Feedback Interviews Research Articles

Exploring student interpreters’ engagement with different sources of feedback on note-taking

ABSTRACT Note-taking is a critical part of interpreting teaching and learning. During note-taking training, feedback is crucial to help student interpreters hone relevant skills, and the effectiveness of feedback hinges on students’ engagement. This case study investigates students’ affective, cognitive, and behavioural engagement with feedback on notes from two major sources: peer and teacher. Eight student interpreters were recruited and divided into two groups. The feedback texts, interpreting notes, study journals, and interview transcriptions were coded and analysed. While the two groups both had positive and negative feelings, they preferred teacher feedback. Students’ cognitive engagement showed differences in meta-cognitive operations. Some students’ behavioural engagement was inconsistent with the other two dimensions. The results suggest that students should utilise different sources of feedback to achieve their learning goals, and the study provides some insights for teachers to improve feedback activities.

Works councils as gatekeepers: Codetermination, management practices, and job satisfaction

This paper analyzes the role of works councils as gatekeepers safeguarding employee's interests in the adoption of management practices to monitor employee performance and provide feedback. We first introduce a formal model predicting that (i) the introduction of such management practices leads to a stronger increase (or weaker decrease) in job satisfaction when a works council is in place, (ii) that this effect should be larger the lower the prior level of employee participation and (iii) that works councils increase the likelihood of the implementation of these practices at the level of individual employees. We provide evidence in line with these hypotheses, using linked-employer-employee panel data from Germany. We indeed find that the adoption of formal performance appraisals and feedback interviews is associated with a significantly larger increase in job satisfaction when there is a works council. This pattern is driven by establishments without collective bargaining agreements. The evidence also suggests that works councils indeed facilitate the implementation of such management practices, as codetermined firms have a higher likelihood that a practice implemented on the firm level is actually applied by middle management.

Delivering clinical tutorials to medical students using the Microsoft HoloLens 2: A mixed-methods evaluation

BackgroundMixed reality offers potential educational advantages in the delivery of clinical teaching. Holographic artefacts can be rendered within a shared learning environment using devices such as the Microsoft HoloLens 2. In addition to facilitating remote access to clinical events, mixed reality may provide a means of sharing mental models, including the vertical and horizontal integration of curricular elements at the bedside. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of delivering clinical tutorials using the Microsoft HoloLens 2 and the learning efficacy achieved.MethodsFollowing receipt of institutional ethical approval, tutorials on preoperative anaesthetic history taking and upper airway examination were facilitated by a tutor who wore the HoloLens device. The tutor interacted face to face with a patient and two-way audio-visual interaction was facilitated using the HoloLens 2 and Microsoft Teams with groups of students who were located in a separate tutorial room. Holographic functions were employed by the tutor. The tutor completed the System Usability Scale, the tutor, technical facilitator, patients, and students provided quantitative and qualitative feedback, and three students participated in semi-structured feedback interviews. Students completed pre- and post-tutorial, and end-of-year examinations on the tutorial topics.ResultsTwelve patients and 78 students participated across 12 separate tutorials. Five students did not complete the examinations and were excluded from efficacy calculations. Student feedback contained 90 positive comments, including the technology’s ability to broadcast the tutor’s point-of-vision, and 62 negative comments, where students noted issues with the audio-visual quality, and concerns that the tutorial was not as beneficial as traditional in-person clinical tutorials. The technology and tutorial structure were viewed favourably by the tutor, facilitator and patients. Significant improvement was observed between students’ pre- and post-tutorial MCQ scores (mean 59.2% Vs 84.7%, p < 0.001).ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the feasibility of using the HoloLens 2 to facilitate remote bedside tutorials which incorporate holographic learning artefacts. Students’ examination performance supports substantial learning of the tutorial topics. The tutorial structure was agreeable to students, patients and tutor. Our results support the feasibility of offering effective clinical teaching and learning opportunities using the HoloLens 2. However, the technical limitations and costs of the device are significant, and further research is required to assess the effectiveness of this tutorial format against in-person tutorials before wider roll out of this technology can be recommended as a result of this study

