Memorial University of Newfoundland

About: Memorial University of Newfoundland is a education organization based out in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gadus. The organization has 13818 authors who have published 27785 publications receiving 743594 citations. The organization is also known as: Memorial University & Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The deep-sea macrobenthos on the continental margin of the northwest Atlantic Ocean

Abstract: DSRV Alvin was used to take 62 small box core samples between 203 and 3659 m deep on the continental margin off the northeastern United States. Abundance and wet-weight biomass of total macrobenthic communities decreased sharply with depth. Standing stocks were higher in the Hudson canyon than in adjacent areas of similar depths, but only in the canyon head at upper continental slope depths, where the canyon is geologically ‘inactive’ and is filling with organic-rich, fine-grained sediments. At lower continental slope and upper continental rise depths no such differences could be discerned. Diversity increased directly and gradually with depth and varied inversely with sample size (= animal abundance), but it was not related to the canyon. Assemblages defined using a percent similarity index were ordered across the depth gradient, with a peculiar canyon fauna only in the organic-rich canyon sediments on the upper continental slope. The greatest faunal discontinuity (= least similarity between samples) was encountered between the upper and the lower continental slope and not at the continental shelf break (about 300 m). Percent sand was high in the sediments deeper in the canyon on the upper continental rise, but the fauna had a species composition, community structure, and biomass that could not be considered different from the continental rise outside of the canyon, where the sediments were silt and clay. The canyon on the upper continental slope traps organic-rich sediments. Although the low concentrations of organic matter on the continental rise in the canyon would imply that the organic matter from shallow water does not reach this depth, pore water concentrations of ammonia and nitrate were consistently higher in canyon sediments than outside the canyon on the rise, indicating metabolism (biologic activity) in these sediments is greater in the canyon, presumably a result of labile organic matter being trapped and funneled by the canyon across the continental rise.

The Construct Validity of Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being (SPWB) and their Relationship to Measures of Subjective Well-Being

Abstract: The factor structure of Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being (SPWB) and their relationship to standardized measures of subjective well-being (SWB) were investigated. Two hundred seventy-seven participants ranging in age from 18 to 48 years were administered the Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness (MUNSH), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and the SPWB. Results failed to support either the hypothesis that performing factor analytic procedures on the items of the SPWB should produce a six-factor solution, with scale-specific items loading most highly on their respective factors or the hypothesis that subjecting the sub-scales of the SPWB to factor analytic procedures along with standardized measures of SWB would produce one higher-order well-being factor. Instead, item loadings clustered around three major factors that could not be identified with the six scales proposed by Ryff. Moreover, the factor analysis of SPWB and SWB scale totals produced three, instead of one, higher-order factors. Implications of findings are discussed with respect to the relationship of the PWB construct to the SWB construct.

Asynchronous and synchronous online teaching: Perspectives of Canadian high school distance education teachers

Abstract: This paper presents the results of an inductive, interpretive analysis of the perspectives of 42 Canadian high school distance education (DE) teachers on asynchronous and synchronous online teaching. The paper includes a conceptual overview of the affordances and constraints of each form of teaching. Findings provided insight into the following aspects of asynchronous and synchronous online teaching: degree of use; the tools used; the contexts in which each occur; students' preferences; and limitations. Pedagogy emerged as more important than media for both asynchronous and synchronous online teaching. Synchronous online teaching relied on teacher- rather than student-centred approaches. Asynchronous online teaching provided support for self-paced, highly independent forms of secondary DE supplemented by synchronous online teaching for answering questions and troubleshooting.