Research-based Recommendations Research Articles

Time matters: a critical multimodal study of an English learning app for children in China

ABSTRACT Time and its management, as evident in the scheduling, sequencing and structuring of activities, is important in early childhood education (ECE). While ECE apps have been changing teaching and learning practices for over a decade, research has yet to examine how they represent and manage time. To address this gap, we analysed the representation and management of time in iHuman ABC, a popular English learning app for children in China. Adopting Djonov and Van Leeuwen's (2018) model for analysing semiotic software and Van Leeuwen’s (2008) critical discourse studies framework, we examined temporal features in the app's design and references to these features in promotional materials and user reviews. Findings reveal that iHuman ABC reflects an instructivist ideology which considerably limits children’s ability to organise their time and contradicts research-based recommendations for teaching English. This study contributes to critical multimodal studies of the potential of software to transform educational practices.

Engaging students in higher education with educational technology

AbstractThere is a widespread agenda of improving teaching and learning in higher education by engaging students with educational technology. Based on a large-scale literature review, the article presents 61 specific, research-based recommendations for realising the engagement potential of eight types of educational technologies in higher education. These recommendations can be used, for example, by educators to incorporate specific, available educational technologies into their teaching or as an educational development method to enhance particular forms of student engagement. Based on the evidence, the article points out that some educational technologies have a more documented and sometimes also broader potential to engage the students behaviourally, affectively, and/or cognitively than others and that this likely is related to the extent the technology supports structure, active learning, communication, interaction, and activities on the higher levels on the learning taxonomies.

Application Of Vat Calculations, PPh Article 22, and PPh Article 23 On the Procurement of Goods/Services

The Lagadar Village Office still uses a manual approach to calculate taxes on acquiring goods and services. This condition involves using a calculator and recording the calculations in a notebook. Consequently, the Treasurer frequently made errors while performing computations, whether misclassifying the tax type or inaccurately incorporating the tax rate. Moreover, the requirement to input tax computation data again before printing creates a challenge for the Treasurer in locating the necessary information in the notebook for monthly reporting to the leadership. Hence, there is a requirement for a system that can simplify the Treasurer's task of calculating and summarizing the tax data. This project aims to develop apps that can accurately compute value-added tax, income tax 22, and income tax 23 for the acquisition of goods and services. The employed research methodology is the descriptive research method. The system development method employed is the Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (OOAD) model system development method. The system design employs a web programming language integrated with the Codeigniter framework, utilizes a MySQL database, and employs the Visual Studio Code text editor for development purposes. A research study has led to developing an application at the Lagadar Village Office. This application, designed to calculate Value Added Tax, Article 22 Income Tax, and Article 23 Income Tax for procuring goods and services, is a significant step towards more efficient tax calculations. Its purpose is to assist the Treasurer in efficiently calculating, collecting, recording, and reporting tax calculation data, ensuring accurate and organized records in the system. Research-based recommendations for further development of the application include the creation of an application landing page that provides information on taxation. This will enable application users to stay updated on the latest government regulations pertaining to taxation, particularly for Village Offices. This application not only simplifies the Treasurer's tasks but also ensures accurate and up-to-date tax calculations, instilling a sense of optimism for the future of tax management at the Lagadar Village Office.

A Rapid Review on Complaint Mechanisms for Interpersonal Violence: Integrating Research-Based Recommendations from Multiple Sectors to Inform Sport Settings.

