hours. The analysis was carried out using conversation analytic methodology. The study revealed various interactional features in turn constructions. Students often used single learner turns to agree and extended learner turns with clarification or explanation to support their ideas for turn-taking. Concerning turn passing, students prefer to use open-ended questions to ask for opinions, they also used open-ended questions to ask for opinions, confirmation checks for meaningful understanding, and extended wait times for other speakers to take turns. Regarding self-repairs and peer repairs, they often made content-focused repairs rather than form-focused ones, and students with a higher English proficiency usually provided support. Translanguaging was an effective strategy to facilitate peer interaction and avoid errors in meaning-making. The study has important implications for language teaching and learning policy, highlighting the need to encourage prospective teachers to practice translanguaging to facilitate classroom interaction and second language acquisition.

“The post-it note just said leukemia” - Information exchange challenges of teachers and local stakeholders supporting young childhood cancer survivors at school – A qualitative study from the Physical Activity and Fitness in Childhood Cancer Survivors (PACCS) group

PurposeExplore teachers', school nurses', cancer coordinators' and other local stakeholders’ experiences providing education and support for young childhood cancer survivors in the years after treatment. MethodsWe conducted four focus groups and three individual telephone interviews with 15 teachers, nine nurses and three other stakeholders, using inductive thematic analysis inspired by Braun & Clark. Nvivo v12 was used for data-management. ResultsThree main themes were developed; “Perceived parent attitudes and facilitation”, “The missing link – lack of communication and collaboration”, and “Enabling mastery, inclusion and thriving”. Parents were perceived to be the sole managers of providing cancer information and school-related follow-up needs. Teachers and other stakeholders experienced the nonexistence of information from specialist healthcare services and poor communication within the municipality. Teachers went to great lengths to meet survivors’ pedagogical needs and facilitate peer interactions. Teachers voiced a need for more cancer and late effect knowledge, not being dependent solely on parents' for information. ConclusionsTeachers and other stakeholders have essential roles in the continuing school experience for survivors. A more regulated teamwork between the stakeholders in the municipalities and the specialist healthcare system could ensure tailored late effect information at school. Implementing formal support could enable a co-creation of a personalized follow up that could relieve the burden on survivors, parents and teachers.

The promise of using study-together groups to promote engagement and performance in online courses: Experimental evidence on academic and non-cognitive outcomes

Researchers and practitioners of online education have consistently emphasized the importance of facilitating peer interaction and mutual support to create a sense of community, which in turn may enhance motivation, promote extrinsic accountability, and improve learning outcomes. Despite these assertions, experimental evidence on the effects of peer support in college online courses is limited. To address this gap, we conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the impact of a study-together group intervention on students' academic and non-cognitive outcomes in a for-credit online course at a public four-year college. Our findings indicate that students who were offered a study-together group reported a higher sense of belonging than those who were not. Additionally, students with lower academic preparation and lower baseline motivation demonstrated improved academic performance as a result of this intervention, while students who preferred passive interaction reported increased motivation. However, for students with higher baseline motivation and those who preferred active interaction, the intervention appeared to negatively influence their time management.

Design and evaluation of non-digital gamification to support collaborative morphological analysis

Limited vocabulary leads to decreased performance and motivation in reading comprehension among students who learn English as a foreign language (EFL). Morphological analysis provides an effective means to problem-solve the meanings of unknown words and support reading comprehension. This study designed the non-digital gamification approach based on the five game features proposed by Richard E. Mayer to support collaborative morphological analysis. It compared the effects of a non-digital gamified and conventional morphological analysis intervention on reading outcomes and intrinsic motivation. An explanatory sequential mixed-method research design was adopted. Two classes from a secondary school in China were recruited and assigned to either the experimental group receiving the non-digital gamified programme ( N = 52) or the control group receiving a conventional non-gamified programme ( N = 52). Each group received its assigned programme for a total of ten 55-minute sessions. Evaluations of morphological analysis, reading comprehension and intrinsic motivation were conducted before and after the intervention. Results showed that the gamified group had significantly better performance in reading comprehension but not in morphological analysis. Furthermore, the gamified group had significantly higher perceived intrinsic motivation in terms of relatedness and autonomy than the non-gamified group, but not in perceived competence. The qualitative analyses based on student interviews suggested that in designing gamification, it’s important to facilitate peer interaction, create task value and take students’ negative emotions into account. The findings support the implementation of gamified morphological analysis instruction in general reading instruction for EFL students and underscore future directions in designing non-digital gamification.

