abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of instructor response prompts and rubrics on students' performance in an asynchronous discussion-board assignment, their learning achievement on an objective-type posttest, and their reported satisfaction levels. Researchers who have studied asynchronous computer-mediated student discussion transcripts have found evidence of mostly mid-level critical thinking skills, with fewer examples limited to lower or higher order thinking skill demonstration. Some researchers suggest that instructors may facilitate increased demonstration of higher-order critical thinking skills within asynchronous discussion-board activities. However, there is little empirical evidence available to compare the use of different external supports to facilitate students' critical thinking skills performance and learning achievement in blended learning environments. Results of the present study indicate that response prompts and rubrics can affect students' discussion performance, learning, and satisfaction ratings. The results, however, are complex, perhaps mirroring the complexity of instructor-led online learning environments. Regarding discussion board performance, presenting students with a rubric tended to yield higher scores on most aspects that is, on overall performance, as well as depth and breadth of performance, though these differences were not significant. In contrast, instructor prompts tended to yield lower scores on aspects of discussion board performance. On breadth, in fact, this main effect difference was significant. Interactions also indicated significant differences on several aspects of discussion board performance, in most cases indicating that the combination of rubric and prompt was detrimental to scores. The learning performance on the quiz showed, again, the effectiveness of rubrics, with students who received the rubric earning significantly higher scores, and with no main effects or interactions for instructor prompts. Regarding student satisfaction, again, the picture is complicated. Results indicated that, in some instances, the integration of prompts resulted in lower satisfaction ratings, particularly in the areas of students' perceptions of the amount of work required, learning in the partially online format, and student-to-student interaction. Based on these results, design considerations to support rubric use and explicit feedback in asynchronous discussions to support student learning are proposed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Technology 2012

A pesquisa permeia a contabilidade e autogestão existentes nos empreendimentos econômicos solidários, em que o modelo de gestão é democrático e participativo e requer ferramentas contábeis compatíveis com suas características. O objetivo é verificar se a aplicação de técnica de ensino-aprendizagem contábil baseada nas rotinas gerenciais e demandas dos usuários contribui com a decodificação da informação contábil, colaborando com o controle gerencial dos empreendimentos. Assim, foi feito experimento em que no pré-teste foi analisado o entendimento contábil no que tange ao conteúdo informacional, sua utilidade e domínio. No pós-teste foi feita análise dos efeitos da aplicação da técnica sobre esses entendimentos. O estudo foi realizado com 16 cooperativas pertencentes à Incubadora Social da Universidade Federal de Goiás e a coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevistas estruturadas, observações e análise de registros. Estas foram transcritas e analisadas pelo método de análise de conteúdo, que consistiu em organizar categorias conceituais representantes do entendimento contábil testado, designada pela ocorrência ou expressão nos dados transcritos. A análise dos resultados foi feita pelo teste não-paramétrico, Postos Sinalizados de Wilcoxon. Os resultados apresentados não demonstraram diferenças significativas com relação ao entendimento contábil dos diretores e não diretores antes e depois da intervenção. Limitações como amostra e a rotatividade de pessoas na cooperativa denotam a necessidade de haver formações recorrentes para os cooperados. Para futuras pesquisas fica o tempo de curso ser prolongado permitindo a participação recorrente e de mais cooperados. Como implicações práticas têm-se a percepção dos cooperados na necessidade de ter e entender as ferramentas e controles para administrar à cooperativa. / The research permeates the existing accounting and self-management in solidarity economic enterprises in the management model is democratic and participatory and requires accounting tools compatible with its features. The objective is to verify whether the application of accounting teaching-learning technique based on management routines and demands of users contribute to the decoding of accounting information, collaborating with the management control of enterprises. So it was done experiment in which the pre-test was analyzed accounting understanding with respect to information content, its usefulness and domain. In the post-test was made analysis of the effects of the technical application of these understandings. The study was conducted with 16 cooperatives belonging to the Social Incubator of the Federal University of Goiás and the data collection was carried out through structured interviews, observations, and analysis of records. These were transcribed and analyzed by the method of analysis of content, which consisted of representatives of the organizing conceptual categories accounting understanding tested, designated by the occurrence or expression in the transcribed data. The analysis was done by non-parametric test, Wilcoxon Signed Posts. The results presented showed no significant differences with respect to the accounting understanding of the directors and not officers before and after the intervention. Limitations as sample and turnover of people in the cooperative denote the need for recurrent training for the members. For future research is the time course be extended allowing the applicant and more cooperative participation. How practical implications have the perception of the cooperative members on the need to have and understand the tools and controls to manage the cooperative.

