Small-scale Study Research Articles

Delivering citizen science online and hybrid: impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on recruitment and engagement

This small-scale study explores the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on running and delivering a large-scale, international participatory citizen science project. In doing so, it seeks to identify the challenges posed by the pandemic for the research and practitioner community, as well as suggesting useful strategies, tools and helpful approaches for meeting similar challenges in the future. WeCount was a citizen science project aimed at empowering citizens to take a leading role in the production of data, evidence and knowledge around mobility in their own neighbourhoods. The project was originally designed around in-person engagement and interaction with citizens in five European case studies, but it was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this pilot study, we conducted seven email interviews with internal project members. Data were analysed using content analysis, and five main themes emerged from the interviews: Recruitment (overall and of specific groups); Uncertainty; Logistics; Digital skills; and Blended approach. We report on the lessons learnt about online citizen recruitment and engagement to support future citizen science and other participatory research projects, not only during times of crisis, but also in deciding when it is and is not a good time to use online methods of recruitment and engagement.

Frameworks and Models for Digital Transformation in Engineering Education: A Literature Review Using a Systematic Approach

In response to the opportunities and challenges posed by rapid technological advancement, digital transformation (DT) has recently emerged as a key concept in higher engineering education. DT involves using digital technologies to transform educational and pedagogical practices to enhance the learning and teaching experiences, prepare students for the needs of industry, and foster innovation. Despite a growing number of small-scale empirical studies concentrating on digitalization at lower single-activity and classroom levels, the practices of traditional education largely remain. There is a need for more systematic and holistic frameworks to facilitate and guide DT in engineering education. This study reviews 13 studies, using a systematic approach to identify and analyze the literature on frameworks for DT of engineering education. Several characteristics are identified, including types of DT frameworks and models; drivers of DT; and digital learning tools and types. In addition, various anticipated outcomes of DT reported in the included studies are described at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Recommendations for future practices for engineering students, educators, and institutions and future research directions for engineering educational researchers are also proposed to support the further development of digital education.

Safety and effectiveness of Evicel® fibrin sealant as an adjunct to sutured dural repair in children undergoing cranial neurosurgery

PurposeCerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage is a challenging complication of intradural cranial surgery, and children are particularly at risk. The use of dural sealants confers protection in adults, but pediatric studies are scarce. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of Evicel® fibrin sealant as an adjunct to primary dural suturing in children undergoing cranial surgery.MethodsA multicenter trial prospectively enrolled pediatric subjects (< 18 years) undergoing cranial neurosurgery who, upon completion of primary sutured dural repair, experienced CSF leakage. As agreed by the EMA Evicel® Pediatric Investigation Plan, 40 subjects were intra-operatively randomized 2:1 to Evicel® or additional sutures (‘Sutures’). Data analysis was descriptive. The efficacy endpoint was treatment success rate, with success defined as intra-operative watertight closure after provocative Valsalva maneuver (primary endpoint). Safety endpoints were postoperative CSF leakage (incisional CSF leakage, pseudomeningocele or both) and surgical site complications (secondary endpoints).ResultsForty subjects (0.6–17 years) were randomized to Evicel® (N = 25) or Sutures (N = 15) (intention-to-treat). Intracranial tumor was the most common indication and procedures were mostly supratentorial craniotomies. Success rates were 92.0% for Evicel® and 33.3% for Sutures, with a 2.76 estimated ratio of success rates (Farrington-Manning 95% CI [1.53, 6.16]). Sensitivity analyses in per-protocol and safety sets showed similar results. Despite a higher rescue treatment rate, the frequencies of postoperative CSF leakage and wound complications were higher for Sutures than for Evicel®.ConclusionThis small-scale prospective study shows Evicel® treatment to be safe and effective as an adjunct to primary sutured dura mater closure in a pediatric population. Compared to additional sutures, Evicel® was associated with reduced postoperative CSF leakage and surgical site complications. (Trial registration: The trial was registered as NCT02309645 and EudraCT 2013-003558-26).