Facilitating Peer Interaction Regulation in Online Settings: The Role of Social Presence, Social Space and Sociability.

A plethora of studies stress students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) skills to be conditional for successful learning in school and beyond. In general, self-regulated learners are actively engaged in constructing their own understanding also including the regulation of contextual features in the environment. Within the contextual features, the regulation of peer interaction is necessary, because college courses increasingly require peer learning. This goes along with the increasing interest for online learning settings, due in no small part to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. In the present study we explore how social presence (i.e., the degree to which the other person is perceived as physical “real”), social space (i.e., trust building between peers) and sociability (i.e., the degree to which the virtual learning environment supports social presence and social space) are essential elements in the regulation of online peer interaction. To shed light in this matter, higher education students were qualitatively followed for 1 year in an online academic writing course by using retrospective interviews (n = 7) and reflective questions (n = 62). Additionally, for social presence, students’ perceptions were quantitatively measured with a validated questionnaire (n = 41). The results show that the planning phase is the most important phase for supporting students’ social presence because that is where the regulation of peer interaction becomes important. The sociability has an important role here as well becoming less prominent further on in the self-regulation process. In the SRL follow-up phases, students look for other ways to increase their social presence and social space in order to shape the regulation of peer interaction from a position of trust. In the evaluation phase, students are aware of the importance of social presence but less of social space for the regulation of peer interaction. We conclude with some design principles to facilitate students’ regulation of peer interaction in online settings.

Providing Care for Older Residents With Dementia in Nursing Homes in China: Through the Lens of Adaptive Leadership

This study aims to understand staff’s experiences of providing direct care for older residents with advanced dementia in long-term care facilities through the lens of Adaptive Leadership Framework for Chronic Illness (ALFCI). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with health care aides (N=35) from 2 government-owned and 2 private long-term care facilities in urban China. Directed and conventional content analysis were used, drawing upon core constructs of ALFCI. We found that health care aides are confronted with multiple challenges such as high intensity of work, stress from managing older residents’ behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), a lack of access to on-the-job dementia-specific training, and a lack of support from nurses and managing team. Some of the health care aides demonstrated use of their strengths and doing adaptive work to improve work life and care for older residents by using communication cues, enhancing person-centeredness in their care, and facilitate peer interactions.

Smartphones and Educational Apps Use Among Medical Students of a Smart University Campus

Background: Smartphones and medical education apps are popular with and are widely used by medical students to facilitate peer interactions, communication and collaboration in addition to their “learn anywhere” advantage. Smartphone use by medical students has not been studied in the English-speaking Caribbean. Study objectives were to assess in preclinical students attending the University of the West Indies in Barbados, smartphone ownership, usage and attitudes toward use in medical education.Methods: First and second year preclinical medical students completed a self-administered paper-based questionnaire during the 2018–2019 academic year. Survey questions included sections on smartphone ownership, medical apps used, phone usage for education related tasks, and the perception on the usefulness of smartphones in medical education.Results: Of 112 participants (response rate 67.4%), 43% considered using the smartphone for medical education when acquiring it but 92% were currently using it for this purpose, with 80.3% (p < 0.01) specifically using it for learning anatomy. The majority of the students felt that the use of smartphones would improve their educational experiences (89.1%) (p < 0.01), be beneficial to medical faculty for teaching (84.8%) (p < 0.01), and could be more effectively used in medical education (50.9%) (p < 0.01). For information resources students used Medscape (67.9%) and Mayo Clinic (57.1%) and the most frequently used search engine was Google (95.5%). Most students (67.9%) used medical apps and 79.5% would buy more useful apps provided they were affordable. The popular apps were: ‘Teach me Anatomy’ (11.9%), ‘UpToDate’ (10.3%) and ‘Medscape’ (8.8%). Most students (66.1%) felt a Smart Campus should ensure e-learning platforms were compatible with smartphones and university policies regarding smartphone usage for academic purposes were needed.Conclusion: Findings show that smartphones and related medical education apps are widely used by medical students and improve their educational experiences. Universities should develop a policy regarding smartphone usage for academic purposes.

