Showing papers on "Viewpoints published in 2018"

Online Dutch L2 Learning in Adult Education: Educators' and Providers' Viewpoints on Needs, Advantages and Disadvantages.

Abstract: This study critically addresses the assumptions made by educators and providers in the field of Dutch second language (L2) acquisition about the online learning of Dutch L2. These include assumptio...

Issues in Malaysian Higher Education: A Quantitative Representation of the Top Five Priorities, Values, Challenges, and Solutions From the Viewpoints of Academic Leaders

Abstract: This qualitative inquiry aims at identifying the main issues in Malaysian higher education (HE) system and its sectors from the perspectives of Malaysian academic leaders For this purpose, four op

Using Q-methodology to guide the implementation of new healthcare policies.

Abstract: There are many challenges in the development, implementation and evaluation of healthcare policy. One challenge is understanding how different stakeholders view a particular policy and what impact these views may have during implementation. Q-methodology is one approach that can be used to help policy makers and researchers actively engage with those who are important in policy implementation, and anticipate their responses. Q-methodology combines qualitative and quantitative research methods to systematically explore and describe the range of viewpoints about a topic. Participants are required to rank a set of predefined statements relating to the topic, according to their own viewpoint. Factor analytic techniques then identify people who are like-minded in the way they view the topic and enable areas of consensus and divergence in viewpoint to be clearly defined. This mapping of viewpoints allows those working in policy implementation to anticipate likely barriers and levers in implementing new policies.

Same, Same, but Different: Algorithmic Diversification of Viewpoints in News

Abstract: Recommender systems for news articles on social media select and filter content through automatic personalization. As a result, users are often unaware of opposing points of view, leading to informational blindspots and potentially polarized opinions. They may be aware of a topic, but only be exposed to one viewpoint on this topic. However, recommender systems have just as much potential to help users find a plurality of viewpoints. In this spirit, this paper introduces an approach to automatically identifying content that represents a wider range of opinions on a given topic. Our offline results show positive results for our distance measure with regard to diversification on topic and channel. However, our user study results confirm that user acceptance of this diversification also needs to be addressed in tandem to enable a complete solution.

Beyond polarization: using Q methodology to explore stakeholders’ views on pesticide use, and related risks for agricultural workers, in Washington State’s tree fruit industry

Abstract: Controversies in food and agriculture abound, with many portrayed as conflicts between polarized viewpoints. Framing such controversies as dichotomies, however, can at times obscure what might be a plurality of views and potential common ground on the subject. We used Q methodology to explore stakeholders’ views about pesticide safety, agricultural worker exposure, and human health concerns in the tree fruit industry of central Washington State. Using a purposive sample of English and Spanish-speaking agricultural workers, industry representatives, state agencies, educators, and advocates (n = 41), participants sorted 45 statements on pesticide use and perceived human safety risks in the tree fruit industry in 2011. We used PQMethod 2.33 statistical software program to identify viewpoints, based on differences between how participants sorted the statements. The results revealed three distinct viewpoints among 38 sorters that explained 52 percent of the variance. The viewpoints included the: (1) skeptics (n = 22) who expressed concern over the environmental and human health impacts of pesticide use; (2) acceptors (n = 10) who acknowledged inherent risks for using pesticides but saw the risks as known, small and manageable; and (3) incrementalists (n = 6) who prioritized opportunities to introduce human capital and technological improvements to increase agricultural worker safety. We then brought representatives with these different viewpoints together to analyze the results of the Q study, and to brainstorm mutually acceptable improvements to health and safety in tree fruit orchards. In describing and analyzing this case study, we argue that Q methodology can serve as one potentially effective tool for collaborative work, in this case facilitating a process of orchard safety improvements despite perceived stakeholder polarization.