Past studies have highlighted the lack of independent formal complaint mechanisms as one of the most significant barriers to reporting interpersonal violence (IV) in sport. Some countries have since implemented complaint mechanisms specific to sport settings. Evaluations of similar mechanisms in other sectors could inform the development and implementation of complaint mechanisms for IV in sport. This rapid review included studies inside and outside the sport context to document the characteristics of complaint mechanisms of IV, barriers or limitations related to such mechanisms, and recommendations resulting from their evaluation. Following the Cochrane Rapid Reviews Interim Guidance, six databases were searched for peer-reviewed references in English or French, published between 2012 and 2022, and pertaining to the evaluation of formal reporting mechanisms of IV. The 35 references covered mechanisms mainly targeting IV in general (any type) or sexual violence specifically. Complaint mechanisms varied in scope and as a function of their setting, including work, university, military, and medical. We identified barriers and limitations concerning fear of consequences, lack of knowledge, lack of efficiency, lack of trust, and unsupportive culture. Finally, we documented 18 recommendations to improve complaint mechanisms of IV, spanning four categories: (a) organizational accountability, (b) awareness and accessibility, (c) adapted process, and (d) ongoing evaluation. This rapid review draws recommendations from various research disciplines and types of mechanisms to offer a comprehensive portrait of best practices. The findings show that numerous aspects of complaint mechanisms at multiple levels should be considered when developing and implementing complaint mechanisms of IV.

A falsehood that has been repeated many times becomes true, the origin of the diabesity pandemic, the most lethal of the 21st century?

The malnutrition pandemic has reached alarming proportions in the 21st century, with nearly 860 million people suffering from obesity, almost 1.8 billion overweight, and around 900 million experiencing malnutrition due to macronutrient and micronutrient deficiencies worldwide. This issue affects over 40% of the global population, highlighting a concerning prevalence of malnutrition worldwide and its close association with chronic diseases. With eight out of 10 leading causes of global mortality being non-communicable diseases, predominantly of cardiometabolic origin, the malnutrition pandemic has become a serious threat to global health. This phenomenon has been exacerbated by the parallel increase in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, leading to the coining of the term "diabesity" to describe the interaction between diabetes and obesity, considered the deadliest of the 21st century. Despite nutritional interventions implemented 70 years ago, such as the Food Pyramid and the promotion of healthy lifestyles, there has been an exponential increase in interrelated cardiometabolic conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer, dementia, and neurodegenerative diseases. This raises questions about the effectiveness of research-based recommendations over the decades, which may have been potentially flawed and deeply influenced modern life and culture, fueling sugar addiction and the pleasure of eating, and capitalizing extensively on the market economy. It is essential to make structural decisions to dismantle particularly erroneous modifications, whether nutritional or otherwise, and educate both new generations and healthcare professionals about a new paradigm of healthier and more flexible lifestyles. This scientific essay focuses on critically reviewing the most prominent evidence supporting modern dietary and lifestyle modifications, and analyzing the historical behavior of clinical conditions that these interventions sought to modify. This allows for inferences about the potential error of research and decisions made, and sowing a new founded theory that promotes paradigm shift after rigorous research in this regard. In the context of the pandemic, these new investigations acquire even greater relevance and urgency to address the global crisis of malnutrition and diabetes.

Tracing Rwandan TVET Graduates’ Competences and Employability with their Potential Employers’ Satisfaction

The government of Rwanda set its development agenda with a focus on transforming the country from a predominantly agrarian to a knowledge-based and service-driven economy by the year 2020. The role of WDA in strengthening linkages between education and employment is imperative for sustainable economic development. However, the relationship between education and employment cannot be ascertained without conducting a tracer study. It’s against this background that a tracer study about the employment status of TVET graduates across the trades/ disciplines was needed to assess their employability and the employers’ levels of satisfaction with the graduates’ competencies in the various agencies where the latter are employed, an in-depth assessment of how graduates assess themselves concerning the relevance and quality of their training and the labor market demands and research-based recommendations on what curriculum changes TVET institutions could be adapted to enhance the competence and employability level of the TVET graduates. We found that the employment rate of IBT graduates was quite impressive, as 70.1% of the graduates were employed, and the average earning per month was 63,592 Rwf. In addition, findings reveal that most respondents (64.9%) reported having spent less or equal to 3 months before they got employment, 14.4% indicated 4-6 months, and 15.2% reported 7-12 months. Regarding employer satisfaction of IBT graduates, competencies, 90.6% noted that they were delighted with the graduates’ work. This directly implies their level of performance on the job. However, some of the following challenges were highlighted. These included high student-teacher ratios, insufficient time for training, lack of meaningful network, and lack of job-related information and opportunities for further training.