#Fact or #opinion: the educational design of a microblogging activity intended to engage students in productive interactions

ABSTRACT Educational activities using microblogging co-located with face-to-face communication might promote productive classroom interactions. However, much depends on how teachers design those activities. This article explores how the educational design of an activity that uses microblogging engages lower secondary school students in classroom interactions that are productive for learning. It presents a study of one teacher’s educational design in which students (aged 12–13) in a Norwegian classroom use microblogging to explore distinctions between facts and opinions. Moreover, the authors consider how the students pick up on the educational design. The findings show that an educational design involving microblogging can provide new possibilities to facilitate peer interactions by systematically enabling students to access more of their peers’ ideas, produce and discuss collective ideas and participate in exploratory talk. In particular, the use of hashtags proves suitable for facilitating peer interactions with the aim to develop students’ critical thinking.

An entrepreneurial way of engaging student entrepreneurs at business school during pandemic

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand the challenges faced by the higher educational institutes in imparting entrepreneurial education during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the institutional response to handle the difficulties posed by COVID-19 through innovative educational initiatives.Design/methodology/approachTo understand the challenges faced, data was collected from entrepreneurship students and entrepreneurship educators through focus group discussions. The study followed Kitzinger (1995) as data was analyzed in its entirety as a group and then individually. Groups and individuals were the focus of the analysis. The study applies the Kepner Trego problem analysis technique (KPTA) as the problem-solving technique adopted by the institute and SAP-LAP (situation, actor, process, learning, action, performance) to discuss the findings of the study.FindingsThe study found that to engage, encourage and enable students to study on their start-up/business ideas; it is important to facilitate peer interactions, internships in start-ups and meaningful engagement with alumni entrepreneurs. Some proactive interventions are also expected from institutes to energize the student community with positivity. It is also important to nurture the emotional well-being of budding entrepreneurs.Research limitations/implicationsThe case study narrates the innovative and agile problem-solving approach of the business school during the pandemic. KPTA focuses more on appreciative dialogue and also helps to replicate the best from other situations to the problem areas. SAP-LAP method also helps practitioners to initiate the right new actions with targeted performance.Practical implicationsAs a greater number of academic institutions impart entrepreneurship education today, the findings of the study would be relevant to the stakeholders, including students, educators and institutes.Social implicationsThe study underpins the importance of the emotional well-being of entrepreneurs/student entrepreneurs and an innovative approach to keep the student moral high during such a challenging situation.Originality/valueIt is an ongoing exercise at a business school where the challenges were identified, analyzed and solutions were implemented using a structured methodology such as focused group discussions, KPTA and SAPLAP. The innovative initiatives not only engaged the student well but also were able to ensure their emotional well-being.

How Internationalization at Home through Digitalization Subverts the Traditional Classroom and Creates Students-As-Producers: A Case Study of a Law Course in Hong Kong

Through the case study of a Chinese University of Hong Kong undergraduate Law class, this chapter demonstrates how Internationalization at Home can be achieved through a number of means, including: utilizing an intercultural and international student body, their experience and knowledge; the use of digital tools to facilitate peer interactions and the co-creation of knowledge; course content which reflects an internationalized approach to the subject-matter of the course; and partnerships with external partners and organizations being incorporated into the course. Using a mixed methods approach, our case study demonstrates the successful use of all of these means, particularly digitization, to achieve a highly Internationalized-at-Home course which equipped students with important practical skills in an intercultural learning environment.