Working like Machines: Technological Upgrading and Labour in the Dutch Agri-food Chain

This article engages with the role of technological upgrading for work in agriculture, a sector commonly disregarded in debates about the future of work. Foregrounding migrant work in Dutch horticulture, it explores how technological innovation is connected to the scope and security of employment. Besides, it proposes a heuristic that connects workers’ experience to sectoral dynamics and the wider agri-food chain. Our analysis reads data from a small-scale qualitative study with different actors in the Dutch agri-food sector through the lens of the global value chain literature. Nuancing pessimistic predictions of widespread technological unemployment, we find product upgrading into high value-added products, and process upgrading, such as through climate control in greenhouses, to offer the potential for more and secure employment. However, higher work intensity and the dismantling of entitlements for rest and reproduction to ‘make people work like machines’ represent the underbelly of these dynamics.

Οικογενειακές γλωσσικές πολιτικές Αλβανών μεταναστών: το σύνθετο τοπίο της γλωσσικής χρήσης ανάμεσα σε γονείς και παιδιά

Τhe paper presents a small-scale study on eight families of Albanian immigrants living in Crete, Greece, and their family language policies. The study draws from Bernard Spolsky’s framework and more recent approaches which foreground the children’s agency in shaping the family’s language policies. Our findings corroborate previous research among Albanian families in Greece showing that despite the dominance of the Greek language among second-generation speakers, the ethnic language is still very much in use in many families. In this paper we focus on the various patterns which arise with regard to communication between parents and children and on the ways in which the children’s language dominance and preference seem to interfere with the parents’ desires to maintain the ethnic language at home.

Using interpersonal meaning making resources to build relationships and improve engagement in online teacher professional learning

AbstractAs professional learning and development (PLD) for teachers moves online, it is increasingly important to consider what constitutes effective provision. While models of effective PLD abound, online PLD faces challenges to participant engagement. In particular, the critical need to build and maintain relationships in professional learning is complicated by the geographic and temporal distribution of online participants as well as the nuances of the technology in use. We argue that online PLD occurs in collaborative text-spaces within learning management systems, social media spaces and their attendant learning objects such as forums. As such, persistent challenges to engagement in online PLD may be met by considering the language-based interpersonal affordances of these text-spaces. We employ a small-scale corpus study and appraisal analysis to demonstrate the value of Systemic Functional Linguistics in addressing the challenges of online learning, particularly how the meaning making resources of the interpersonal metafunction can be used to improve participant engagement.

Exploring the Affordances and Propensities of Multimodality in Narrative Pedagogies through Multimodal Ethnography

This paper seeks to reflect on the propensities and advantages of multimodality in teaching and learning, and its rich exploration through multimodal research. It will also report and reflect upon the findings of a small-scale multimodal ethnographic study that was conducted over one scholastic year. This investigated whether, and how, the use of multimodal creative productions can facilitate adolescents’ search for meaning through the re-configuration and re-imagination of life experiences shared in a classroom context. The pedagogical context of this research consisted of RE (Religious Education), and MLE (Media Literacy Education) classrooms, enabling an exploration into a possible fruitful dialogue between these two curricular subjects. Another related aim of this paper is to investigate how a narrative-hermeneutic approach to learning can facilitate meaning-making when applied to and through multimodal production tasks in RE and MLE. The results indicate that through multimodality, made possible by the advancement of creative digital technologies, narrative pedagogies can become more effective. This transpires from the fact that multimodality expands the range of resources available for students to construct and share their narratives, as it integrates the auditory, visual, gestural, linguistic, and spatial modes, augmenting the overall narrative experience. Moreover, this study shows that multimodality can facilitate meaning-making by promoting and nurturing a pedagogy for creative expression, a pedagogy of empathy and compassion, a pedagogy of agency and authenticity, a pedagogy of vulnerability, and a pedagogy through the use of metaphor. The paper also makes specific recommendations on how a narrative-hermeneutical approach through multimodality can promote the specified pedagogies in the context of the mentioned curricular subjects.