Employing Different Viewpoints for Remote Guidance in a Collaborative Augmented Environment

Abstract: This paper details the design, implementation and an initial evaluation of a collaborative platform named OptoBridge, which is aimed at enhancing remote guidance and skill acquisition for spatially distributed users. OptoBridge integrates augmented reality (AR), gesture interaction with video mediated communication and is preliminarily applied to the experimental teaching of the adjustment task with Michelson interferometer. An exploratory study has been conducted to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the extent to which different viewpoints affect the student's sense of presence, task performance, learning outcomes and subjective feelings in the remote collaborative augmented environment. 16 students from local universities have participated in the evaluation. The result shows the influence of two different viewpoints and indicates that OptoBridge can effectively support remote guidance and enhance the collaborators' experience.

Is "end of life" a special case? Connecting Q with survey methods to measure societal support for views on the value of life-extending treatments.

Abstract: Preference elicitation studies reporting societal views on the relative value of end-of-life treatments have produced equivocal results. This paper presents an alternative method, combining Q methodology and survey techniques (Q2S) to determine the distribution of 3 viewpoints on the relative value of end-of-life treatments identified in a previous, published, phase of this work. These were Viewpoint 1, "A population perspective: value for money, no special cases"; Viewpoint 2, "Life is precious: valuing life-extension and patient choice"; and Viewpoint 3, "Valuing wider benefits and opportunity cost: the quality of life and death." A Q2S survey of 4,902 respondents across the United Kingdom measured agreement with these viewpoints; 37% most agreed with Viewpoint 1, 49% with Viewpoint 2, and 9% with Viewpoint 3. Regression analysis showed associations of viewpoints with gender, level of education, religion, voting preferences, and satisfaction with the NHS. The Q2S approach provides a promising means to investigate how in-depth views and opinions are represented in the wider population. As demonstrated in this study, there is often more than 1 viewpoint on a topic and methods that seek to estimate that averages may not provide the best guidance for societal decision-making.

Persona logical thinking: improving requirements elicitation for multidisciplinary teams

Abstract: To be more successful, innovation projects need a multidisciplinary team to cross and challenge several knowledge fields and viewpoints. However, defining methods to be used by multidisciplinary design teams is not straightforward since a single method has to match different skills and personality types. Our main objective is to provide a new method suitable to such multidisciplinary teams. The goal of Study 1 is to highlight that designers’ specialty (i.e. engineer or ergonomist) has an impact on methods’ effectiveness. For that purpose, we selected two methods for requirement elicitation, one that is generally used by engineers (a subset of EPMcreate method based on logical structure) and one commonly used by ergonomists (the Persona method based on empathetic reasoning). These methods were tested by 10 ergonomists and 10 engineers during individual sessions. We subsequently developed a method called Persona Logical Thinking (PLT) based on the combination of the two previous methods. This new me...

Rehearsing Inclusive Participation Through Fishery Stakeholder Workshops in the Philippines

Abstract: Participatory methods in 'conservation for development' projects regularly fail to live up to expectations of social and environmental change. Stakeholder workshops are an ubiquitous example that can reproduce rather than challenge inequality and exclusion. Technical tools used in workshops, like maps, games, and computer models, are criticised for unjustly privileging expert/scientific viewpoints over other perspectives. Iris Marion Young's theory of communicative democracy is an insightful and robust framework to examine how people interact in the workshop 'contact zone', and how to bring workshops closer to participatory ideals. Young identifies four communication modes critical for inclusive participation: greeting, rhetoric, narrative, and argument. We apply her framework to a case study of fisheries stakeholder workshops in the Philippines, demonstrating its utility and cultural applicability. The workshops used a game-based computer modelling tool to structure discussions about coastal management. Qualitative analysis of video data shows how stakeholders signalled resistance, garnered sympathy, influenced outcomes, and established relationships through Young's modes of communication. Based on this analysis, and using concepts from Philippine psychology, we conclude that workshops have potential as 'rehearsal spaces' for inclusive deliberation, particularly when they encourage improvisation and humour, rather than rote adherence to standardised activities.

