No description available.

Video games as a system are composed of two component systems: the player and the game. The interaction between these two create specific gameplay experiences which can be described mechanically by player actions and gameplay challenges. We systematically look at potential player actions (as defined by basic cognitive and motor abilities) and gameplay challenges to understand how they relate to each other. We quantify these relationships by the importance of each action to the completion of a challenge. We summarize these relationships in several tables, separated by controller context. From these tables we draw conclusions about areas for novel gameplay, game analysis, and the impact of challenge design on people of differing abilities by examining trends in the data. We end by exploring ways to improve our methodology, refine our data, and other avenues to explore in the future. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

This research explores how midlife women found the strength and resilience that enabled them to rebound and grow as they negotiated significant life challenges in their marriage, and with their children, parents, careers, and health. Using a family resilience framework grounded in systems theory with a feminist perspective, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 18 diverse women between the ages of 40 and 60 years in different regions of the United States. The phenomenological method of inquiry allowed the researcher to gather the experiences of midlife women in order to understand the protective processes of resilience for overcoming adversity. Three research questions guided this study: (1) How have women dealt with an adverse experience or challenging transition in their adult married life and where did the strength or resilience they needed to rise above it come from? (2) How did they use their resilience in challenging situations? (3) How did this challenging experience influence their marriage and how was the experience affected by their marriage? Results suggest that the participants' core beliefs facilitated how they made meaning of their struggle and influenced their response to their challenges. The themes they discussed fell into beliefs that were organized as affiliative values, facilitative beliefs and transcendent spiritual beliefs. These belief systems described how they made sense of their challenges. Themes related to the importance of connectedness and relationships also occurred frequently in the narratives of these midlife women as they developed resilience. As expected, marriage was important to the majority of the women as they discussed the importance of emotional support, but their sense of well-being was also greatly influenced by other close relationships in their communities with friends, family, children, and role models. Work and education emerged as significant themes in the women's appraisal of their challenges, beliefs, and connectedness as they described their sense of resilience. Resilience was fostered when these women made connections between their past, present, and future and integrated their experiences, their beliefs, relationships, and resources. / Ph. D.

Teachers encounter numerous challenges within their first years of teaching. More support needs to be provided to assist novice teachers with navigating challenges that have been persistent in the literature on novice teachers. This study considered how engaging in guided reflective inquiry could support novice teachers' abilities to notice and respond to the challenges they encounter. In particular, this study explored the different identities from which novice teachers can draw inspiration to understand how they may support or constrain the process of responding to challenges. Participating in guided reflective inquiry encouraged novice teachers to explore their responses to individual "wobble moments" (Fecho, 2011) and view those uncertainties as moments of growth. The theories of dialogism (Bakhtin, 1981) and dialogical self theory (Hermans and Hermans-Konopka, 2010) provided a lens through which meanings were created from the generated data. This study focused on six novice teachers within their first three years of full-time teaching and implemented elements of transactional analysis (Stewart, 2011) to analyze the narratives, memos, reflections, and interview discussions generated from the participant and researcher. The ways in which novice teachers noticed the challenges they encountered, used the concept of wobble to engage in dialogue with those challenges, and considered how the exploration of one's identity supported or constrained that process were examined in this study. Three generated understandings indexed the importance of enacting approaches to teacher induction that better support novice teachers: (1) challenges encountered by the participants aligned with persistent struggles that have been well-documented in the literature on teacher challenges, (2) participant responses to wobble moments involved a two-step process of an initial reaction and a decided-upon action, and (3) participant developing teacher identities were influenced by numerous aspects of their dialogical self. The implications of this study point to the need to enact approaches to teacher induction that use guided reflective inquiry as an adaptable structure to support novice teachers' abilities to bring their identities into dialogue with the tensions from challenges they experience in their individual teaching contexts. / Doctor of Philosophy / The purpose of this study was to examine ways in which novice teachers can be better supported through the challenges that are often within the first years of teaching. This study employed the theoretical frameworks of dialogism (Bakhtin, 1981) and dialogical self theory (Hermans and Hermans-Konopka, 2010) to consider how engaging in guided reflective inquiry could support a novice teacher's abilities to notice and respond to the challenges encountered. An in-depth exploration of the novice teacher's identity supported the process of examining influences on their responses to challenges. Six teachers participated in this study after meeting the criteria of being employed as an English or Language Arts teacher, teaching students within secondary 6th-12th grades, and being within their first three years of full-time teaching. The study involved three stages: an intake interview, three rounds per participant of submitting a wobble narrative and then discussing the wobble moment via Zoom, and a final reflection and interview. Transactional analysis (Stewart, 2011) assisted in the process of coding and analyzing the data to develop three generated understandings: (1) challenges encountered by the participants aligned with persistent struggles that have been well-documented in the literature on teacher challenges, (2) participant responses to wobble moments involved a two-step process of an initial reaction and a decided-upon action, and (3) participant developing teacher identities were influenced by numerous aspects of their dialogical selves. The implications of the understandings promote the necessity for teacher induction to implement guided reflective inquiry as a way to better support novice teachers through the challenges they encounter.