The purpose of this study was to provide an initial evaluation of the effect of ‘Together for Sweden’s (TFS) storytelling method regarding anti-religious prejudice, based on a social identity perspective. Furthermore, the aim was to understand the possible self-perceived changes that the storytelling method contributes to regarding anti-religious prejudice. The study applied a mixed-method approach with a quasi-experimental design. The quantitative data collection consisted of a pre-and posttest with an experiment and control condition. The qualitative data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews with participants from the experiment condition. The quantitative results point to a positive self-perceived change in anti-religious prejudice. However, the change was small and not statistically significant in relation to the control condition. The qualitative find suggests that for some participants, the storytelling could provide an opportunity for a positive intergroup contact, counter-examples, counter-stereotypic information as well as addressing the categorization process through multiple and shared group memberships. The qualitative findings also point to a change regarding the view of religious people but not concerning the view of religion. This, together with a mixed response regarding affective shifts and a lack of intentional shifts, can help to explain the quantitative results. The findings of the study address the need to evaluate prejudice-reduction intervention in a school context as well as the need to test a social identity perspective outside a laboratory context. It also provided a first and tentative assessment of TFS’ storytelling method, which can contribute to a further adjustment of the method or future in-schools interventions.

BACKGROUND: India—one of the most significant antibiotic users in the world with a high burden of antibiotic resistance—does not have a formal antibiotic surveillance system. No formal studies exist on the sub-national differences in antibiotic use in India except for small hospital or community-based studies. Informed by the WHO Global Action Plan, India developed a national action plan; however only two states have state action plans so far. This suggests that it is important to understand existing antibiotic consumption patterns, sub- national differences and trends over time, and the determinants of antibiotic use so that evidence-informed action plans and programs can be developed in India. AIM: To understand the changing landscape of antibiotic use in India and contribute to relevant policy and programmatic interventions that can improve the appropriate use of antibiotics in the country. Specific objectives included examining the use of systemic antibiotic consumption at the national level, analyzing geographical and temporal variations across states between 2011 and 2019, and understanding the determinants of antibiotic consumption. Additionally, we examined Kerala as a case study to understand the use and availability of data in designing, implementing, and monitoring the state antibiotic action plan. METHODOLOGY: First, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of antibiotic use in 2019 using the WHO Access-Watch-Reserve (AWaRe) and Defined Daily Doses (DDD) matrices at the national level across product type (Fixed-Dose Combinations [FDCs]; and single formulations [SF]), essentiality (listed in the national list of essential medicines [NLEM]; and not listed), and central regulatory approval status (approved and unapproved). Second, we analyzed trends in consumption rates and patterns at the national, state, and groups of states at different levels of health achievements (‘high focus’ [HF]; and ‘non-high focus’ [nHF]) and compared the appropriateness of use between states and state groups. Third, using a cross-sectional, time series (panel) dataset on antibiotic use, per-capita GDP, per-capita government spending on health, girls' tertiary education enrollment ratio, measles vaccination coverage, and lower respiratory tract infection incidence for the period 2011- 2019, we conducted a quasi- experimental fixed-effects analysis to understand the critical determinants of antibiotic use. Finally, we conducted key-informant interviews and document analysis to understand the use of data in policy formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the Kerala state action plan. RESULTS: India's per-capita private-sector antibiotic consumption rate was lower than global rates, but the country has a high consumption rate of broad-spectrum antibiotics, FDCs discouraged by WHO, formulations outside NLEM in FDCs, and unapproved formulations. The overall rate increased from 2011 to 2016 and decreased between 2016 and 2019, registering a net decrease of 3.6%. State consumption rates varied widely— with HF states reporting lower rates. The inappropriate use increased over the years, the share of Access antibiotics decreased (13.1%), and the access-to-watch ratio declined (from 0.59 to 0.49). HF and nHF states showed convergence in the share of the Access and the Access-Watch ratio, while they showed divergence in the use of WHO Discouraged FDCs. The most critical independent determinant of antibiotic use was government spending on health—for every US$12.9 increase in per-capita government spending on health, antibiotic use decreased by 461.4 doses per 1000 population per year after adjusting for other factors. Economic progress (increase in per-capita GDP) and social progress (increase in girls' higher education) were also found to reduce antibiotic use independently. The qualitative case study showed that stakeholders understand and express interest in generating and using data for decision- making, and the action plan document mentions some basic monitoring plans. However, a monitoring and evaluation framework is missing, there is a lack of engagement with the private sector, and there is a lack of understanding among key government policymakers on the importance of using data for surveillance and policy implementation. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: There is significant and increasing inappropriate antibiotic use in India's private sector, accounting for 85-90% of total antibiotic use. Increased government spending on health is critical in reducing private-sector antibiotic use. The dearth of data on public sector use is a significant challenge in understanding the total consumption rate. Developing a monitoring and evaluation system through stakeholder engagement is necessary for Indian States to inform, monitor, and evaluate effective antibiotic action plans. We need global efforts to improve the science and methods to measure antibiotic use. / 2023-08-30T00:00:00Z