Utilizing management accounting information for decision-making: Limitations stemming from the process structure and the actors involved

Abstract: To be utilized effectively in decision-making processes, management accounting (MA) information should fit the business context and at the same time reflect the roles, responsibilities and values of the actors taking part in the decision-making. This study aims to investigate the limitations for MA information utilization in decision-making. In particular, this study explores limitations stemming from the decision-making process structure and the involvement of several managerial actors.,An exploratory case study of an energy company and its customer company illustrates the current challenges in providing and integrating MA information into decision-making. The analysis is focused on the analytical and actor-based features of the decision-making and thus the limitations for MA information utilization. As a part of the broader research process, the researchers facilitated a meeting in the customer company, where the actors relevant to investment decisions discussed the current limitations in utilizing MA information.,Analytical and actor-based features may take different forms in the decision-making. Some relevant MA information may not be included in an organization’s decision-making process structure that allows merely conventional, yet analytical, decision alternatives. At the same time, certain actors’ viewpoints (such as sustainability metrics) can be excluded from the process without considering the logic behind the exclusion. This case study identifies the following limitations, largely related to insufficient actor-based features in the decision-making: managers may lack expertise in the use of MA tools, managerial interaction may lack reflection on taken-for-granted assumptions, different managers may appreciate different scope, content and timing of MA information and the process structure can ignore the required managerial viewpoints.,This study demonstrates that both the decision-making process structure and the needs of the several actors involved may lead to limitations for MA information utilization. Although many limitations stemmed from the insufficient actor-based orientation in the case study, introducing new MA analyses and extending the validity of analytical approaches may also help overcome some of the limitations. Further research should address possibilities to integrate different actors’ viewpoints with MA information already in the decision-making process structure, find ways to introduce MA information on unconventional decision alternatives and enable reflection among and about relevant actors with respect to decision-making. These means could lead to more effective utilization of MA information for decision-making and, consequently, economically viable decisions.,This study addresses the limitations in MA information utilization by combining the viewpoints of analytical decision-making processes and reflective actors, and thus unveils possibilities for enhancing MA practice.

Giving current and future generations a real voice: a practical method for constructing sustainability viewpoints in transport appraisal

Abstract: Decisions to invest in large-scale transport projects typically extend beyond traditional costbenefit analysis. Multi-criteria analysis methods such as multi-actor multi-criteria analysis (MAMCA) have been proposed to assess wider economic effects and long-term environmental impacts from various stakeholder perspectives. However, there is no standard practice for appraising transport projects against sustainable development objectives. In order to give future generations a voice in decisions that will impact them, this paper extends the MAMCA methodology to make various actors and a “sustainability viewpoint” explicit. A dual-approach method for constructing sustainability viewpoints in transport appraisal is proposed. The method juxtaposes an expert-based approach with a principle-based approach. In the former, sustainability experts are asked to prioritise criteria for project assessment. In the latter, criteria weights are calculated based on sustainability theory (“strong” and “weak” sustainability). Together, these viewpoints are intended to inform decision-making. The appraisal of HS2 Phase I, a high-speed rail project in the UK, is used to demonstrate the proposed method. It is found that all three variants of the sustainability viewpoint result in project preferences that are similar to each other, but different from those of other transport professionals. The paper concludes by arguing for the explicit inclusion and triangulation of sustainability viewpoints in transport appraisal on a multi-actor basis. One practical recommendation from the MAMCA process is the need to hire more transport planners with sustainability experience into government planning agencies.

Language education in a national school abroad in a bilingual society: a case of Japanese school in Catalonia

Abstract: This paper explores language education in a Japanese school in Catalonia from the viewpoints of language policy with special attention to ideology. Our main goal is to identify the major factors wh...