The movement from middle school to high school is a crucial period as adolescents frequently have a difficult time acclimating to the high school environment and often experience a decline in their academic achievement from middle school to ninth grade (DeLamar and Brown, 2016; Ellerbrock and Kiefer, 2014; Fulk, 2003; Mizelle and Irvin, 2000; Neild, 2009). Many students who drop out of school do so in ninth grade and do not graduate on time with their classmates (Asplaugh, 1998; Bottoms, 2002; Fulk, 2003; Neild, Stoner-Eby, and Furstenberg, 2008). The components of a successful middle school to high school transition program address the academic, procedural, and social challenges students face during this time (Akos and Galassi, 2004; Anderson et al., 2000; Block, 2016; Cauley and Jovanovich, 2006; Ellerbrock et al., 2015; Smith et al., 2006). Richard Samuel School (RSS), a stand-alone ninth-grade center, has addressed transition challenges for over 25 years. This single case study research examined the reasons for development of this unique school configuration, as well as the programmatic structures created to address students' academic, procedural, and social concerns, through the perceptions of former students, staff, and administrators. This study identifies the effectiveness, benefits, and drawbacks of the program design which addressed the middle school to high school transition for all students at RSS. The study analyzes the program during the first ten years of its existence, from its inception in 1993 until 2003. As a result of this study, themes around responsive and supportive accountability among staff and students were evident. Through transition structures, such as development of a school support team, core content teachers planning for and teaching advanced and standard level curriculum coupled with student placement on an interdisciplinary team and every student assigned a teacher advisor, students at RSS experienced a positive transition to high school. As a result, a decline in student retention occurred and after year three of implementation, there was a 0% dropout rate. The results of this case study will contribute to research regarding impactful transition programming from middle school to high school. / Doctor of Education / The movement from middle school to high school is a crucial period as students frequently have a difficult time adjusting to the high school environment and often experience a decline in their grades once they leave middle school and enter ninth grade (DeLamar & Brown, 2016; Ellerbrock & Kiefer, 2014; Fulk, 2003; Mizelle & Irvin, 2000; Neild, 2009). Many students who drop out of school do so in ninth grade and do not graduate on time with their classmates (Asplaugh, 1998; Bottoms, 2002; Fulk, 2003; Neild, Stoner-Eby, & Furstenberg, 2008). The transition from middle school to high school involves communication between school personnel, students, and their parents to ensure it is successful. The components of a successful middle school to high school transition program address the academic, procedural, and social challenges students face during this time (Akos & Galassi, 2004; Anderson, Jacobs, Schramm, & Splittgerber, 2000; Block, 2016; Cauley & Jovanovich, 2006; Ellerbrock, Denmon, & Owens, 2015; Smith, Feldwisch, & Abell, 2006). Richard Samuel School (RSS), a stand-alone ninth-grade center, has addressed transition challenges for over 25 years. The focus in this single case study research was to examine the reasons for the development of this unique school configuration, as well as the programmatic structures created to address students’ academic, procedural, and social concerns, through the perceptions of former students, staff, and administrators. An additional focus was to identify the effectiveness, benefits, and drawbacks of the program design which addressed the middle school to high school transition for all students at RSS. The study covered the program during the first 10 years of its existence, from its inception in 1993 until 2003. The results of this study contribute to the research regarding impactful transition programming from middle school to high school.