Digital-Based Interventions for Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review.

Research has shown that complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) differs from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on core symptoms relating to the individual's sense of self, and this has driven the need for treatment approaches to address these specific features of cPTSD. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the increased use of digital-based interventions (DBIs) to treat mental illnesses, including trauma-related disorders. However, while evidence for the use of DBIs for PTSD has previously been synthesized, the current review is the first synthesis of research on the use of DBIs for cPTSD. A systematic search of Scopus, PsychINFO, and EBSCOhost was conducted, using search terms targeting "cPTSD" and "DBIs," to identify research on the use of DBIs to treat cPTSD symptoms. Ten papers were identified, which provided preliminary evidence for the efficacy of DBIs to reduce cPTSD symptoms. Further, DBIs were reported as acceptable by individuals with a history of complex trauma. The paper also provides insight into the therapeutic approaches adopted, digital modalities utilized, safety measures included, and whether/to what degree support was provided. While DBIs show promise for treating cPTSD, there is substantial room for advancement of the empirical evidence base for these approaches. Both clinical and research-based recommendations are provided separately.

The Impact of School Leaders on Teachers’ Engagement in School Improvement Through an Intergenerational Diversity Lens

The aim of the research study is to analyse how the leadership of school leaders could encourage teachers to participate more effectively in school improvement, taking into account the different generations of teachers and the specificities of those generations. The scientific literature suggests that a specific focus on intergenerational diversity is necessary to better understand differences in teacher engagement in school improvement. A qualitative methodology was chosen to provide a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the participants’ real-world experiences and their subjective interpretations of those experiences. Fifteen school leaders from general education schools in Lithuania participated in the focus group discussion, and provided insights on how school leaders’ leadership may impact teachers’ engagement in school improvement initiatives, with the focus on addressing generational diversity. The proposed study does not aim to promote intergenerational stereotypes, but rather to focus on unique intergenerational values, behaviours and skills. The findings would be useful in developing research-based recommendations for school leaders’ practices (e.g. recruitment and retention, job satisfaction, career development, motivation and empowerment, teacher role and performance, leadership, etc) for encouraging groups of teachers of different generations to become more engaged in school improvement.

Exploring Small-Group Reading Instruction for Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties in Kindergarten Classrooms

The purpose of this systematic observation study was to improve our understanding of small-group reading instruction for kindergarten students at risk for reading difficulties (RDs). We aimed to observe and document activity types addressed as well as instructional practices and materials employed during small-group instruction, with a particular interest in text reading instruction. We conducted 31 observations of 11 kindergarten teachers’ typical small-group reading instruction for students at risk for RDs. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with a subsample of the teachers to learn more about their instructional practices. Results revealed that teachers’ small-group reading instruction often reflected research-based recommendations regarding instruction for students at risk for RDs, but also included practices associated with less evidence of effectiveness for such students. Findings suggest there is a need to provide teachers with professional learning opportunities that build knowledge of evidence-based practices for providing reading instruction to students at risk for RDs.

Process Visibility and Work Stress: Exposure the relationship with Service Quality to attain Customer Satisfaction in Hospitality Industry

This study investigates the relationship between process visibility, work stress management practices, service quality, and their collective influence on customer satisfaction within service-oriented industries. Employing a comprehensive research framework, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, the study examines how the level of process visibility affects employees' stress levels, and subsequently, the quality-of-service delivery. This empirical study employs a descriptive research design, employing the advanced statistical tool SmartPLS 4.0, to investigate the relationship between process visibility, work stress, and service quality in the context of the vibrant hospitality sector in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With a robust sample size of 246 respondents drawn from top hotels and restaurants in Dubai, this research delves into the factors that shape service quality within this dynamic and competitive industry. The research's findings are intended to make a substantial impact on both academia and business. It offers useful insights for service managers and policymakers by illuminating the complex relationships between process visibility, job stress management, service quality, and customer happiness. The findings provide research-based recommendations for boosting service quality through process visibility optimisation and the application of efficient stress management techniques. In the end, our research aims to support service organisations in developing strategies that not only meet but also surpass consumer expectations, promoting long-term success and sustained customer happiness.