More than chalkboards: classroom spaces and collaborative learning attitudes

The well-known benefits of collaborative learning have prompted the development of active learning classrooms that are designed to facilitate peer interaction. Given the expense of designing active learning classrooms, examining student perceptions of these learning spaces is critical. Furthermore, it is not well understood how the type of classroom (active learning or traditional lecture) relates to students’ perceptions of collaborative learning. In this study, aviation students (N = 46) were enrolled in the same course taught in the same active-learning manner by the same professor, with one section taught in an active-learning classroom and one taught in a traditional lecture classroom. Relative to the traditional lecture classroom, students perceived the active-learning classroom as being much better suited to collaborative learning and having higher levels of collaborative learning, both in terms of enjoyment and usefulness. Implications for designing learning environments and promoting the value of active learning among students are discussed.

The Effects of Variety of Activities on the Social Interaction of Preschool Children with Disabilities

Analysis of previous research has indicated that restricting the amount of equipment available may be a practical strategy to facilitate peer interaction in childcare, but a disadvantage is a possible increase in aggressive behaviour. An alternative approach is manipulating the variety of activities while holding the quantity and type of equipment consistent. The effect of such an intervention was examined on social interaction of two children with disabilities including severe language problems. A single case alternating treatment design was used to compare the effectiveness of eight activities, as opposed to four activities with the quantity of equipment doubled. There was no consistent clinically significant difference in social interaction when the variety of activities was varied for the children in this study. It is possible that the language delay of the participants may have attenuated the effect of the intervention, and this possibility warrants further investigation.

“I Think He Wants You to Play the Guitar:” Use of Behavioral Interpretation as a Strategy for Facilitating Peer Interaction Across Autistic and Nonautistic Peers

PurposeThe study examined the nature and potential impact of a relatively novel clinician strategy, behavioral interpretation, on peer interactions involving an autistic child.MethodThis extended qualitative analysis reviewed 49 instances of a clinician using behavioral interpretation as part of a music education program. The program was designed to facilitate peer interaction across a 7-year-old autistic child. Aaron, and 4 of his nonautistic peers from the same classroom. After reviewing the 21 video-recorded sessions, the research team selected the most salient examples of behavioral interpretation for microanalyses.FindingsBy focusing on a detailed review of the 6 most clear, concise, and compelling examples, we found that behavioral interpretation took 2 forms aimed at helping explain an unclear behavior: narrating (e.g., “I see you looking at strings”) and offering possible meanings (e.g., “I think he wants you to play guitar”). After limited exposure to behavioral interpretation, peers began displaying similar patterns of interaction that drew attention and speculation regarding Aaron's nonverbal forms of communication.ConclusionsBehavioral interpretation, a relatively undocumented strategy in the autism literature, appeared as a feasible and promising strategy for shaping egalitarian peer interaction. Important nuances regarding the implementation and limitations of this strategy are also discussed.

Examining the Flipped Classroom through Action Research

There is a growing interest in using a flipped classroom format in day-to-day teaching. According to Bishop and Verleger (2013), direct computer-based individual instruction outside the classroom and interactive group learning activities inside the classroom are the two essential components of the flipped classroom model. By watching instructional videos, students can work through some materials before class. Therefore, the in-class time is no longer occupied by teachers' direct instruction. Teachers can provide more interactive learning activities to facilitate peer interactions.

Physiotherapy students and clinical educators perceive several ways in which incorporating peer-assisted learning could improve clinical placements: a qualitative study.