Embracing the Academic Change Caused by the Proliferation of Generative Artificial Intelligence Chatbots in Higher Education

The World Economic Forum (World Economic Forum 2020) projects that, by 2025, the reorganisation of labour between humans and machines could result in the displacement of 85 million jobs while also creating 97 million jobs that are better suited to the new division of labour involving machines and algorithms. The aim of this small-scale study was to provide a basic understanding of one of the latest technological advancements, the Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) chatbot (Taecharungroj 2023), and how it is influencing teaching and learning in higher education. A particular focus was given to understanding the effectiveness of this technology, its adoption process, and challenges or limitations that arose, all from the perspectives of academics and policy-makers. Utilising a pragmatic stance towards grounded theory, this study employed an inductive and abductive approach towards understanding the real-world problem, generating actionable insights as theory. Rubin and Rubin’s (2012) responsive interviewing method was chosen for the primary source of data collection, utilising convenience and purposive sampling to identify information-rich sources. Data was analysed through a constant comparative process and qualitative coding techniques within MAXQDA software. The emergent prepositions highlight the necessity of revising assessment methods and academic policies in higher education to maintain a strong academic integrity. They go as far as to recommend the integration of multi-faceted evaluations, the adjustment of plagiarism policies, and fostering a culture of continuous pedagogical improvement to ensure a balanced and effective approach towards the utilisation of AI tools in higher educational settings.

Diffusion tensor imaging analysis along the perivascular space in the UK biobank

BackgroundThe recently discovered glymphatic system may support the removal of neurotoxic proteins, mainly during sleep, that are associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease. Diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) has been suggested as a method to index the health of glymphatic system (with higher values indicating a more intact glymphatic system). Indeed, in small-scale studies the DTI-ALPS index has been shown to correlate with age, cognitive health, and sleep, and is higher in females than males. ObjectiveTo determine whether these relationships are stable we replicated previous findings associating the DTI-ALPS index with demographic, sleep-related, and cognitive markers in a large sample of participants from the UK Biobank. MethodsWe calculated the DTI-ALPS index in UK Biobank participants (n = 17723). Using Bayesian and Frequentist analysis approaches, we replicate previously reported relationships between the DTI-ALPS index. ResultsWe found the predicted associations between the DTI-ALPS index and age, longest uninterrupted sleep window (LUSWT) on a typical night, cognitive performance, and sex. However, these effects were substantially smaller than those found in previous studies. Parameter estimates from this study may be used as priors in subsequent studies using a Bayesian approach. These results suggest that the DTI-ALPS index is consistently, and therefore predictably, associated with demographics, LUWST, and cognition. ConclusionWe propose that the metric, calculated for the first time in a large-scale, population-based cohort, is a stable measure, but one for which stronger links to glymphatic system function are needed before it can be used to understand the relationships between glymphatic system function and health outcomes reported in the UK Biobank.

Empowering Learning Through Game Creation: Investigating the Impact of Educational Technology on Learners’ Engagement and Attainment Level in Subject-Based Game Design (Phase I)

Games are an engaging way for learners to acquire and retain information, and they can benefit from creating their own games based on the content they are studying. Although gamification-based learning is well-known for its popularity among learners in the 21st century, minimal research has been conducted on the strategy of engaging learners in student-led learning by having them create their own games for learning. In recent times, there has been an increase in interest among educators in utilising novel teaching methods to improve learners’ involvement and active participation, ultimately fostering a more profound understanding of the subject matter. The latter is in line with Fullan and Langworthy’s (2014) assertion that deep learning is crucial for assessment, not only for the purpose of accountability, but also for determining effective strategies to achieve new educational objectives. The combination of flipped learning and gamification has significant attention as an emerging strategy with the potential to transform traditional pedagogical and/or andragogical approaches. The concept of flipped learning entails reversing the conventional classroom structure, in which learners are exposed to instructional materials outside of class to conduct interviews, collect evidence related to the topic at hand, and then use the in-class time for interactive learning by analysing and comparing the data collected. Alternatively, gamification entails the application of game design elements and principles to non-game-related contexts. This small-scale study investigates the relationship between instructional game design and student creativity. Research demonstrates that learners who create instructional games are more creative. Statistically, learning outcomes may not differ, but users are more motivated to learn and want to continue studying. The study analysed prospective issues and proposed solutions for ensuring the consistency of flip game-based learning that engages and motivates learners across multiple disciplines. The objective is to investigate effective teaching and learning approaches based on an unconventional combination of flipped learning gamification methods with the potential to enhance learners’ learning process through continuous engagement and participation. In the context of Vocational Education and Training, this research aims to enable learners to create their own game concepts based on structured curriculum topics.