Participatory research with carers: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

As patient and public involvement (PPI)in research has become increasingly common, research-based recommendations on its principles and impacts have been established. The specifics of conducting PPI are likely to differ when involving different groups. Family/informal carers for those with health conditions or disabilities have a lot to contribute to research, but instances of their involvement have yet to be reviewed. To systematically review and synthesize studies where family/informal carers have been involved in the research process, to develop an understanding of the benefits, barriers and facilitating factors. A search of five electronic databases was conducted using a combination of terms relating to carers, involvement and research. A grey literature search, expert consultation and hand-searching were also used. Following screening, data extraction and quality assessment, a narrative synthesis incorporating thematic analysis was conducted. A total of 55 studies met the inclusion criteria, with diverse design and participatory approaches. Four themes were identified, relating to the outcomes, challenges, and practicalities of involving carers: (re) building relationships with carers; carers as equals not afterthoughts; carers have unique experiences; carers create change. Full involvement throughout the research was not always possible, due to barriers from the research world and responsibilities of the caring role. The literature demonstrated ways for carers to contribute in ways that suited them, maximizing their impact, while attending to relationships and power imbalances. By summarizing the reported instances of carer involvement in research, this review brings together different examples of how successful research partnerships can be built with carers, despite various challenges. Carers are a heterogeneous group, and participatory approaches should be tailored to specific situations. Wider understanding of the challenges of conducting empowering research with carers, and the resources required to address these, are needed. The initial findings and themes were presented to a group of carers who had been involved in research and whose reflections informed the final synthesis.

“We’re in Crisis response”: Challenges US Teachers, Counselors, and Principals Experienced Returning to School in Person During the Pandemic

ABSTRACT Through focus groups, 27 principals, teachers, and school counselors shared the challenges they faced in their first year returning to school in-person during the pandemic. Though teachers faced numerous instruction-related challenges, they were met with increased pressures from their districts to demonstrate students’ academic progress on state tests. All educators described drastic increases in students’ behavioral issues and mental health crises. In addition, they explained how their overwhelming workloads contributed to their feelings of burnout. Educators shared that they had limited ways to address these challenges because the challenges were beyond their control. We provided research-based recommendations for practice.

EXAMINING THE SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION OF MINDFULNESS AND ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES FOR IMPROVING MENTAL WELL-BEING

Mindfulness has become a proven method for improving mental health and overall well-being. This comprehensive review provides an overview of the current research on mindfulness and its impact on clinical outcomes such as anxiety, depression, stress, and quality of life. Studies using neuroimaging techniques have shown that practicing mindfulness leads to functional and structural changes in specific areas of the brain involved in executive control, emotion regulation, and self-awareness. Meta-analyses have indicated that mindfulness-based interventions have a significant positive effect on mood and anxiety disorders. The proposed psychological mechanisms behind these effects include increased metacognitive awareness, self-compassion, and the ability to distance oneself from negative thoughts. Research-based recommendations are given to utilize mindfulness for enhancing mental well-being. These suggestions include mindfulness apps, online resources, daily routines, and professional therapies based on mindfulness. Although more research is needed, the evidence strongly backs up mindfulness as an effective and accessible therapeutic technique for promoting positive mental health by bringing our awareness to the present moment. This analysis combines the most recent findings on how mindfulness can improve psychological functioning and resilience.

Raising security of first responders with C-ITS?

Abstract This article recommends social science research-based recommendations for improving first responder safety and occupational health by assessing cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) for use by emergency services and law enforcement. This involves vehicles using digital technologies to inform each other or via objects such as roadworks signs about traffic situations and dangerous circumstances. The application of information and communication technologies to the road transport sector and its interfaces with other modes of transport shall make a significant contribution to improving environmental performance, efficiency, including energy efficiency, safety, and security of road transport. This article investigates which social science aspects must be considered when implementing C-ITS, so that emergency vehicles such as ambulances can be given automated priority. Since emergency vehicles can communicate with traffic signal systems or other vehicles, safety requirements play a particularly important role. This leads to the question of which challenges subjective safety and technology perceptions regarding first responders are essential for the introduction of C-ITS for first responder organizations and which factors can lead to rejection.