Viewpoint Discovery and Understanding in Social Networks

Abstract: The Web has evolved to a dominant platform where everyone has the opportunity to express their opinions, to interact with other users, and to debate on emerging events happening around the world. On the one hand, this has enabled the presence of different viewpoints and opinions about a - usually controversial - topic (like Brexit), but at the same time, it has led to phenomena like media bias, echo chambers and filter bubbles, where users are exposed to only one point of view on the same topic. Therefore, there is the need for methods that are able to detect and explain the different viewpoints. In this paper, we propose a graph partitioning method that exploits social interactions to enable the discovery of different communities (representing different viewpoints) discussing about a controversial topic in a social network like Twitter. To explain the discovered viewpoints, we describe a method, called Iterative Rank Difference (IRD), which allows detecting descriptive terms that characterize the different viewpoints as well as understanding how a specific term is related to a viewpoint (by detecting other related descriptive terms). The results of an experimental evaluation showed that our approach outperforms state-of-the-art methods on viewpoint discovery, while a qualitative analysis of the proposed IRD method on three different controversial topics showed that IRD provides comprehensive and deep representations of the different viewpoints.

Capturing multiple social perspectives on adaptation across scales: a Q-method analysis of actors from development planning in the Philippines

Abstract: This paper describes and analyses viewpoints regarding climate change adaptation held among key social actors from the field of development planning in the Philippines. Four empirically significant social perspectives are determined – institutional, grassroots, developmental, and physical planning – using Q-method, an intensive qualitative and quantitative technique. Major differences and commonalities between perspectives are highlighted, in addition to actors’ arguments used to justify claims. Drawing upon an actor-oriented approach, results contribute filling a knowledge gap in the literature on the need to develop approaches that can guide adaptation thinking in development planning. While the four perspectives identified provide evidence that differentiated viewpoints on climate change and planning practices may lead to divergent adaptation strategies, commonalities among social perspectives suggest that shared adaptations may also emerge both among actors from multiple organizational structures and a...

The viewpoints of abdulkadiг giloni about the "human" and "man conceptions

Abstract: In the article the author shows the swarm of Abdulkarida Gilonius in the development of Muslim philosophy. Gilon's views on the world, being and man are relevant from the point of view of altruism and humanism in the modern world. in Philosophy Giloni has a great influence on the development of Sufism in Asia.

Viewpoints on Interventions for Students with Extensive and Pervasive Support Needs

Abstract: This chapter provides “viewpoints” on the education of learners with extensive and pervasive support needs. That is, students who require the most support to learn, often categorized as having intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, or related disabilities. The lenses through which we provide these viewpoints are historical and future-oriented; we begin with historic perspectives on the education of students with extensive and pervasive support needs, and then provide 21st century viewpoints for these learners. We interpret the notion of viewpoints in two ways: first, consistent with a viewpoint as indicating an examination of objects (in this case, practices and interventions) from a distance so as to be able to compare and judge; and, second, viewpoint as indicating our perspective on said interventions and practice.

Big data systems requirements for Industry 4.0

Abstract: The increase in the capacity to acquire and analyze a mass of data characterized as “big data” is an opportunity to review the paradigms of productive systems. Especially when considering the Industry 4.0 where it is expected an autonomous and high level of interaction among machines, connecting Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) through the Internet of Things, and it is necessary to explore data generated in this interaction to improve all aspects of the production process. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to characterize requirements for the big data systems in Industry 4.0, based on viewpoints, objectives and expectations of stakeholders for its uses.

Regulating shared reality with micro-dynamics in the form of conversation.

Abstract: One of the central goals within communication is to establish whether people are on the same wavelength. Although such assessment can occur objectively, by exchanging and comparing viewpoints, people may also derive a sense of shared reality subjectively, through micro-dynamics in the form of conversation that inform them whether their views are shared. The present review outlines the role of these micro-dynamics in developing and regulating a shared reality. It focuses on three different contexts: intergroup communication, computer mediated communication and communication within intimate relationships. The review concludes with a discussion of the power of micro-dynamics in comparison to more explicit forms of social validation.