An evaluation of a Trauma-Informed Reflective Practice Group for NHS CAMHS staff

We know more about trauma – and its long-term impact – than ever before. This has led to a demand for services to better recognise the needs of trauma survivors in order to avoid re-traumatisation – a recognition that care needs to be ‘Tmuma-Infimied’. But, making the system-wide shift from ‘what is wrong with you?’ to ‘what has happened to you?’ is no small feat. As such, it is acknowledged that there needs to be effective ways to support staff to deliver competent trauma-informed care. The use of reflective practice is gaining increasing recognition as an exciting opportunity to align the principles of trauma-informed care with day-to-day clinical practice. This article presents the results of an evaluation of a Trauma-Informed Reflective Practice group pilot for staff working in an NHS CAMHS setting. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken to explore their experiences. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data. Five themes emerged relating to trauma-informed care:-Learning from the voice of lived experience, Translating Knowledge into Practice, Sharing is Caring, Growing in Confidence and Looking to the Future. The results suggest that trauma-informed group reflective practice can pay dividends in terms of supporting trauma-informed care. To build on the findings from this small-scale study, further research is recommended to investigate the impact of trauma-informed reflective practice.

Using DNA metabarcoding to characterize national scale diatom-environment relationships and to develop indicators in streams and rivers of the United States

Recent advancements in DNA techniques, metabarcoding, and bioinformatics could help expand the use of benthic diatoms in monitoring and assessment programs by providing relatively quick and increasingly cost-effective ways to quantify diatom diversity in environmental samples. However, such applications of DNA-based approaches are relatively new, and in the United States, unknowns regarding their applications at large scales exist because only a few small-scale studies have been done. Here, we present results from the first nationwide survey to use DNA metabarcoding (rbcL) of benthic diatoms, which were collected from 1788 streams and rivers across nine ecoregions spanning the conterminous USA. At the national scale, we found that diatom assemblage structure (1) was strongly associated with total phosphorus and total nitrogen concentrations, conductivity, and pH and (2) had clear patterns that corresponded with differences in these variables among the nine ecoregions. These four variables were strong predictors of diatom assemblage structure in ecoregion-specific analyses, but our results also showed that diatom-environment relationships, the importance of environmental variables, and the ranges of these variables within which assemblage changes occurred differed among ecoregions. To further examine how assemblage data could be used for biomonitoring purposes, we used indicator species analysis to identify ecoregion-specific taxa that decreased or increased along each environmental gradient, and we used their relative abundances of gene reads in samples as metrics. These metrics were strongly correlated with their corresponding variable of interest (e.g., low phosphorus diatoms with total phosphorus concentrations), and generalized additive models showed how their relationships compared among ecoregions. These large-scale national patterns and nine sets of ecoregional results demonstrated that diatom DNA metabarcoding is a robust approach that could be useful to monitoring and assessment programs spanning the variety of conditions that exist throughout the conterminous United States.