Supporting pre-service teachers in developing research competence

IntroductionTeachers need research competence to reflect on their teaching and to interpret and implement research-based recommendations. However, many pre-service teachers have critical attitudes toward research, little motivation to engage in research, and comparatively low knowledge of research methods and thereby consequently indicating a low research competence. Flexible online modules in university teaching could be a promising approach to address these issues. Online modules can potentially promote self-determined motivation, but should be sufficiently structured to support learners’ need for competence.MethodsWe designed two learning environments with different types of structure: a non-restrictive structured environment and a restrictive structured environment. A total of N = 108 pre-service biology teachers were randomly assigned to the two learning environments.Results and discussionContrary to our assumption, the restrictive type of structure of the learning environment did not lead to a higher perception of competence. This might be a consequence of external pressure, for example, the examination at the end of the course. Regarding pre-service teachers’ research competence, we found a decrease in the affective-motivational domain and an increase in the cognitive domain in both learning environments. These results suggest that fostering pre-service teachers’ research competence should focus on the affective-motivational domain. In order to positively affect this domain, care must be taken to ensure that structuring elements are not experienced as control and that given choices are meaningful to students.

Lifelong training approaches for the post-pandemic workforces: a systematic review

ABSTRACT This systematic review presents a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature examining training approaches and resources intended for workforce development in increasingly digital workplaces, a trend that has been expedited by the COVID-19 pandemic. The review adheres to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and incorporates 29 articles that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria from a preliminary pool of 1,095 publications spanning the years 2020 to 2022. A thematic synthesis was employed to evaluate the included articles. The examined literature focused on (1) establishing guidelines for designing digital transformation training programs, (2) mapping and analysing training programs and resources for digital transformation, and (3) describing the design and implementation processes of these training programs across different sectors. The synthesized findings present an overview of the educational theories and learning methodologies underlying the training programs, the technologies implemented in training, and other key characteristics of these programs. The review acknowledges certain limitations, as many articles do not systematically report negative outcomes or drawbacks of the described lifelong training interventions. However, the review provides valuable insights and research-based recommendations for training employees in highly digitalised workplaces.

Experiences of shifts in physiotherapy for rheumatoid arthritis over time – an autoethnography

ABSTRACT Introduction Several shifts in physiotherapy treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have occurred over time. Objective This paper aims to identify shifts in physiotherapy practice for patients with RA based on the author’s work experiences from the 1980s until today at two Norwegian rheumatism hospitals, and to explore why shifts may have happened. Methods A narrative was developed by describing events making a difference, categorizing, and ordering them with the help of narrative analysis and a sensitizing analytic lens on discourses. Results The storyline from the 1980s to approximately the turn of the millennium is called ‘Shifts determined mainly by clinical context-driven events’ which occurred in response to medical advances and physiotherapists’ clinical experiences. These shifts were later justified by physiotherapists’ research in the clinical context. The other storyline covers mainly the 2000s and is called ‘Shifts increasingly determined by events beyond clinical physiotherapy context.’ They include adjustments to further medical advances and implementation of biopsychosocial understanding of disease at the hospital, and to external research-based recommendations, health reforms, and economy. Conclusion These processes have moved physiotherapy practice at the hospital from mainly providing individualized remedial and rehabilitative physiotherapy for the purpose to normalize physical function to an increasing focus on generic health measures for the purposes of health promotion and cardiovascular disease prevention. However, this shift may not fully match the complex needs presented by patients in disease remission with unrelenting fatigue and work inability and those who have multiple functional challenges and comorbidities.