The selected theoretical and practical viewpoints to managing cultural diversity in the international business

Abstract: The paper is a contribution to the theoretical and applied research in the area of managing cultural diversity from the viewpoint of performing different managerial and marketing tasks. it includes the primary research results conducted during the period from 2007 to 2008 on the set of 200 agri-food companies in Slovakia, Spain, Poland and Austria. This study helps to understand the concept of the internationalization of business activities of the agri-food companies depending on the diversity of their external environment and market position. The main attention is devoted to the international trade links development with those businesses which for various reasons are considered as potential partners in the long run and include also the external EU trading partners.

Conceptualising and Modelling E-Recruitment Process for Enterprises through a Problem Oriented Approach

Abstract: Internet-led labour market has become so competitive it is forcing many organisations from different sectors to embrace e-recruitment However, realising the value of the e-recruitment from a Requirements Engineering (RE) analysis perspective is challenging This research was motivated by the results of a failed e-recruitment project conducted in military domain which was used as a case study After reviewing the various challenges faced in that project through a number of related research domains, this research focused on two major problems: (1) the difficulty of scoping, representing, and systematically transforming recruitment problem knowledge towards e-recruitment solution specification; and (2) the difficulty of documenting e-recruitment best practices for reuse purposes in an enterprise recruitment environment In this paper, a Problem-Oriented Conceptual Model (POCM) with a complementary Ontology for Recruitment Problem Definition (Onto-RPD) is proposed to contextualise the various recruitment problem viewpoints from an enterprise perspective, and to elaborate those problem viewpoints towards a comprehensive recruitment problem definition POCM and Onto-RPD are developed incrementally using action-research conducted on three real case studies: (1) Secureland Army Enlistment; (2) British Army Regular Enlistment; and (3) UK Undergraduate Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) They are later evaluated in a focus group study against a set of criteria The study shows that POCM and Onto-RPD provide a strong foundation for representing and understanding the e-recruitment problems from different perspectives

A valid and applicable measurement method for knowledge worker productivity

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to propose a new method for knowledge worker productivity measurement which is based on valid principles and appropriate viewpoints.,Based on an extensive and thorough literature review the elements that need to be taken into consideration, while designing a method for knowledge worker productivity measurement, are determined and divided into principles and viewpoints. These elements must be incorporated into the design of knowledge worker productivity measurement methods so that the correctness and accuracy of these methods can be verified. The proposed model, which is based on appropriate principles and viewpoints, determines the outputs of knowledge work with respect to the tasks that a worker’s job includes. Considering nine measures, these outputs are evaluated using fuzzy numbers and, then, quantified. The inputs of knowledge work are knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) required to do the job. These inputs are identified and quantified using Job Element Method. Furthermore, fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis is employed to model the productivity.,In this paper, the proposed method for knowledge worker productivity measurement follows both appropriate principles and viewpoints, simultaneously. In order to validate the obtained results and explore the applicability of the proposed method, a case study was carried out at an Iranian organization in electric power industry. Statistical analyses are employed to prove the validity of the results. Based on the obtained results, the productivity of a knowledge worker is said to be high when he/she delivers the expected amount of job outputs considering the values of his/her inputs (KSAs).,The originality of this paper is twofold. First, the extracted principles and viewpoints can serve as a guideline for the development of similar methods. Second, the proposed model offers an effective and efficient tool that can serve as the basis for the comparison among relative productivity of knowledge workers. Furthermore, the obtained results could form a basis to examine the productivity trend of each knowledge worker over different periods of time.

A Comparison of Psychological and Socio-economic Factors Affecting Individual User’s Social Media Behaviour:

Abstract: Companies and business managers know about social media as a phenomenon and its power as a business tool. In various earlier researches many viewpoints, theories and models on online behaviour of i...

The Hospice Patient's Right to Oral Care: Making Time for the Mouth.