The present study provides an example of implementing the difference in differences (DD) estimator for a two-group, pretest-posttest design with K-12 educational intervention data. The goal is to explore the basis for causal inference via Rubin's potential outcomes framework. The DD method is introduced to educational researchers, as it is seldom implemented in educational research. DD analytic methods' mathematical formulae and assumptions are explored to understand the opportunity and the challenges of using the DD estimator for causal inference in educational research. For this example, the teacher intervention effect is estimated with multi-cohort student outcome data. First, the DD method is used to detect the average treatment effect (ATE) with linear regression as a baseline model. Second, the analysis is repeated using linear regression with cluster robust standard errors. Finally, a linear mixed effects analysis is provided with a random intercept model. Resulting standard errors, parameter estimates, and inferential statistics are compared among these three analyses to explore the best holistic analytic method for this context.

As frequently as it occurs before elections that politicians give a united image of their potential coalition, previous studies have manly focused on explaining why coalitions of parties come to existence in the first place. However, previous scholars have not studied whether the demonstration of unity within a political bloc before an election affects the voters. The purpose of this study is to examine this aspect of politics through the following hypotheses:  H0: The demonstration of unity within a bloc before an election has no influence on how voters vote. H1: The demonstration of unity within a bloc before an election increases voters' willingness to vote for the most united bloc. The hypotheses were examined through quasi-experimental design and the study was conducted on university students. The result indicates that the demonstration of unity in a political bloc before an election has no significant effect on voting behavior, thus confirming the H0. However, further studies are suggested before confirming the result.

Grounded in sociocultural theory, peer feedback can help students engage in interaction and negotiation of meaning, which serve as a basis for the construction of knowledge (Vygotsky, 1978). It can also contribute to the development of self-regulation, as well as of reflection on one's own learning (Doolittle & Hicks, 2003). Its strategic incorporation into foreign language instruction can help students use the language they are in the process of acquiring to mediate language acquisition (Shrum & Glisan, 2005). Research shows that peer feedback can help students develop and advance their Zone of Proximal Development through their engagement in collaborative interaction with their peers (De Guerrero & Villamil, 1994, 2000; Donato, 2004; Lantolf, 2004; Lantolf & Thorne, 2006; Liu & Hansen, 2005). Peer feedback can also help students improve their writing proficiency, including organization of their texts and awareness of the mechanics of the language necessary for successful communication of the intended message (Kinsler, 1990; Hu, 2005; Williams, 2005). Framed within a sociocultural perspective on foreign language learning and development, and following a manuscript approach, this dissertation consists of a series of studies that aim to explore: (a) whether participation in a peer feedback experience has a positive impact on students’ foreign language writing proficiency; (b) whether guidelines plus training in how to provide meaningful feedback have a different impact on students’ foreign language writing proficiency than guidelines alone; (c) around what themes students focus the feedback they provide to their peers; and (d) what students’ perceptions of the peer feedback experience are. The results of the first the study, which consisted of a pre-test post-test quasi-experimental design, showed that students significantly improved their writing proficiency after participating in a peer feedback experience, regardless of training. Further the results of this study indicated that, on average, trained and untrained students provided written peer feedback focused mainly on global aspects rather than local aspects. The results of the second study, which consisted of a mixed methods approach, showed that, on average, students had high perceptions of the peer feedback experience and that they perceived that their partner's feedback had helped them improve the global aspects of their composition more than the local aspects. Students expressed that what they liked the most about the experience was getting a different perspective on their writing, and what they liked the least was that they felt they were not proficient enough in the foreign language to provide meaningful feedback to their peers. / Ph. D.