Localizing Sustainable Development Goal 13 on Climate Action to Build Local Resilience to Floods in the Hunter Valley: A Literature Review

The realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires local governments globally to integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their policy and practice. In the case of the Hunter Valley Region of Australia, a key sustainable development issue is climate change-induced flooding. The localization and mainstreaming of SDG 13 on climate action can support tangible municipal climate actions in the Region. However, while it is acknowledged that SDG localization is needed to address sustainable development challenges, there is a gap in research and practice to guide local government attempts at SDG localization. This research analyzes literature on SDG localization to understand strategies, challenges and gaps that can inform localization approaches for the Hunter Valley. An analysis of the literature revealed that the implementation of SDG 13 at the local government level is a sparsely researched area, and in practice, efforts to implement SDG 13 have not been publicly communicated. Research-based recommendations for SDG 13 localization are presented to highlight the potential of integrating SDGs into pre-existing local policy so that the SDGs and their targets can support climate action and decrease disaster risk of future floods in Hunter Valley communities.

Discipline-Based Diversity Research in Chemistry.

ConspectusWe introduce the term discipline-based diversity research (DBDR) to capture the emerging field of research advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging with specificity to a given discipline. Contextualizing a human dynamic through a disciplinary lens has already given rise to discipline-based education research (DBER). The modalities through which students and practitioners think and process information are a reflection of a given discipline, and it tends to give rise to its professional practices. Through DBER, such specification is necessary in addressing evidence-based practices that are effective for teaching a particular subject. Likewise, the inequities and opportunities within a given field (and its professional culture) must be addressed within a disciplinary lens. Thus, the findings from social science in diversity in arbitrary contexts must be analyzed, interpreted, applied, and researched within a given discipline.One specific challenge to academic chemistry is the lack of inclusion in the sense that the faculties in research-active chemistry departments are far from diverse. We recapitulate the percentage of women and under-represented person of color (URPOC) professors over the past 20 years reported by us and other sources. The data admits to linear fits with high confidence. Assuming this linearity holds, the gender gap in representation would be bridged only in 2062, and the threshold of 20% of the faculty as URPOC would be reached only in 2113. While the community has actively engaged in modifying practices and procedures to redress this grim projection, it should be clear that more needs to be done.Toward this objective, we have been driven by the top-down hypothesis that solutions must be led intentionally through the top─that is, by department heads and chairs─because they are the stewards of the infrastructure. Department chairs and the chemistry community have engaged in DBDR through biennial workshops─that is, through the Open Chemistry Collaborative in Diversity Equity (OXIDE)'s National Diversity Equity Workshops (NDEWs)─to survey and evaluate existing policies and practices aimed at advancing inclusive excellence. This has led to research-based recommendations for the implementation of solutions in chemistry departments. This includes (i) engaging in community, (ii) conducting authentic and open searches, and (iii) recognizing and rewarding inclusive excellence. What makes them DBDR in chemistry is that we have to articulate and contextualize these solutions in terms of practices and procedures that we conduct in chemistry, assess their efficacy, and promote them across our discipline. Furthermore, we must offer theories of change for reforming them while offering frameworks that fit within how chemists think and practice.In this Account, we demonstrate how DBDR has taken root in chemistry, forecast where this emerging field may go, and provide a blueprint for how it might be replicated in other disciplines.

A Disparity of the Capital Structures of the Primary Milk Producers Cooperative Societies in Kovanur and Thalayatimandhu

The purpose of the overall research was to evaluate the capital structures of the Primary Milk Producers Cooperative Society in Kovanur, Peariyanaicken Palayam block, Coimbatore, and Thalayatimandhu, Nilgiris Block, The Nilgiris. Analyzing the differences in working characteristics and financial results between the two dynamic societies is one of the study's key goals. The acquisition and distribution of milk as well as related businesses are the study's primary areas of focus. Whether or not the key conclusions apply to the miners is debatable. Methods and sampling techniques, particularly purposive random, were used, and over the course of a decade, secondary sources of data from the society were obtained. Ratio analysis was used as one of the analysis tools. In addition to stating that research-based recommendations are generally highly significant and instructive to other similar academics, it is advantageous for experimenters to investigate topics that are similar to themes that are investigated in and surrounding districts.