Social Sciences – Page 20 – UROP Spring Symposium 2021

Social Sciences

Career and Educational Concerns Over Time

History serves us in many ways as a society. It allows researchers to peel back decades and peer into what could have never been seen without careful documenting and archiving. The Center for the Education of Women is home to a wealth of information dating from 1964 until now that paints a picture of the life’s women led at a time when education was not as welcoming or as accessible as it is now. The first and foremost goal of this project was to dust off all of the old files and give them new life in a database that was designed to lend ease of access to future researchers. As one can probably imagine, this task was a lot easier said then done. Sifting through decades worth of counseling records, scholarship applications, and many other types of documents was a tedious and time-consuming task that required a concise plan of attack and well-designed spreadsheets. But, through plenty of hard work and determination our team was able to preserve history for many years to come.

Career and Educational Concerns Over Time Read More »

Follow the Leader? Rethinking Leadership and Hierarchy in the Workplace

Previous research has demonstrated that information sharing is important to group and organization functioning and performance. However, leaders and managers often have the option to withhold information from their subordinates or other lower-level employees. Leaders and managers are privy to information about organizational issues, challenges, successes, and opportunities that their subordinates are not. Although this information might be useful or beneficial to disseminate, leaders often keep information from their subordinates, especially in times of crisis. In this research, we explore leader information withholding, which we define as the intentional suppression of information from a subordinate that a leader has on group, organizational, or other contextual circumstances. For this project, our objectives are to explore (1) what types of information do leaders withhold (2) when and why leaders withhold information, specifically in times of crisis, and (3) the effects of leader information withholding on group or organizational dynamics and performance. We will conduct, transcribe, and codify interviews with various organizational leaders and managers, in conjunction with analyzing preexisting research to determine when leaders withhold information, placing emphasis on information dissemination during times of crisis. We hope to observe whether there is a difference between what leaders tend to do and what is actually beneficial to organizational performance.

Follow the Leader? Rethinking Leadership and Hierarchy in the Workplace Read More »

Elections Around the World: The Constituency Level Election Archive

Despite the vast amount of information available about different elections from countries around the world, this data is not organized in an easy to access and read format. There is data about local elections that are disorganized, incomprehensible, and even contains inaccurate information. This research project develops a large database called the Constituency-Level Elections Archive (CLEA). CLEA organizes the election results at the constituency level for lower chamber and upper chamber legislative elections from around the world. Data is collected from government agencies as well as various sources online, and this research helps create a repository of detailed election results to be used to a range of audiences for research, education, and policy-making. CLEA consolidates valuable data in one comprehensive and reliable resource so that it is ready for analysis and publicly available at no cost. This information is used in geo-mapping to visualize raw data on election results and map it to a location and a certain constituency to visualize trends. In organizing information found on various elections and ensuring the data is valid, this project will contribute to future research that uses these election results.

Elections Around the World: The Constituency Level Election Archive Read More »

Elections Around the World: The Constituency Level Election Archive

The Constituency-Level Elections Archive (CLEA) is a database that provides information about lower-house elections around the world. Data is gathered from mainly official websites and may be cross-checked through Wikipedia and other secondary sources if needed. The data can contain information about the candidates, parties, and overall voting statistics if applicable. There is a specific format that is used to systemize the data which makes it easier to compare across years and countries if desired. We also take the data and create decimals to better represent the results of each candidate and the overall voter turnout. This representation allows for a quicker scan of the data to identify winners and potential trends across constituencies. If a person wants to see how voter turnout has changed across the years or as a result of a natural catastrophe, they can use the data we have gathered provided that our sources contribute the information needed to determine voter turnout. Currently, we have one client who wants to see 2020 election results to analyze if COVID-19 had an impact on voter turnout and the overall election. Along with certain people asking for specific elections or dates, the public can also use the information however they desire. If a researcher wants to include data about an election, analyze the results, or compare it to illustrate trends, they can use CLEA data which is presented in a way that should make it easier than just looking at the official sources that we use.

Elections Around the World: The Constituency Level Election Archive Read More »

Interactive ebooks

Past research by Dr. Barbara Ericson has indicated that interactive elements are preferred to static textbooks in classes. An interdisciplinary study was undertaken in order to investigate better educational methods for introductory computing classes like Engineering 101. In order to understand what problems and sort of questions best foster learning, static books were converted into interactive electronic books and developed to integrate lower cognitive level practice – multiple choice questions, mix-up code, and parsons problems among others. Prior research has shown that students learn better when they get immediate feedback. Peer instruction allows for greater depth in learning and aids the process of understanding difficulty areas. The books are to be used to gather data regarding difficulty and develop adaptable elements to foster better teaching methods catered to students. The books are coded, and structured to foster maximum success in introductory courses

Interactive ebooks Read More »