Supports and Barriers to Experiential Learning Participation in Arts Higher Education

Supports and Barriers to Experiential Learning Participation in Arts Higher Education

A comparison of chain-of-thought reasoning strategies across datasets and models

Emergent chain-of-thought (CoT) reasoning capabilities promise to improve the performance and explainability of large language models (LLMs). However, uncertainties remain about how reasoning strategies formulated for previous model generations generalize to new model generations and different datasets. In this small-scale study, we compare different reasoning strategies induced by zero-shot prompting across six recently released LLMs (davinci-002, davinci-003, GPT-3.5-turbo, GPT-4, Flan-T5-xxl and Cohere command-xlarge). We test them on six question-answering datasets that require real-world knowledge application and logical verbal reasoning, including datasets from scientific and medical domains. Our findings demonstrate that while some variations in effectiveness occur, gains from CoT reasoning strategies remain robust across different models and datasets. GPT-4 benefits the most from current state-of-the-art reasoning strategies and performs best by applying a prompt previously discovered through automated discovery.

Teaching Strategies Strengthening EFL Learners’ Self-Confidence in Speaking Learning Dynamics

Studies on effective speaking teaching strategies have caught mushrooming attention in these last two decades. This is not happening by incidental matters as globalized educationalists are still having arduous moments in devising more suitable, enjoyable, and relatable speaking learning strategies that can maximize EFL learners’ self-confidence. According to previous researchers, self-confidence is one of the propelling factors enabling EFL learners to gain more advanced communication proficiency levels since they possess a higher level of preparedness in confronting a wide variety of challenging speaking learning enterprises. This small-scale library study employed a thematic analysis approach while analyzing a certain number of identical research results produced by prior 25 speaking investigations published worldwide. By utilizing this research method, the researcher can potentially yield more relevant, contextual, and comprehensible research outcomes due to an iterative data analysis conducted before initiating more specific research theme groupings. Based on the thematically categorized research results, second language educators can progressively inculcate robust speaking self-confidence among EFL learners upon the activation of more authentic and enjoyable speaking learning activities. More comprehensive delineations regarding these two speaking learning methodologies can be discerned in the ensuing parts of this research paper

Raccoons and opossums respond similarly to high and low development in the East Texas Pineywoods

Over the last half-century, cities across the southeastern United States have experienced consistent human population growth, which has increased the rate of urban sprawl and subsequent habitat fragmentation with resource subsidies from development. The northern raccoon (Procyon lotor) and Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) are mesopredators commonly associated with and benefiting from urbanized areas. We conducted a small-scale study of raccoons and opossums within the Nacogdoches, Texas, in January 2014. We captured and marked individual raccoons and opossums and used occupancy and spatial-capture-recapture models to examine habitat use, detection, and population density in high- and low-density urban study areas. We predicted to find high densities of each mesopredator, relative to other studies in larger metropolitan areas. We also expected to find a response to landscape features in the high-development study area to be closely associated with anthropogenic features and proximity to water, but less pronounced in the low-development study area. Contrary to our predictions, the detectability of each species in the high-development study area had a positive association with areas further from buildings, and raccoon habitat use had a positive association farther from natural water. Similarly, in the low-development study area, we found raccoon detectability had a positive association with areas farther from the urban edge and opossums had a positive association with areas with smaller forest patches (i.e., edge habitat). We were able to estimate 13.66 raccoons/km2 (95% CI 7.10–26.30) in the high-development study area and 12.55 opossums/km2 (95% CI 04.36–36.15) in the low-development study area. Our results indicate high densities of each species, and the first urban density of Virginia opossum using spatial-capture-recapture methods which further supports that these mesopredators are adapted to and benefit from urban-derived resources in urban areas. This study highlights the adaptability of these small mesopredators and the need for managers to consider adaptive strategies across different urban intensities as the ecology of these species may differ as compared to larger cities.

Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery resident and medical school characteristics: Current paradigm amidst changing application criteria

PurposeTo determine the characteristics of current US Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (Oto-HNS) residents and their medical school. MethodsData were manually collected between Dec 2022 and Jan 2023 for 1649 residents attending 163 US-based ACGME accredited Oto-HNS residency programs, reflecting the 2018–2022 cohort. All data were collected from publicly available sources including residency and medical school program websites, web of science, and professional networking sites (ex: LinkedIn, Doximity). Data were analyzed to determine the “feeder” schools which contributed the greatest number and percent of residents. Using univariable linear regression models, we characterized factors which were associated with feeder school status. ResultsOf 1649 residents analyzed, 364 (22 %) matched to their home program and 918 (56 %) stayed in the region of their medical school. The median [IQR] number of published papers and abstracts was 5 [3, 9] with an h-index of 2 [1,4]. Factors associated with producing a greater percent of Oto-HNS residents include presence of an interest group, presence of a home program, USNWR research rank of the medical school, Doximity reputation rank of the home residency program, average pre-residency h-index of the school's graduates, and total NIH research funding (each p < 0.001). ConclusionsIn the changing landscape of residency applications after the USMLE Step 1 exam's transition in January 2022 to pass/fail scoring, it is important to objectively characterize current Oto-HNS residents. Findings from this study will inform prospective residents and residency programs seeking to improve access to Oto-HNS. Future small-scale studies may help further identify driving factors within medical school curricula.

Adolescents’ and teachers’ experience of shared education: a small-scale qualitative study in Northern Ireland

ABSTRACT This article explores adolescents’ and teachers’ interpretations of shared education through interviews with participating teachers and pupils in one school partnership in Northern Ireland. As an initiative explicitly designed to bring pupils from Catholic and majority Protestant schools together, shared education offers potential for building intergroup relations in Northern Ireland where, despite a peace agreement in 1998, life continues to be characterised by deep political and cultural division. Drawing on the qualitative data from the two participating schools, the research reveals the complexities of contact amongst adolescents in divided contexts so that, although some students frame shared education experiences in positive terms, others are discomfited by the process and report negative experiences. It argues that as adolescents’ tendency towards self-consciousness and social unease may be intensified in shared education programmes, more attention might be placed on their unique characteristics when designing and planning shared classes.

Perceptions of data literacy and data literacy education

In the era of digital transformation, data literacy has emerged as a critical competency for organisations, driving a demand for skilled professionals. Despite a shortage of data-literate talent, universities struggle to align their curricula with industry needs, prompting a call for improved data literacy education. Recognising the contextual nuances of this skill set, a one-size-fits-all approach falls short. To address this gap, the authors advocate for a comprehensive exploration of perspectives from key stakeholders such as business advisors, students, teachers, and researchers. Understanding diverse needs and expectations of stakeholders is crucial in identifying deficiencies in data literacy education, paving the way for enhancements in university programmes. The reported study is the preliminary phase of a larger ongoing project in which grounded theory methodology is used to explore the question of ‘how can data literacy education be improved?’. The authors report on a small-scale study (eight interviews) aimed at exploring the perspectives on data literacy definition, competencies, and challenges with two representatives of each of four groups of stakeholders in data literacy education: students, business advisors, educators, and researchers. One common challenge identified among participants is the lack of data literacy and critical thinking skills, as well as a lack of awareness of the importance of data analysis. Although participants were aware that different businesses may need different data literacy skills, they were not able to articulate what those differences might be. The study underscores the need for the development of frameworks to help guide and advance data literacy education.

The first genetically confirmed cohort of Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy from Northern India

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is the third most common form of hereditary myopathy. Sixty per cent of the world’s population lives in Asia, so a significant percentage of the world’s FSHD participants is expected to live there. To date, most FSHD studies have involved individuals of European descent, yet small-scale studies of East-Asian populations suggest that the likelihood of developing FSHD may vary. Here, we present the first genetically confirmed FSHD cohort of Indian ancestry, which suggests a pathogenic FSHD1 allele size distribution intermediate between European and North-East Asian populations and more asymptomatic carriers of 4 unit and 5 unit FSHD1 alleles than observed in European populations. Our data provides important evidence of differences relevant to clinical diagnostics and underscores the need for global FSHD participation in research and trial-ready Indian FSHD cohorts.