Harm Reduction Behavioral Activation Teletherapy for People Who Inject Drugs: Development, Feasibility, and Acceptability

People who inject drugs (PWID) experience severe substance-related harms and yet have low rates of engagement in substance use disorder treatment. Low-barrier and telepsychology interventions represent promising strategies for engaging PWID in treatment, but few studies have tested the feasibility of these approaches among non-treatment-seeking PWID. A behavioral activation (BA) treatment for substance use was adapted through a harm reduction lens to assist PWID in working toward healthy, meaningful lives and achieving their goals. This study aims to: (a) describe the development and harm reduction–focused adaptation of the BA intervention, and (b) examine the feasibility and acceptability of administering a telepsychology BA treatment for substance use among non-treatment-seeking PWID. We recruited N = 23 PWID (65.2% White; 52.2% women; mean age 35.4 ± 7.8 years) from syringe services programs into an open trial and n = 19 received up to eight sessions of BA over 4 weeks. Qualitative treatment feedback interviews occurred at posttreatment. Among those who attended ≥1 session of treatment, 84% attended a second assessment, and 58% attended ≥7 intervention sessions. Feasibility challenges were primarily related to participant vulnerabilities (e.g., hospitalization, incarceration, loss of access to technology). Participants indicated high acceptance of the intervention and its telepsychology format. In conclusion, while PWID face significant barriers to engaging in treatment, some also demonstrate a desire, willingness, and capacity for psychological intervention. Remote interventions may help increase feasibility of treatment participation. Future studies should examine longer harm reduction-focused treatments for PWID that balance barriers to initial engagement with the need to reinforce treatment gains and improve long-term outcomes.

Bridging vision gaps: a comprehensive study of the RAAHI programme for improving truckers' eye health in India

Bridging vision gaps: a comprehensive study of the RAAHI programme for improving truckers' eye health in India

Developing Social Enhancements for a Web-Based, Positive Emotion Intervention for Alzheimer Disease Caregivers: Qualitative Focus Group and Interview Study.

Alzheimer disease is a degenerative neurological condition that requires long-term care. The cost of these responsibilities is often borne by informal caregivers, who experience an elevated risk of negative physical and psychological outcomes. Previously, we designed a positive emotion regulation intervention that was shown to improve well-being among dementia caregivers when delivered through one-on-one videoconferencing lessons with a trained facilitator. However, the format required significant resources in terms of logistics and facilitator time. To broaden the reach of the intervention, we aimed to develop the Social Augmentation of Self-Guided Electronic Delivery of the Life Enhancing Activities for Family Caregivers (SAGE LEAF) program, an iteration of the intervention in a self-guided, web-based format with enhanced opportunities for social connection. The aim of this study was to gather feedback to inform the design of social features for the SAGE LEAF intervention. In the absence of a facilitator, our goal with the self-guided SAGE LEAF intervention was to integrate various social features (eg, discussion board, automated support, and profiles) to maximize engagement among participants. Qualitative data were collected from 26 individuals through (1) interviews with participants who completed a previous version of the intervention via videoconferencing with a facilitator, (2) focus groups with dementia caregivers who had not previously experienced the intervention, and (3) focus groups with Alzheimer disease clinical care providers. We conducted a qualitative thematic analysis to identify which social features would be the most helpful and how they could be implemented in a way that would be best received by caregivers. Interview and focus group feedback indicated that participants generally liked the potential features suggested, including the discussion boards, multimedia content, and informational support. They had valuable suggestions for optimal implementation. For example, participants liked the idea of a buddy system where they would be matched up with another caregiver for the duration of the study. However, they expressed concern about differing expectations among caregivers and the possibility of matched caregivers not getting along. Participants also expressed interest in giving caregivers access to a podcast on the skills, which would allow them to review additional content when they wished. Taken together, the discussions with caregivers and providers offered unique insights into the types of social features that may be integrated into the SAGE LEAF intervention, as well as implementation suggestions to improve the acceptability of the features among caregivers. These insights will allow us to design social features for the intervention that are optimally engaging and helpful for caregivers.

