Bridging the digital divide among low income urban communities. Leveraging use of Community Technology Centers

To fully leverage the availability of the internet services in Kenya, all the citizens need to be able to access and use the internet and related services. The availability of 4G networks, cyber cafés and fiber connectivity in most residential areas of Nairobi has allowed many Nairobi residents to be part of its information-based society. But, as with the other existing social inequalities in Nairobi, many people residing in the city’s low-income areas lack access to the internet. This has a negative impact on the residents’ prospects as the governments and businesses are increasingly delivering their services online. Using a pre-tested questionnaire, data were collected from five hundred and fifty respondents on their internet access and digital literacy skills among the residents of the Mathare Slum. From the survey, the study found existence of limited digital literacy skills and lack of internet access among the residents of the Mathare Slum. The study then used the Community Technology Centers (CTCs) intervention approach to narrowing the digital divide by setting up a CTC in the Mathare Slum to offer free community internet access and digital literacy skills training. Eight cohorts, each of eighteen residents, were offered free digital literacy training for five weeks and free unlimited internet access for four months. The study then evaluated the trainees’ internet usage continuance intentions after four months of continued use of the internet at the CTC. The results indicate that perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, internet self-efficacy, and confirmation of expectations all significantly influence the participants’ satisfaction with use of the internet. The results also show that continuance intentions of the participants from low income household to continue using internet beyond the CTC can be predicted by perceived service cost, satisfaction, internet self-efficacy and perceived usefulness. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of CTCs as an intervention approach and a replicable model that can be used to bridge the urban digital divide among low income urban communities for the development of an all-inclusive information-based society. Implications and recommendations for policy, practice and research are provided.     

Effect of inquiry-based instruction enriched with origami activities on achievement,and self-efficacy in geometry

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of inquiry-based instruction enriched with origami activities on 7th grade students’ achievement in reflection symmetry and self-efficacy in geometry. Two classes, instructed by the first author of the paper, were randomly assigned as experimental and control groups. In order to gather data, participants were administered Reflection Symmetry Achievement Test, and Geometry Self-Efficacy Scale as pre-test and post-test. The Analysis of Covariance was performed in order to answer the research questions. Moreover, five participants were interviewed to examine self-efficacy sources which are determinant of the change in self-efficacy levels. Findings revealed that the inquiry-based instruction enriched with origami activities had a significantly positive effect on students’ achievement in reflection symmetry and self-efficacy in geometry. Interviews showed that all four sources were influenced by the intervention.     

“Likes” as KPI: An examination of teenage girls’ perspective on peer feedback on Instagram and its influence on coping response

Through a survey of 296 female students in Singapore aged 12–18?years regarding their selfie-posting behaviors on Instagram, this study explored teenage girls’ perspectives on the importance of receiving peer feedback on selfies. The associations between peer feedback importance and self-esteem as well as depressed mood were also examined. Drawing on coping theory, this study further investigated how the importance of peer feedback and depressed mood influence girls’ coping responses to the stress from lacking feedback. The results of structural equation modeling demonstrate that self-esteem exerts a negative effect on the importance of peer feedback and depressed mood, but the importance of peer feedback is positively associated with depressed mood. In addition, both the importance of peer feedback and depressed mood positively impact problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies. The results suggest that peer feedback has become a “KPI” of selfie-posting behaviors for teenage girls, and these girls handle the involved stress by a concomitant adoption of both types of coping.     

Success-factors in transition to university mathematics

This study examines different factors' relative importance for students' performance in the transition to university mathematics. Students' characteristics (motivation, actions and beliefs) were measured when entering the university and at the end of the first year. Principal component analysis revealed four important constructs: Self-efficacy, Motivation type, Study habits and Views of mathematics. Subsequently, orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS) analysis was used for measuring the constructs' ability to predict students' university mathematics grades. No individual constructs measured at the time of entrance predicted more than 5% of the variation. On the other hand, jointly they predicted 14%, which is almost in pair with upper secondary grades predicting 17%. Constructs measured at the end of the first year were stronger predictors, jointly predicting 37% of the variation in university grades, with Self-efficacy (21%) and Motivation (12%) being the two strongest individual predictors. In general, Study habits were not important for predicting university achievement. However, for students with low upper secondary grades, the textbook and interaction with peers, rather than internet-based resources, contributed positively to achievement. The association between Views of mathematics and performance was weak for all groups and non-existing for students with low grades.     

Student outcomes from a long-term outreach program working in rural and low-income schools

The outreach program in the University of Otago Chemistry Department, focus in the FACS Chemical Education Award Lecture, has been running for more than 10 years. Over that time, it has worked in schools around New Zealand as well as delivering workshops at the Madam Curie High School Chemistry Camp in Taiwan and partnerships with a number of teacher training institutes in Malaysia. In addition to supporting schools and teachers in their chemistry teaching. The program also develops a wide range of skills and attitudes among the chemistry student volunteers who work delivering hands on activities. An overview of the program, the approach taken, and some examples of the activities will be followed by results of student interviews as they reflect on their development and learning.     

Effect of non‐normality on the power in analysis of variance: A simulation study

The use of simulation methods for calculating the power values in the case of non‐normal errors is discussed. One and two‐way layouts are considered for the fixed effect model. The Erlangian and contaminated normal distribution are taken as examples of a non‐normal error distribution. The results obtained by these methods are given in tables 1 and 2 which indicate that for inference concerning means the power calculated under normal theory is only slightly affected by the non‐normality of the errors.     

新生代农民工社会网络对创业动机的影响研究

研究以新生代农民工为调查对象,通过问卷调查获得有效数据219份,运用层次回归法分析数据.结果表明,社会网络对创业动机具有正向影响,创业自我效能感在社会网络的部分子维度和创业动机间存在中介效应,主观规范正向调节创业自我效能感与创业动机的关系.据此,提出拓宽该群体的社交网络、加大创业培训支持力度以及营造良好的创业氛围等对策建议.     

护理本科生自我效能感与职业价值观的相关性研究

目的:探讨护理本科生自我效能感与职业价值观状况及相应关系.方法:采用自我效能感量表和职业价值观量表对364名护生进行问卷调查.结果:护生自我效能感得分在年级分布上没有差异(P>0.05),在学生干部上有显著差异(P<0.05).自我效能感与职业价值观存在显著正相关.结论:本科护生自我效能感随着年级的升高未得到显著提高....     

学习策略、自我效能感在不同情境下对成绩的影响

为了探索学习策略、自我效能感在不同情境下对成绩的预测作用,选取401名初二学生和361名高二学生作为比较研究的被试,以问卷调查的方式收集数据,主要结果为1)初二和高二学生的认知策略在元认知策略与成绩间的中介作用不同;2)资源管理策略4个方面均能预测初二学生的成绩,只有努力管理、时间管理策略可预测高二学生的成绩;3)自我效能感对初二、高二学生成绩均有预测作用.结果表明在不同情景下学习策略对成绩的预测作用有差异,而自我效能感对其的预测作用较稳定.