Using Interactive Ebooks to Mentor Underrepresented High School Students

With the rise of technology in the world, the way we go about our everyday life is morphing to incorporate this change. Even the way we learn is now being adapted into the technological movement. The use of interactive ebooks is likely to increase greatly in the next few years as a result. Research has shown that using interactive ebooks leads to an increase in use, motivation, and learning gains versus static ebooks. Interactive ebooks are engaging students in a way that static ebooks are not able to do. This click-stream data can be used to improve instruction by determining how students use the instructional materials, probe students’ understanding of crucial concepts, and gather students’ questions. My team and I worked on an introductory python ebook making the book more interactive for the students using the book. This project analyses the data from students who have used the book or are currently using the book. Interviews were conducted to gauge the feelings of the students about the interactive ebooks. In addition, a survey was sent out to the students as well to gather their thoughts on the ebook in a more anonymous setting. From the interview and the survey, students tend to better understand the topic when they can get immediate feedback on their answers. Students also engage in the reading more when interactive activities are incorporated into the readings. Ultimately, interactive ebooks generate a more engaging and comprehensive experience for students. These interactive ebooks will change the way students learn and will lead to a higher success rate in education to come.

Using Interactive Ebooks to Mentor Underrepresented High School Students Read More »

Adding problems to interactive ebooks.

As many classes are moving away from paper textbooks and toward online ebooks, it is important to use principles from educational psychology to ensure that ebook readers are learning as efficiently as possible. Our research seeks to provide additional data about what types of interactive ebook questions are most effective for learning. We will then apply our findings and findings from prior educational psychology research to create a bank of questions that are proven to be effective. We will accomplish our research goals by writing a free, open-source computer science ebook that is used by tens of thousands of educators and students. We will then collect metadata on the users of the ebook, such as how many attempts it takes to solve a problem or how long they spend on each page. Because our research team is still authoring and revising the ebook, there are currently no results. However, we are expecting and hoping to find that practice with immediate feedback is the most effective for learning. We also hope and expect to find that low cognitive load questions, such as worked examples + practice and adaptive practice questions, will be most effective. Principles of educational psychology tell us that these types of questions will be best. If our findings are contradictory, further study will be needed on alternative, nontraditional educational methods for use in ebooks. The findings of our research will provide guidance to current and future ebook authors and increase the effectiveness of future ebooks in aiding student learning. Our research will also establish a bank of high quality questions that can be used in the classroom for lessons or examinations.

Adding problems to interactive ebooks. Read More »

Wicked Solutions Domain – Sustainability

The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Tracking Map has provided a way in which coronavirus statistics can be visualized and understood by researchers and individuals worldwide, allowing for across the board comprehension of the scope of the pandemic. This platform has proved that design thinking and mapping can be an effective way to convey data surrounding problems facing our society to be analyzed in many different ways. In our study, we are investigating the ways in which this model of design can be applied to other wicked problems, including sustainability, obesity, poverty, and food. A large portion of the project thus far has involved literature gathering in which the full extent of the wicked problems being studied are present in our society, within varying sectors including economic, social, and environmental. Annotated bibliographies of academic literature concerning each of the focused issues are being developed to evaluate existing design interventions that exist, which can be eventually compiled into the WISDOM Solutions Domain, to be accessed and interacted with by communities everywhere.

Wicked Solutions Domain – Sustainability Read More »

The Effect of Community Violence Exposure on Academic Functioning Among School-Age Adolescents

In recent literature, the various impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on adolescent functioning have been studied both broadly and particularly. Known effects include mental disorders, substance abuse, and socioeconomic challenges. This review specifically analyzes the effect of one ACE exposure, community violence, on the academic outcomes and functioning of school-age adolescents. In addition, protective factors such as social support were examined to determine if they influenced the relationship between community violence and school outcomes. To compose findings, a subset group of ten published articles was retrieved for an in-depth evaluation. Elements of those articles were used to demonstrate results and support conclusions. From the reviewed literature, the correlation between community violence and academic functioning is apparent, suggesting that exposure to community violence causes a decrease in academic functioning for all school-age adolescents. With the implementation of social support as a protective factor, for most students, while there was still a decline in academic functioning, it was less severe.

The Effect of Community Violence Exposure on Academic Functioning Among School-Age Adolescents Read More »

Sidewalk Walkability and Physical Activity

Relevance: Sidewalk walkability may affect how one interacts with their community and can have significant impacts on their level of physical activity. Objectives: This study examines the relationship between sidewalk presence, continuity, and condition, and level of physical activity among adults in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke study. Methods: Sidewalk characteristics were measured through a Google Earth auditing tool, where auditors viewed a participant’s living location and answered questions relating to sidewalk presence, continuity, and condition on the participant’s side of the street and the side opposite of the participant. Data on level of physical activity was collected from telephone interviews. Chi-square tests of association were estimated for each sidewalk measure and physical activity in a sample of 1,182 participants. Results: Participants reported their frequency of physical activity as none (36%), one to three times per week (35%) or more than three times per week (30%). Fewer than half of the streets had sidewalks (44% participant side; 44% opposite side). Nearly three-quarters of the sidewalks were continuous, and most sidewalks (69%) were well-maintained, on both sides of the street. None of the associations between physical activity and the sidewalk walkability measures were significant. Conclusion: The results of this study have several implications. The types of physical activities participants engaged in, that had them break a sweat, may not have taken place in their neighborhood. Future research should explore how other forms of physical activity are impacted by various aspects of the built and social environment.

Sidewalk Walkability and Physical Activity Read More »

lsa logoum logo