Mellow Babies: A Randomised Feasibility Trial of an Intervention to Improve the Quality of Parent-Infant Interactions and Parental Mental Wellbeing.

Mellow Babies aims to improve mothers' mental wellbeing and the quality of their interactions with their baby. The feasibility of a definitive trial of Mellow Babies was assessed using a waiting-list randomised pilot trial (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02277301). Mothers with substantial health/social care needs and a child aged <13 months were randomly allocated either to a 14-week Mellow Babies programme or to receive usual care whilst on a waiting list for the intervention. Rates of recruitment and retention as well as participants' views of their experience in this study were recorded. Outcomes were parenting behaviour, assessed by the blind-rated Mellow Parenting Observation System (primary) and self-report maternal wellbeing pre- and post-intervention/waiting period. We recruited 38 eligible participants: 36 (95%; 18 intervention, 18 control) completed baseline measures, and 28 (74%; 15 intervention, 13 control) provided post-intervention data. Two practitioners took part in feedback interviews. Intervention participants had significantly more positive interactions with their babies at post-intervention compared to those in the control group (p = 0.019), adjusted for pre-intervention scores. There was no significant improvement in mothers' mental wellbeing on any measure. A definitive trial of Mellow Babies is feasible and should include longer follow up of mothers and the opportunity for fathers to take part.

PREPARING STUDENT TEACHERS TO TEACH: A TECHNOLOGY-ENHANCED, REFLECTIVE, AND COLLABORATIVE MODEL

In language teacher education programs, to train learners to become effective and qualified teachers, theories of learning and teaching are taught. In the methodology courses, learners experience teaching to their peers as a link between theory and practice. To improve teaching experiences, the current study focuses on a special methodology course, Teaching English to Young Learners, by implementing technology, reflective feedback, and collaborative learning, and it presents a model that is grounded within the social constructivist theory. Sixty-two learners participated in the study. Two groups were randomly assigned to the Technology Enhanced Group and Control Group to investigate the effectiveness of the technology-enhanced, reflective, and collaborative model; and to explore the learners’ perceptions. The qualitative data was analyzed using feedback, reflections, and learner interviews. The technology-enhanced, reflective, and collaborative model of teaching how to teach to young learners proved to be effective. Participants noticed the pedagogical aspects of the teaching model presented to them and their perceptions were positive. It is concluded that it is crucial to search for ways to help learners learn the theory and prepare future teachers for their actual classroom experience in language teacher education programs.&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/edu/0108/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Development of a Tool for Reporting Key Dietary Indicators from Sales Data in Remote Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Stores.

Reporting key dietary indicators from sales data can help us guide store decision makers in developing effective store policy to support healthier customer purchases. We aimed to develop a web-based reporting tool of key dietary indicators from sales data to support health-promoting policy and practice in stores in geographically remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Tool development included identifying key dietary indicators (informed by sales data from 31 stores), community consultation (19 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander store directors and two store managers) and a web-build. Tool evaluation involved feedback interviews with stakeholders (25 store managers and two nutritionists). Key dietary indicators aligned with Australian Dietary Guideline food groupings and recommendations. An online portal for accessing and customising reports was built. Stakeholder feedback indicated that the strengths of the reports were the visuals, ease of interpretation, providing information that was not currently available and potential to increase capacity to support healthy food retailing. Difficulties were defining healthiness classification with alignment to other nutrition guidelines used and ensuring reports reached relevant store decision makers. This tool may be valuable to support store decision makers in identifying and prioritising nutrition issues and optimising the health-enabling attributes of stores.

