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In some low-resource settings, there are several challenges such as financial crisis, inadequate infrastructure facilities, personal skills efficiency and motivation that contribute or hinder the success of virtualization in an industry. This study investigates the factors that could influence the success of virtualization requirement in the learning industry during and after the COVID phase on students' perceived usefulness and their intention to continue using electronic learning. A qualitative research was conducted among university students through several focus groups and one to one interviews. Several factors that are expected to influence students' perceived usefulness and intentions to continue using online learning were identified and a trifold model was proposed based on three different theories to be empirically tested on a larger scale in the future. This study provides input to improving knowledge of e-learning for educational institutions in developing countries. [For the full proceedings, see ED639633.]

It has long been debated whether the Open-Book-Open-Web exam was useful and efficient as the traditional closed book exams. Some scholars and practitioners have doubted the efficiency and the possibility of cheating in the OBOW as it is not directly monitored. This paper tends to investigate the effectiveness of OBOW exams by comparing them with the traditional closed book exams to reject or confirm the possibility of cheating and efficiency. Two different exams were conducted in three high schools and in a developing country, whereas 307 students participated in it. The first exam was done during the midterm with closed books and well monitored. Then the second exam was done at the end of semester by adopting the OBOW method. Each exam was done in two phases. Phase one consisted of multiple choice questions and phase two consisted of a mini case analysis. The results obtained were compared with each other. Furthermore, a focus group chosen from the teachers and students were done in order to support the findings in addition to questionnaire that was sent by email. The results had showed that there is no difference when it comes to cheating but on the contrary, there is a difference in the quality of the learning outcome. This paper provides contribution to improving knowledge of e-learning for educational institutions developing countries. [For the full proceedings, see ED621557.]

This study investigated the relationships between teacher facilitative or directive verbal behavior in nursery school classrooms and seven aspects of child language change. Twenty-eight nursery teachers and 95 children from these classrooms were selected for this study. The teacher verbal behavior was measured by the Withall Social Climate Index, which produces a facilitative score and a directive score for each teacher. Child language change was determined by a pretesting and posttesting with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and with a analysis of 50 consecutive statements. Within the limitations of this study and from the findings, it can be concluded that teachers consistently used a pattern of facilitative of directive verbal behavior in their classrooms. It can also be concluded that language for the four-year old children in this study, as measured by the instruments used, continued to change in the six month period. Finally, it can be concluded that, for children in this sample, change in use of complexity sentences was greater in those classrooms where teachers used more directive verbal behavior. In the other asPects of language change studied, the verbal behavior as measured by the Climate Index. (Author/RC)

Since attraction and close proxemic distances have been found to be associated throughout the study of nonverbal communication, a study was conducted that hypothesized that attraction would be a more important predictor of seat selection than any other variables. Subjects included students enrolled in introductory speech communication classes who had known one another for three and a half months. Subjects were given a form that asked them to list in order of preference those classmates with whom they wished to engage in two activities: working on a class project and attending a party. Next, subjects were given a seating chart asking them where they would like to sit if they attended a lecture and a class discussion. Subjects were also given a seating chart indicating that they had been assigned to the seat they requested; however, their sociometric choices--their first choice for task attraction and their first choice for social attraction--were identified as having been assigned to sit in a completely opposite section of the room. If the subjects wanted to change their seats based on the information given, they were asked to indicate their new seat preference. Results indicated that attraction had a significant role in the ways students used the space between one another and used such features as rows of chairs to manifest their relations with one another. (HOD)

The investigators in this continuing study at Towson State University, Maryland, followed up the experiences of preservice elementary teachers, as revealed by their journals and interviews, with an interview schedule for their college supervisors. Recurring patterns in the areas of: (1) view of work; (2) attitude; (3) personal relations; (4) practical skills; (5) investment; and (6) assessment were gleaned from a content analysis of the journals reviewed and the interviews conducted. Implications drawn from the data suggest ways to better monitor the work of beginning teachers, either at the preservice or inservice level, and ways to develop better teacher education programs that meet the needs of those beginning teachers. (Author)

The investigators in this qualitative study at Towson State University, Maryland, continue to examine various materials gathered from the experience of four preservice elementary teachers. Student records and journal entries, and structured interviews of students, cooperating teachers and college supervisors revealed recurring patterns in the areas of: (1) view of work; (2) attitude; (3) personal relations; (4) practical skills; (5) investment; and (6) assessment. The data suggests implications for ways to better monitor the work of beginning teachers, either at the preservice or inservice level, and to develop better teacher education programs that meet the needs of those beginning teachers. It appears that greater attention needs to be given to concerns and priorities of beginning teachers. (Author)

The investigators in this preliminary study (currently underway at the University of Towson, Maryland) used the experiences of preservice elementary teachers as revealed by their journals and interviews to obtain insights that will enable them to develop a more satisfactory and professional induction to teaching for beginning teachers. A content analysis of journals that subjects kept during their teaching experience revealed recurring patterns in the areas of: (1) attitude toward work; (2) view of teaching; (3) personal relations with colleagues and children; (4) practical skills; (5) commitment to teaching; and (6) self-assessment. A discussion is presented of the patterns of change that appeared to occur as the students progressed through the student teaching experience. It is posited that if a precise determination can be made of what happens to preservice teachers in their college and university training, it may be possible to better assist beginning teachers in their process of induction into the world of work. Also, if a more precise determination can be made of what happens to beginning inservice teachers in their induction process, it may be possible to develop better teacher education programs. (JD)