This dissertation focuses on identifying the poor in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the potential of social assistance programs to address their condition. Each essay is related to one particular key step of the poverty alleviation agenda: poverty definition and measurement in Zimbabwe; targeting poor households in Cameroon; and impact evaluation of anti-poverty interventions in Niger. The first essay explores changes in poverty across multiple dimensions in a period of dramatic economic crisis and recovery in Zimbabwe. The essay analyzes changes in household well-being between 2001, 2007 and 2011/12, using an Alkire-Foster multidimensional poverty index. Results indicate a large increase in multidimensional poverty across between 2001 and 2007, followed by a (smaller) decrease in poverty between 2007 and 2011/12 (recovery period after the hyperinflation peak in 2008). However, decomposition of the index shows significantly different trends in poverty dimensions over time, as for instance health related dimensions continued to deteriorate after 2007. The second essay contributes to the policy debate on targeting by studying the ex-post efficiency of two targeting mechanisms employed in a cash transfer project in rural Cameroon: Proxy Means Testing (PMT) and community targeting. Results show a poor performance of community targeting in selecting households with low per capita consumption, compared to PMT targeting—whose errors remain high nonetheless. Communities tend to select small, isolated households with low physical and human capital, regardless of their actual consumption level, but produce variable outcomes. Overall results suggest that a higher coverage contributes to reducing targeting errors, and that better guidance should be provided to communities if the policy objective is to select low per capita consumption individuals. The third essay investigate whether cash transfers induce investments in assets and productive activities that survive the termination of program payments using data from an unconditional cash transfer project in Niger 18 months after its termination. Based on quasi-experimental methods, results indicate that local saving/credit systems (tontines) participation and livestock ownership significantly increased among project participants. There is also evidence of improvement in private assets, micro-enterprises and agriculture. The findings imply that cash transfer programs can have long-term sustainable impacts in rural SSA. / Ph. D.

Yes / Early interventions are recognised as key to improving life chances for children and reducing inequalities in health and well-being, however there is a paucity of high quality research into the effectiveness of interventions to address childhood health and development outcomes. Planning and implementing standalone RCTs for multiple, individual interventions would be slow, cumbersome and expensive. This paper describes the protocol for an innovative experimental birth cohort: Born in Bradford’s Better Start (BiBBS) that will simultaneously evaluate the impact of multiple early life interventions using efficient study designs. Better Start Bradford (BSB) has been allocated £49 million from the Big Lottery Fund to implement 22 interventions to improve outcomes for children aged 0–3 in three key areas: social and emotional development; communication and language development; and nutrition and obesity. The interventions will be implemented in three deprived and ethnically diverse inner city areas of Bradford. Method: The BiBBS study aims to recruit 5000 babies, their mothers and their mothers’ partners over 5 years from January 2016-December 2020. Demographic and socioeconomic information, physical and mental health, lifestyle factors and biological samples will be collected during pregnancy. Parents and children will be linked to their routine health and local authority (including education) data throughout the children’s lives. Their participation in BSB interventions will also be tracked. BiBBS will test interventions using the Trials within Cohorts (TwiCs) approach and other quasi-experimental designs where TwiCs are neither feasible nor ethical, to evaluate these early life interventions. The effects of single interventions, and the cumulative effects of stacked (multiple) interventions on health and social outcomes during the critical early years will be measured. Discussion: The focus of the BiBBS cohort is on intervention impact rather than observation. As far as we are aware BiBBS is the world’s first such experimental birth cohort study. While some risk factors for adverse health and social outcomes are increasingly well described, the solutions to tackling them remain elusive. The novel design of BiBBS can contribute much needed evidence to inform policy makers and practitioners about effective approaches to improve health and well-being for future generations. / Big Lottery

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is used worldwide to improve the quality of patient care to provide cost-effective care. EBP is a mandate for nursing practice combining individual clinical judgment with available expertise to generate a positive outcome for the patient. Investigators have documented that nurses have varying degrees of confidence and knowledge about EBP. The purpose of this project was to improve knowledge of EBP among registered nurses (RNs). The ACE Star Model of Knowledge transformation was used as the conceptual model. The key project question was to assess the level of knowledge and confidence about EBP among RNs in a cardio-thoracic (CT) intensive care unit (ICU) before and after viewing a computer-based EBP educational module. The quasi-experimental project used a 1 group pretest-posttest design. In the pretest, a convenience sample (n = 29) completed ACE-ERI competencies to self-assess confidence in EBP and an EBP Knowledge Test. The participants then viewed an EBP educational module based on major steps in EBP practice. Afterward, they repeated both tests. As a group, the paired t test showed a significant increase in scores for the ACE-ERI competencies between pretest and posttest scores. Using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, knowledge scores increased but were not statistically significant. These findings suggested that there was improvement in both confidence and knowledge supporting the use of the educational module. In order to effectively implement EBP, nurses require knowledge to assess the quality and evidence for improved patient outcome. These results can guide administrators and educators to enhance RN EBP by the use of educational modules to improve the quality of patient care creating positive social change.