Literature-based instruction and language learner autonomy: A case study of a tertiary EFL reading course

This qualitative case study aims to investigate pedagogical strategies for developing language learner autonomy through scrutinising a literature-based EFL reading course carried out in a tertiary institution in China. To achieve triangulation, data were collected from multiple sources, including two diagnostic surveys, post-course feedback interviews, student artefacts, teacher’s reflective journal, and related teaching materials. In data analysis, triangulation was accomplished by involving and integrating multiple investigators’ perspectives – three researchers collaborated in analysing data collected from student feedback interviews. Findings of this study could be classified into three categories. Regarding second language acquisition (SLA), results from the surveys and interviews indicate a comprehensive improvement in learners’ L2 competence, in addition to their cognitive and motivational enhancement. With regard to literature-based instruction, evidence from this study contributes to a deepened and enriched understanding of the comprehensive approach to L2 literature and scaffolded extensive reading. For developing language learner autonomy, this study provides a three-dimensional modal with pedagogical implications for literature-based instruction, from the perspectives of teaching content, methodological approaches, and ideological orientation.

Project EPIC (Empowering People to Independence in COPD): Study protocol for a hybrid effectiveness-implementation pilot randomized controlled trial of telephonic, geriatrics-palliative care nurse-coaching in older adults with COPD and their family caregivers

BackgroundEPIC (Empowering People to Independence in COPD) is a geriatric-palliative care telephonic, nurse coach intervention informed by Baltes' Theory of Successful Aging and adapted from the ENABLE (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends) intervention. EPIC, focused on improving independence, mobility, well-being, and COPD symptoms, has undergone formative and summative evaluation for adults with COPD. MethodsThe primary study aim is to assess the refined EPIC intervention's feasibility and acceptability via a pilot hybrid effectiveness-implementation randomized control trial in community-dwelling older adults with moderate to severe COPD and their family caregivers. The secondary aim is to explore the impact of EPIC on patient and caregiver outcomes. Older adults with COPD and their family caregivers (target N = 60 dyads) will be randomized to EPIC (intervention) or usual COPD care (control). EPIC includes six patient and four family caregiver weekly, telephone-based nurse coach sessions using a manualized curriculum (Charting Your Course), plus three monthly follow-up calls. Feasibility will be measured as completion of EPIC intervention and trial components (e.g., recruitment, retention, data collection). Acceptability will be evaluated using satisfaction surveys and post-study feedback interviews. A blinded data collector will assess exploratory outcomes (e.g., Life-Space mobility, quality of life, caregiver burden, emotional symptoms, loneliness, cognitive impairment, functional status, healthcare utilization) at baseline, 12, and 24 weeks. DiscussionThis intervention fills a gap in addressing the geriatrics and palliative care needs and equity for adults with COPD and their family caregivers.Trial registration:ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05040386

Supporting adoptive and foster parents of adolescents through the trauma-informed e-Connect parent group: a preliminary descriptive study.

Adolescents in adoption and foster care are likely to show internalizing and externalizing problems and affective dysregulation, leading to a lower quality of parent-adolescent attachment relationships and high levels of strain for parents. This study describes the results of the first application of the trauma-informed attachment-based Connect Parent Group in an online form (e-Connect) with Italian adoptive and foster parents. In this study, we describe (1) trends in the aforementioned variables between pre- (T1) and post- (T2) intervention and (2) parents' feedback and suggestions about the intervention. Participants were 10 adoptive and 10 foster parents (53% females, Mage = 53.48; SDage = 4.93) who attended e-Connect, an attachment-focused and trauma-informed 10-session online group intervention. This intervention aims at increasing caregiver awareness of attachment and trauma concerning adolescents' problem behaviors and sensitive responsiveness, thereby leading to improvements in parent-adolescent relationship quality, decreases in adolescents' problems, and reductions in caregiver strain. One e-Connect group was offered for adoptive parents and one for foster parents. Parents completed questionnaires 1 week before (T1) and after (T2) the intervention and responded to a feedback interview following program completion. Only at the descriptive level, scores of adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems, affective dysregulation, and caregivers' strain show decreasing trends. Parents reported high satisfaction with the program, declaring changes in parent-adolescent relationships both currently (94.7%) and anticipated in the future (100%). All parents indicated that they would recommend e-Connect to other parents. Given promising parents' feedback, the feasibility of e-Connect supporting adoptive and foster parents of adolescents can be further empirically investigated.

Development of a telemedicine virtual clinic system for remote, rural, and underserved areas using user-centered design methods.