What are the experiences of students and clinical educators in a paired student placement model incorporating facilitated peer-assisted learning (PAL) activities, compared to a traditional paired teaching approach? Qualitative study utilising focus groups. Twenty-four physiotherapy students and 12 clinical educators. Participants in this study had experienced two models of physiotherapy clinical undergraduate education: a traditional paired model (usual clinical supervision and learning activities led by clinical educators supervising pairs of students) and a PAL model (a standardised series of learning activities undertaken by student pairs and clinical educators to facilitate peer interaction using guided strategies). Peer-assisted learning appears to reduce the students' anxiety, enhance their sense of safety in the learning environment, reduce educator burden, maximise the use of downtime, and build professional skills including collaboration and feedback. While PAL adds to the clinical learning experience, it is not considered to be a substitute for observation of the clinical educator, expert feedback and guidance, or hands-on immersive learning activities. Cohesion of the student-student relationship was seen as an enabler of successful PAL. Students and educators perceive that PAL can help to position students as active learners through reduced dependence on the clinical educator, heightened roles in observing practice, and making and communicating evaluative judgments about quality of practice. The role of the clinical educator is not diminished with PAL, but rather is central in designing flexible and meaningful peer-based experiences and in balancing PAL with independent learning opportunities. ACTRN12610000859088. [Sevenhuysen S, Farlie MK, Keating JL, Haines TP, Molloy E (2015) Physiotherapy students and clinical educators perceive several ways in which incorporating peer-assisted learning could improve clinical placements: a qualitative study.Journal of Physiotherapy61: 87-92].

Educators and students prefer traditional clinical education to a peer-assisted learning model, despite similar student performance outcomes: a randomised trial.

What is the efficacy and acceptability of a peer-assisted learning model compared with a traditional model for paired students in physiotherapy clinical education? Prospective, assessor-blinded, randomised crossover trial. Twenty-four physiotherapy students in the third year of a 4-year undergraduate degree. Participants each completed 5 weeks of clinical placement, utilising a peer-assisted learning model (a standardised series of learning activities undertaken by student pairs and educators to facilitate peer interaction using guided strategies) and a traditional model (usual clinical supervision and learning activities led by clinical educators supervising pairs of students). The primary outcome measure was student performance, rated on the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice by a blinded assessor, the supervising clinical educator and by the student in self-assessment. Secondary outcome measures were satisfaction with the teaching and learning experience measured via survey, and statistics on services delivered. There were no significant between-group differences in Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice scores as rated by the blinded assessor (p=0.43), the supervising clinical educator (p=0.94) or the students (p=0.99). In peer-assisted learning, clinical educators had an extra 6 minutes/day available for non-student-related quality activities (95% CI 1 to 10) and students received an additional 0.33 entries/day of written feedback from their educator (95% CI 0.06 to 0.61). Clinical educator satisfaction and student satisfaction were higher with the traditional model. The peer-assisted learning model trialled in the present study produced similar student performance outcomes when compared with a traditional approach. Peer-assisted learning provided some benefits to educator workload and student feedback, but both educators and students were more satisfied with the traditional model. ACTRN12610000859088. [Sevenhuysen S, Skinner EH, Farlie MK, Raitman L, Nickson W, Keating JL, Maloney S, Molloy E, Haines TP (2014) Educators and students prefer traditional clinical education to a peer-assisted learning model, despite similar student performance outcomes: a randomised trial.Journal of Physiotherapy60: 209-216].