Este trabalho buscou verificar se as tecnologias da informação e comunicação podem ser utilizadas como meios potencialmente significativos para se efetivar a aprendizagem significativa de conceitos introdutórios de Física sobre ondas sonoras. Para alcançar este objetivo foi elaborado um material educacional, sob a forma de um ambiente virtual, em que os conceitos físicos a serem aprendidos foram problematizados na forma de desafios. Estes desafios foram desenvolvidos tendo como base a teoria da aprendizagem significativa de Ausubel. A metodologia que orientou a realização desta pesquisa foi o delineamento experimental com grupo de controle e só pós-teste. A pesquisa foi realizada com alunos do ensino médio de uma escola pública estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul, localizada na cidade de Campo Grande. Os dados obtidos foram analisados segundo a teoria da aprendizagem significativa e a epistemologia de Bachelard. As análises revelaram a existência de obstáculos epistemológicos que prejudicaram a aprendizagem de alguns dos conceitos físicos problematizados nos desafios. Além dos aspectos cognitivos, observou-se que o ambiente virtual e a forma de utilização adotada favoreceram a motivação e a satisfação dos alunos para aprender Física e também atenderam às expectativas deles. A pesquisa permitiu verificar que as tecnologias da informação e comunicação são recursos educacionais que facilitam a aprendizagem significativa de conceitos introdutórios sobre ondas sonoras. A partir destes resultados não se pretende, entretanto, advogar a favor do computador como uma estratégia ou mesmo um recurso que possa substituir as aulas expositivas e presenciais. O que se pretende é: evidenciar que o computador - quando devidamente utilizado, pode favorecer a construção do conhecimento pelo aluno; e que, desta maneira deve ser considerado como mais um recurso a ser utilizado pelo professor para favorecer a aprendizagem de seus alunos. This work tried to verify if the information and communication technologies can be used like potential and significant ways to accomplish learning physics basic concepts about sound waves. To get to this objective, I had developed an educational material on form of a virtual environment, in which physics concepts to be learnt were showed like gages. These gages were developed using Ausubel's significant learning theory. The methodology which oriented the realization of this research was the experimental delineation, with control group and post test. This research was realized with medium-level students from a public school of Campo Grande, in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The data that has been got were analised according as the significant learning theory and Bachelard's epistemology. The analysis showed the existence of epistemology obstacles, which damaged the learning of some physics concepts showed in the gages. Beyond the cognition aspects, the motivation and satisfaction were analysed, and the results sugested that the virtual environment and the way of use adopted helped the student's motivation and answered their expectatives. This research showed that information and communication technologies are educational resources which help people to learn basic concepts of sound waves. Although the good results, nobody pretends to defend the computer as a strategy or a resource that can substitute the expository and presential lessons. The objective is to evidence that the computer - when correctly used, can help the knowledge construction by the student; and in this way it has to be considered as an one more resource to be used by teachers to help the learning of their students. / This work tried to verify if the information and communication technologies can be used like potential and significant ways to accomplish learning physics basic concepts about sound waves.

Yes / Big Data (BD), with their potential to ascertain valued insights for enhanced decision-making process, have recently attracted substantial interest from both academics and practitioners. Big Data Analytics (BDA) is increasingly becoming a trending practice that many organizations are adopting with the purpose of constructing valuable information from BD. The analytics process, including the deployment and use of BDA tools, is seen by organizations as a tool to improve operational efficiency though it has strategic potential, drive new revenue streams and gain competitive advantages over business rivals. However, there are different types of analytic applications to consider. Therefore, prior to hasty use and buying costly BD tools, there is a need for organizations to first understand the BDA landscape.Given the significant nature of the BDand BDA, this paper presents a state-ofthe- art review that presents a holistic view of the BD challenges and BDA methods theorized/proposed/ employed by organizations to help others understand this landscape with the objective of making robust investment decisions. In doing so, systematically analysing and synthesizing the extant research published on BD and BDA area. More specifically, the authors seek to answer the following two principal questions: Q1 –What are the different types of BD challenges theorized/proposed/confronted by organizations? and Q2 – What are the different types of BDA methods theorized/proposed/employed to overcome BD challenges?. This systematic literature review (SLR) is carried out through observing and understanding the past trends and extant patterns/themes in the BDA research area, evaluating contributions, summarizing knowledge, thereby identifying limitations, implications and potential further research avenues to support the academic community in exploring research themes/patterns. Thus, to trace the implementation of BD strategies, a profiling method is employed to analyze articles (published in English-speaking peer-reviewed journals between 1996 and 2015) extracted from the Scopus database. The analysis presented in this paper has identified relevant BD research studies that have contributed both conceptually and empirically to the expansion and accrual of intellectual wealth to the BDA in technology and organizational resource management discipline.