Virtual clinics are an emerging form of telemedicine which can positively impact healthcare accessibility in remote, rural, and underserved areas. However, a virtual clinic system for these contexts must be designed appropriately. The user-centered design method can be employed to develop an appropriate virtual clinic. The development of the virtual clinic used the user-centered design method. First, a situational analysis was conducted to understand the context of public primary healthcare facilities in South Africa. Literature review, observations, and interviews were conducted, which then informed system requirements. A virtual clinic system was then developed and its usability was evaluated with doctors and nurses in a lab setting using healthy participants acting as patients. Doctors and nurses completed system usability scale surveys and provided interview feedback. The situational analysis revealed 10 key themes which were translated into a problem statement and 10 system requirements. A virtual clinic system was then developed based on these requirements. 5 doctors and 11 nurses were recruited to complete usability testing with the system. The system received an average of 80.6 scores (good to excellent) out of 100 on the system usability scale. Feedback from participants revealed key areas for improvement of the virtual clinic system, as well as opportunities for further implementation. The developed virtual clinic system demonstrated the application of the user-centered design method to telemedicine technologies for remote, rural, and underserved areas. The positive feedback received from the participants demonstrated the importance of the user-centered design method in developing technologies for enhancing service delivery in health systems. Further work will implement this system in real-world clinical settings.

Evaluating the experiences of a staff equality, diversity and inclusion reflective space

ABSTRACT Minoritised individuals (people identifying as belonging to groups experiencing socially constructed power inequalities) frequently experience mental health inequalities. Mental health services have often, intentionally or inadvertently, perpetuated these inequalities due to historic and ongoing systemic discrimination. To reduce inequalities, mental health services must address ongoing systemic discrimination and improve cultural-sensitivity of clinical staff. One method of improving clinician cultural-sensitivity is through reflective practice groups. This project evaluates a staff Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) reflective space within a community psychological therapies team. A mixed methods approach of survey feedback and semi-structured interviews was used. Staff found the reflective space beneficial for improving their clinical skills relating to issues of EDI and helpful for their own wellbeing. Staff also found the EDI reflective space both acceptable and feasible and were keen to attend future sessions. However, some clinicians highlighted challenges relating to fear of judgment and evaluation from others. Findings are discussed in relation to the growing body of evidence of the usefulness of staff reflective spaces in healthcare generally, and provide specific support for the implementation of EDI reflective spaces. Guidance for developing an EDI staff reflective space for healthcare staff are discussed, alongside limitations and possible future research directions.

Robot-assisted language assessment: development and evaluation of feasibility and usability

Many studies have shown that robots can provide medical help to patients, such as supporting physical movements, managing mood, or simulating cognitive function. However, robotic cognitive/language assessment, which is vital for mental health care, has not been fully explored and is limited to only a few types of assessment. The aim of this study is to present and evaluate a social robot equipped with a web-based language assessment for sentence comprehension test (SCT) with a dialogue system involving yes/no questions. A total of 50 participants took the test with 36 items conducted by a robot (robot-SCT), while a total of 55 participants took the same test but conducted by a human examiner (human-SCT). Comparative analyses were performed to evaluate the validity of the robot-SCT in terms of test scores and time-related measures. Usability was evaluated through the system usability score and interview feedback. With regard to the validity of the robot-SCT, the test scores indicated no significant differences between the robot-SCT and human-SCT. In addition, conditional differences in reaction time for the test items were observed, similar to the previous paper-and-pencil researches. The high system usability scores (i.e., mean = 78.5, SD = 11) demonstrated the high usability of the robot-SCT. This study demonstrates the validity and usability of robotic language assessment among normal adults. However, further evaluation is required for people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment.

MiniMovers: An Initial Pilot and Feasibility Study to Investigate the Impact of a Mobile Application on Children's Motor Skills and Parent Support for Physical Development.