This paper describes a study that explored the personal concerns of student teachers, how they viewed their apprenticeship and their hidden perspectives. A description is given of how information was obtained about the way four students viewed their field experiences. Journals, daily narratives of students' reactions to teaching experiences, provided one source of information. The concerns that emerged were in the areas of: (1) view of work; (2) attitude toward situations in which the student was involved; (3) personal relations with pupils, peers, and supervisors; (4) feelings about practical classroom skills; (5) investment and commitment to teaching; and (6) assessment of self, others, and the system. Interviews were also conducted with the student trainees and their supervisors. Results indicated that student teachers have differing perceptions, different concerns, and different priorities regarding teaching and field work practice. Their perspectives about their experiences changed as they moved through a series of field experiences. Implications for student teacher supervisors and evaluators are discussed. (JD)

Article processing charges (APCs) are fundamental to the business models of many Hybrid and Gold open access (OA) journals. The need to quantify the volume of APC payments paid on behalf of institutional researchers has therefore never been greater. New publishing models will have profound implications for future institutional budgets, and libraries urgently require better information about potential costs and savings. In 2018, the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) commissioned a project to examine the financial impact of APC payments on universities in Australia and New Zealand. The project aims to develop a methodology for the estimation of APC payments based on data from sources such as Scopus, Web of Science and Unpaywall. In order to test this methodology, the Working Group began a pilot project in February 2019. As part of this pilot, data on publications produced by researchers at six local universities in 2017 were collated and analysed. This paper will explain the rationale behind the project methodology. It will present the preliminary findings of the pilot, and flag some of the lessons learnt to date. In addition, the paper will identify future changes. It will be of interest to any librarian concerned with the potential impact of changing publishing models on institutional budgets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainty is a dominant feature of the experience of health. Past research has assumed that the response to uncertainty will be reducing that uncertainty through information seeking, but health information avoiding is another important potential response. This paper means to investigate those situations in which information might be avoided, so that uncertainty might be maintained or even increased. Narratives about avoiding information were solicited from 507 undergraduate students. Participants offered reasons for avoiding information including wanting to maintain the possibility of denial, feeling overexposed to a topic, feeling that no (or no more) action can be taken, finding the available information or source flawed in some way, managing negative emotional reactions, maintaining boundaries, protecting privacy, and avoiding interference with enjoyable or habitual activities. Reasons not to avoid included personal characteristics, a general interest in learning, a need to take action (or be prepared to), the importance of health issues generally, and the dangers of avoiding health issues. Participants also described how they would avoid information including reframing how they thought about a health issue, avoiding health care providers, blocking pop-ups, turning off the T.V. or changing the channel, avoiding tests, avoiding telling others, avoiding health campaigns, purposefully not paying attention, changing the topic, and denying or withholding the truth about a health issue. The results demonstrate that information avoiding can and does occur. The results indicate that a range of emotions involved in information avoiding, and strategies maybe used in conjunction with one another to manage uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information seeking behaviors and the characteristics college students use to evaluate information sources were investigated. We conducted interviews with college students (n = 503) as a specifically at-risk population. We asked about their health histories, experiences with information seeking, and impressions of source effectiveness and ineffectiveness. Participants' responses were quantified using multiple, independent coders producing eight major categories and 40 subcategories of information sources and 12 factors of source effectiveness or ineffectiveness. Participants most often reported perceiving information as available in the print, electronic, and professional major sources categories, and doctors/physicians, the Internet, and friends source subcategories. Of all the major categories, participants reported that they would most likely consult the health care worker and family major categories, and the doctor/physician, parents, and nurse subcategories. Similarly, participants reported actually using the health care worker, electronic and print media major categories, and the doctor/physician, the Internet, and friends subcategories, rating the health care worker and educational major source categories and the doctor/physician, nurse, and parent subcategories as relatively more effective. Credibility and relevance emerged as most frequently reported as important for evaluating a source as effective or ineffective. Analyses of the relationship between gender, class standing, and experience with a serious illness are also presented. Implications of the findings for professionals working with college student populations and scholars studying information seeking are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of organizational digital knowledge repositories due to the rise of distributed knowledge work raises important questions about how to manage these technologies effectively to support teamwork. This study addresses a research deficit in understanding the contextual influences of information provision to shared group databases by proposing and testing a theory-driven multilevel model. It simultaneously examines knowledge-specific, individual, and group contextual factors to explain information provision to shared digital databases. Survey data from participants (N = 208) nested in 17 professional work groups suggested that individual benefits and social mechanisms influenced information provision. Consistent with transactive memory theory, perceived knowledge management behaviors and preferences of subject experts and group leaders significantly influenced group members' information provision tendency; moreover, cross-level interaction effects with contextual and knowledge-specific variables such as trust and task interdependence may temper the influence of experts' behaviors on one's own information provision to the database. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]