Abstract: The hospice philosophy embraces palliative care for the terminally ill, for whom quality of life is the central focus of comfort care management. Often, caregivers hesitate or simply do not elect to extend oral care for patients nearing the end of life, due to difficulties encountered in patient compliance, a sense of futility in doing so, staff time constraints in prioritizing care, underfunding, or a lack of education as to how and why such care should be delivered to the hospice patient. This article aims to show physiological and psychosocial reasons why the hospice patient has a need for properly and regularly implemented oral care and why dental professionals have an ethical responsibility to address the current void that exists in hospice-centered oral care. Varying viewpoints are discussed regarding the need for oral health monitoring and maintenance in both the capable patient with capacity and in the patient who lacks capacity and is totally dependent, yet who exhibits no particular signs of oral distress nor desire for hygiene measures. Consideration is given to family dynamics in such care. Oral care of the elderly patients and terminally ill is sorely lacking, and dental educators are challenged to cultivate in students a sense of professional duty toward caring for the vulnerable elderly patients. Dental professionals should create initiatives in developing, promoting, and implementing an appropriate standard of oral care for the hospice patient.

Viewpoints on Interventions for Learners With Disabilities

Abstract: This volume focuses on divergent perspectives and innovative interventions known to maximize the fullest potential of people with exceptionalities. Emphasizing that intervention strategy objectives must always be to meet individual learners unique needs, contributions reflect where we are and where we are going in the field of special education.

Architectural Quality through the Integration of Users' Viewpoints in Architectural Design: Case Study Pouillon's Diar Es Saada

Abstract: After the Second World War, the housing production processes went through industrialisation in order to deal with the quantity crisis. Since then, the housing quality management has been inspired by the manufacturing industry approaches. Several approaches have been proposed to ensure this quality through the control of the design process. These approaches quantify the quality and make it measurable according to indicators. Consequently, the quality management concerns the building much more, as an industrial product, rather than an architectural object. This problem affects the housing sector more than services buildings. In the 1950s, Fernand Pouillon handled this housing crisis with the construction of housing estates by opting for a quality of the architectural object. This was through a new interpretation of the architectural composition, which takes into account the pedestrian viewpoints (viewing angles). It was inspired by the arrangement principle of the buildings of the Acropolis of Athens. In this paper, the goal is to consider the possibility of a new focus on the architectural quality of housing estates by the integration of the users' viewing angles in the architectural composition. It will be through the analysis of the housing estate in Algeria, "Diar Es Saada" of Pouillon.

Joint extraction method for viewpoints and viewpoint holders based on self-attention

Abstract: The invention is based on a joint extraction method for viewpoints and viewpoint holders based on self-attention. The method comprises the steps of S1, constructing a corpus for extracting the viewpoints and the viewpoint holders; S2, identifying statements containing the viewpoints; S3, conducting joint extraction on the viewpoints and the viewpoint holders. The method has the advantages that thesituation that extracted sentences do not contain the viewpoints is avoided through a text classification model; a joint extraction model for the viewpoints and the viewpoint holders is free from natural language processing links such as part-of-speech tagging, named entity recognition and syntactic dependency analysis, avoids the influence of errors in the links on the extraction effect of the model, and has high flexibility and coverage; the method comprises the steps of constructing the corpus for extracting the viewpoints and the viewpoint holders, identifying the statements containing the viewpoints and conducting joint extraction on the viewpoints and the viewpoint holders; self-attention is used on the basis of two-way LSTM, the advantages of the self-attention and the two-way LSTMare effectively combined, the representation semantics of word sequences is more abundant, and the accuracy of the trained model is higher.

Q Methodology: A method for understanding complex viewpoints in communities served by extension

Abstract: This article introduces Q methodology, an idea-sorting activity that can help Extension improve outreach and education on new and contentious issues. Q methodology is a helpful tool when Extension professionals are confronted with controversial or complex resource management challenges. Through the analysis of a simple cardsorting exercise, researchers can determine quantitatively and qualitatively how different issues combine to result in (a) an individual's viewpoint on an issue and (b) groupings of different viewpoints within a community. We describe the basic approach to implementing Q methodology and suggest circumstances in which it can help facilitate Extension outreach and education.