The MiniMovers (MM) APP combines motor development theory with creativity expertise and has been designed to provide parents with developmentally appropriate activities to support children's motor skills. This study investigates how MiniMovers activities enabled parents to support their children's physical development. Families participated in an 8-week MM programme of activities from the MM APP (Mini, Mighty and Mega levels), with pre- and post-intervention data collected using multiple tools (e.g., motion capture system, force plate, eye-tracking glasses, and videos). Mixed research methods were applied among children (N = 8; aged 21-79 months) and their parents, providing quantitative analysis on children's performance (running, throwing, jumping, kicking, balancing and catching), as well as qualitative analysis on parents' attitude and behaviour (two-weekly feedback surveys and interviews). Lab-based measures showed significant improvements in run time, underarm throwing distance, and horizontal jump distance. Test of Gross Motor Development-3 showed a significant gain in running, underarm and overarm throwing, horizontal jump and kicking. Further, developmental stages indicated significant improvements in running, kicking and catching. Parents reported increased enjoyment and knowledge, children's enjoyment, independence and confidence. This pilot study provides support for the research and development of the MM App and suggests more research into the use of APPs to support home activities among families with young children.

Development of a hybrid point-of-care ultrasound curriculum for first year medical students in a rural medical education program: a pilot study

BackgroundThe field of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has advanced in recent decades due to the benefits it holds for medical providers. However, aspiring POCUS practitioners require adequate training. Unfortunately, there remains a paucity of resources to deliver this training, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Despite these barriers, calls for POCUS training in undergraduate medical education are growing, and many medical schools now deliver some form of POCUS education. Our program lacked POCUS training; therefore, we developed and implemented a POCUS curriculum for our first-year medical students.MethodsWe developed a POCUS curriculum for first year medical students in a rural medically underserved region of the United States. To evaluate our course, we measured learning outcomes, self-reported confidence in a variety of POCUS domains, and gathered feedback on the course with a multi-modal approach: an original written pre- and post-test, survey tool, and semi-structured interview protocol, respectively.ResultsStudent (n=24) knowledge of POCUS significantly increased (pre-test average score = 55%, post-test average score = 79%, P<0.0001), and the course was well received based on student survey and interview feedback. In addition, students reported increased confidence toward a variety of knowledge and proficiency domains in POCUS use and their future clinical education and practice.ConclusionsDespite a lack of consensus in POCUS education, existing literature describes many curricular designs across institutions. We leveraged a combination of student initiatives, online resources, remote collaborations, local volunteers, and faculty development to bring POCUS to our institution in a rural and medically underserved region. Moreover, we demonstrate positive learning and experiential outcomes that may translate to improved outcomes in students’ clinical education and practice. Further research is needed to evaluate the psychomotor skills, broader learning outcomes, and clinical performance of students who take part in our POCUS course.

Testing and Practical Implementation of a User-Friendly Personalized and Long-Term Electronic Informed Consent Prototype in Clinical Research: Mixed Methods Study.

Over the years, there has been increasing interest in electronic informed consent (eIC) in clinical research. The user-friendliness of an eIC application and its acceptance by stakeholders plays a central role in achieving successful implementation. This study aims to identify insights for the design and implementation of a user-friendly, personalized, and long-term eIC application based on a usability study with (potential) research participants and semistructured interviews with stakeholders on the practical integration of such an application into their daily practice. An eIC prototype was evaluated and refined through usability testing among Belgian citizens and iterative redesign. On the basis of a digital literacy questionnaire, a heterogeneous sample of participants was established. Participants needed to complete a series of usability tasks related to personalization and long-term interaction with the research team while using the "think aloud" technique. In addition, usability tests involved completing the System Usability Scale questionnaire and taking part in a semistructured feedback interview. Furthermore, semistructured interviews were conducted with ethics committee members, health care professionals, and pharmaceutical industry representatives active in Belgium and involved in clinical research. Thematic analysis was undertaken using the NVivo software (Lumivero). In total, 3 iterations of usability tests were conducted with 10 participants each. Each cycle involved some participants who reported having low digital skills. The System Usability Scale scores related to the tasks on personalization and long-term interaction increased after each iteration and reached 69.5 (SD 8.35) and 71.3 (SD 16.1) out of 100, respectively, which represents above-average usability. Semistructured interviews conducted with health care professionals (n=4), ethics committee members (n=8), and pharmaceutical industry representatives (n=5) identified the need for an eIC system that can be easily set up. For example, a library could be established enabling stakeholders to easily provide background information about a clinical study, presented in the second layer of the interface. In contrast, some functionalities, such as informing participants about new studies through an eIC system, were not considered useful by stakeholders. This study provides insights for the implementation of a user-friendly personalized and long-term eIC application. The study findings showed that usability testing is key to assessing and increasing the user-friendliness of an eIC application. Although this eIC system has the potential to be usable by a wide audience, participants with low digital literacy may not be able to use it successfully, highlighting the need for additional support for participants or other alternatives to an eIC system. In addition, key lessons emerging from the interviews included ensuring that the application is easy to implement in practice and is interoperable with other established systems.