Yes / The “50/50”, or the shared management international joint venture (shared IJV) remains a popular and yet challenging control structure to govern IJVs. The purpose of this study is to understand the post-formation management of shared IJVs, specifically the relationship between shared structure, relational conditions and management of post-formation challenges. Our evidence is based on 26 in-depth interviews across four cases of shared IJVs between British multinationals and Asian companies. Our findings indicate that the highly integrative nature of shared IJVs, including high operational interdependence and shared decision-making, encourages partners to work closely together, communicate frequently and intensely and exchange personnel. Although share management can lead to inter-partner conflicts, the equal investment and mutual responsibility partly provides partners with motivation and opportunities to learn about each other, to better implement the control structure, to build trust, and to commit to the venture and partner. These relational conditions facilitated the successful management of post-formation challenges such as diversity related conflicts and macro volatility.

Yes / Purpose – Blockchain is one of the most significant emerging technologies that is set to transform many aspects of industry and society. However, it has several major technical, social, legal, environmental and ethical complexities that offer significant challenges for mainstream use within the public sector. The Covid-19 pandemic has compelled many public sector employees to work remotely, highlighting a number of challenges to blockchain adoption within the Indian context signifying the pertinence of this research topic in the post-pandemic era. This study offers insight to researchers and policymakers alike on how such challenges are interdependent within this important subject. Design/methodology/approach – We explored 16 unique sets of challenges selected from the literature and gathered data from nine experts from government settings, healthcare and education sectors and academia who have significant knowledge and experience of blockchain implementation and use in their respective organisations. The implementation of Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) and MICMAC provided a precise set of driving, linkage and dependent challenges that were used to formulate the framework. Findings – The developed ISM framework is split into six different levels. The results suggest that the bottom level consists of challenges such as ‘Lack of standards (C9)’ and ‘Lack of validation (C10)’ form the foundation of the hierarchical structure of blockchain adoption. However, the topmost level consists of a highly dependent challenge termed ‘adoption of blockchain in the public sector (C16)’. The research filters the selected set of five challenges to develop a parsimonious model and formulated six propositions to examine the impact of ‘lack of standard (C9)’, ‘lack of validation (C10)’ on ‘security issues (C3)’ and ‘privacy concerns (C2)’, which eventually determine individuals’ ‘reluctance to use blockchain technology (C12)’. Originality/Value – This research fills a key gap in exiting research by exploring the key challenges in blockchain adoption within the public sector by developing a valuable framework to model this important topic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to address these challenges and develop a parsimonious model for challenges of blockchain adoption in the public sector settings.

Problem-based learning has long been recognized as an innovative and effective instructional strategy for enhancing problem-solving and critical skills, which are essential for 21st-century employability. Despite its recognized benefits, PBL adoption in K-12 education remains limited due to significant implementation challenges. This integrative literature review investigates PBL instructional strategies and teachers' experiences, focusing on their challenges and the types of problems used in K12 classrooms, while analyzing empirical studies from 2004 to 2024. The study findings reveal teachers' challenges in terms of problem design and development, scaffolding, technology integration, assessment, and promoting student collaboration, with time availability being a recurring concern. Again, teachers' implementation strategies are flexible but could, however, be summarized into (1) preparing learners for PBL, (2) an iterative cycle of activities, and (3) presentation and evaluation. The findings also revealed that design problems dominate the type of problems that are incorporated into K-12 PBL implementation studies. Beyond setting the foundation for future research in the area, this integrative review offers a deeper understanding related to PBL's application in K-12 settings, providing valuable insight for educational stakeholders. / Doctor of Philosophy / Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered teaching method that supports the development of relevant problem-solving and critical-thinking skills which are critical for career success and employability in the 21st century. Although many studies have emphasized its effectiveness, it is not widely used in K-12 education. This limitation is attributed to different implementation challenges. This integrative literature review investigates PBL instructional strategies and teachers' experiences, focusing on their challenges and the types of problems used in K-12 classrooms, while analyzing empirical studies from 2004 to 2024. The study findings reveal teachers' challenges in terms of problem design and development, scaffolding, technology integration, assessment, and promoting student collaboration, with time availability being a recurring concern. Again, teachers' implementation strategies are flexible but could, however, be summarized into (1) preparing learners for PBL, (2) an iterative cycle of activities, and (3) presentation and evaluation. The findings also reveal that design problems dominate the type of problems that are incorporated into K-12 PBL implementation studies. Beyond setting the foundation for future research in this area, this integrative review offers a deeper understanding related to PBL's application in K-12 settings, providing valuable insight for educational stakeholders.