共聚同窗下——香港中学生对融合式课堂学习的看法和经验

背景：自香港政府于2001年颁布所有学校必须采纳“全校参与模式”办学后，就读主流学校的有特殊教育需要学生人数不断飙升。在香港主流学校就读的中学生，不论是有特殊教育需要的学生和普通学生，对在同一校园上课的朋辈又持有怎么样的态度和观点呢？目的：本研究旨在调查和比较普通中学生和有特殊教育需要的中学生对同班学习的态度和反应。方法：本研究透过“同一校园”调查问卷作定量数据，并于问卷中设有的开放式响应部分作定性数据，一共有216位来自11所中学的普通学生及有特殊教育需要的学生参与。通过独立样本t检验，将有特殊教育需要的学生组及普通学生组在问卷两部分的得分和整体总分进行对比分析。结果：数据分析结果显示了从在同一校园上课的朋辈经验中反映出四个主题：1) 缺乏社会交流主动性，2) 缺乏相互理解，3) 缺乏合作机会，及4) 缺乏欺凌情境应对技巧。朋辈经验分享亦说明了朋辈互相投入之支持模式在促进课室内之社会共融发挥了重要作用。结论：本文建议四个有助提升课室内同学共融之方向：1) 排除社会障碍，2) 建立社会结构，3) 促进社会学习，及4) 培养社会文化。另外，在普通学校里任教的教师应扮演更多朋辈支持中介者的角色，在课室里为所有学生提供更多朋辈互动的机会。 Background:Since the surge of inclusive schools in Hong Kong in 2001, the number of students with special educational who need to attend inclusive schools had also been on the rise. What are the attitudes and perceptions of secondary school pupils, with and without special educational needs, towards studying together on the same campus in Hong Kong? Aim: The primary aim of this research study is to investigate and compare the attitudes and perceptions of secondary pupils, with and without SEN, towards studying together on the same campus in schools using “Whole School Approach”. Method: Both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered from the use of the On the Same Campus questionnaire by surveying on 216 secondary pupils from 11 inclusive schools in Hong Kong. Quantitative data were analyzed using independent sample t-test analysis. Qualitative data in a form of experience sharing were analyzed using theme identification. Results: The analysis of data revealed four themes in WSA schools: 1) lack of initiatives for social interaction, 2) lack of mutual understanding, 3) lack of opportunities for cooperation, and 4) lack of handling skills for school bullying. It also states that peer support in a form of pupils’ social participations plays an important role in the promotion of social inclusion in regular classrooms. Conclusion: This paper proposes four directions for positive promotion of inclusive education in school: 1) demolish social barrier, 2) establish social structure, 3) promote social learning and 4) nurture social culture. We suggest that teachers in regular schools can assume more roles as peer support mediators among pupils in the classroom by facilitating peer interaction opportunities for all pupils on the school campus.

An examination of interactions among children with autism and their typically developing peers

Objective: To determine whether pre-school children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) interact differently with their peers with ASD compared to their typically developing (TD) peers, across three activities (free play, structured group time and semi-structured play) in an early intervention setting.Methods: We completed a series of non-experimental case studies involving 13 children with ASD and two TD peers.Results: We found trends, but no uniform differences, in the frequency or quality of means by which the children with ASD interacted with one another versus with their TD peers across the three contexts. The children with ASD interacted with both peer types more frequently during the semi-structured and structured activities, than during free play.Conclusions: The children with ASD showed no clear bias towards one peer type over the other. Semi-structured activities may be the best context in which to facilitate peer interactions involving children with ASD in early intervention settings.

Teaching Strategies for Enhancing Peer Interaction among Diverse Learners

Hong Kong’s universities have been attracting non-local students to diversify the overall student mix and enhance internationalism in higher education. Mainland Chinese students have become the largest non-local student source in this Western-style higher education sector. The diversity of student body together with the promotion of multicultural experience has created major concerns about provision of high quality learning and teaching. Studies show there have been potential peer interaction obstacles between local and mainland students due to different social, cultural and educational backgrounds. However, research on the role of teachers in facilitating peer interaction is limited. This paper reports an investigation on how teaching strategies used in the English Department had an impact on enhancing peer interactions in the university classroom context. Classroom observation containing textual descriptions and numeric interpretations was used. Solutions were recommended to improve the multicultural learning environment in Hong Kong and other universities with diverse student cohorts.