Using Voice and Biofeedback to Predict User Engagement during Product Feedback Interviews

Capturing users’ engagement is crucial for gathering feedback about the features of a software product. In a market-driven context, current approaches to collecting and analyzing users’ feedback are based on techniques leveraging information extracted from product reviews and social media. These approaches are hardly applicable in contexts where online feedback is limited, as for the majority of apps, and software in general. In such cases, companies need to resort to face-to-face interviews to get feedback on their products. In this paper, we propose to utilize biometric data, in terms of physiological and voice features, to complement product feedback interviews with information about the engagement of the user on product-relevant topics. We evaluate our approach by interviewing users while gathering their physiological data (i.e., biofeedback ) using an Empatica E4 wristband, and capturing their voice through the default audio-recorder of a common laptop. Our results show that we can predict users’ engagement by training supervised machine learning algorithms on biofeedback and voice data, and that voice features alone can be sufficiently effective. The best configurations evaluated achieve an average F1 \(\sim 70\% \) in terms of classification performance, and use voice features only. This work is one of the first studies in requirements engineering in which biometrics are used to identify emotions. Furthermore, this is one of the first studies in software engineering that considers voice analysis. The usage of voice features can be particularly helpful for emotion-aware feedback collection in remote communication, either performed by human analysts or voice-based chatbots, and can also be exploited to support the analysis of meetings in software engineering research.

Iterative refinement: Developing items to build an assessment of dementia caregivers’ caregiving style

AbstractBackgroundPrior mixed‐methods research has classified 5 distinct dementia caregiving style profiles based on how caregivers vary across 5 domains: understanding of dementia, adaptability, orientation towards oneself vs. the care recipient, emotional expression, and behavioral management. Style profiles have been associated with important care outcomes, yet, for this construct to be useful, it must be measurable. Our study aims to develop the first comprehensive assessment of caregiver cognitive‐behavioral styles for clinical/service utility or self‐assessment.MethodA preliminary item pool of 188 items was developed based on prior research. A literacy review of item content was conducted. Items then went through iterative refinement including: 1) expert review (2 content experts and 1 measurement development expert, with 63 items modified and 66 deleted); 2) cognitive interviews with 7 caregivers (caregivers reviewed each domain’s item set and provided interview feedback on the items, with 4 items modified and 18 deleted); and 3) translatability review for Spanish (review of wording that could impede translation to other languages, with 28 modified and 4 deleted).ResultOur iterative item pool refinement process resulted in 99 items reflective of the 5 domains to be included in psychometric field testing: adaptability (32 items; e.g., I make adjustments to the way I provide care), behavioral management (20 items; e.g., I try to distract the person I care for when they are frustrated), emotional expression (25 items; e.g., I feel positive when it comes to handling caregiving difficulties), understanding (10 items; e.g., I recognize when I need to change how I communicate with the person I care for), and orientation to self or other (12 total; e.g., I do what is best for the person I care for, even at my own expense).ConclusionOur iterative item development process ensures that items developed for a future measure are person‐centered, clear, translatable, and relevant to empirical evidence. The developed items will be field tested among 200 caregivers. This measure is vital to the development of more effective and individualized treatment to enhance caregivers’ ability to support the PLwD, improve outcomes, and reduce the downstream burden of illness and healthcare costs.