ABSTRACT
Monitoring students' competences is vital in order to inform teachers, administrators, and policymakers about students' learning progress and achievement heterogeneity. For educational researchers, it is a matter of accountability to use state of the art designs to make assessments as reliable, valid and efficient as possible. Digital media have recently been described as a "third space " for learning, located between learning at home and at school (McDougall & Potter, 2019;Potter & McDougall, 2017). This view has gained new relevance in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced schools across the globe into distance learning and thus further increased reliance on computers for schooling (Helm et al., 2021). Large-scale assessments such as PIRLS and PISA have started to incorporate computers into their test administration (Hu beta mann et al., 2017;Yamamoto, Shin, & Khorramdel, 2019). Administering tests on the computer comes with the option to use testing modes that adapt to each examinee's ability (Davey, 2011;Frey et al., 2017). Reading comprehension assessments in elementary school are of particular interest, because reading comprehension affects students' educa-tional futures and their ability to participate in society and life in general (OECD, 2019;Wigfield et al., 2016). As such, it is one of the most important skills that children are taught in elementary school. There, children move from learning individual letters to decoding the meaning of words, on to understanding the content of a sentence, paragraph, or text (Becker, McElvany, & Kortenbruck, 2010). Between grades two and three, children tend to begin reading fluently (see Chall, 1983). Still, reading ability in fourth grade students is considerably heterogeneous, with only 34% of US students participating in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reaching reading proficiency (as defined by the NAEP), and 35% not reaching the basic reading level (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). Computer-based tests (CBTs) and computer-adaptive tests (CATs) can potentially improve the assessment of reading comprehension over paper-and-pencil tests (PPTs). CBTs have higher technical demands, but offer more control over the test situation (i.e., exposure control or time limits) and provide additional quality control data (e.g., rapid guessing detection) and process data (e.g., log files) compared to PPTs. In addition, adaptive item selection can make a test design much more efficient (Davey, 2011). However, for beginning readers, the effects of reading on screen versus reading on paper and the potential effects of adaptive item selection that adjusts to individual ability are not well-researched. Existing research has focused on test score equivalence between different formats of test administration regarding test scores. Research into the test experience has been limited. Inspired by basic research on instruc-tional design and cognitive psychology, it has been suggested that taking a CBT, CAT, or PPT can lead to different test experiences (Colwell, 2013;Ortner, Weisskopf, & Koch, 2014). An important aspect of the test experience is an examinee's cognitive load and its relation to working memory. Reading comprehension is closely related to working memory (Daneman & Carpenter, 1980), as comprehension relies on remembering previous words in a sentence or paragraph. This holds true for elementary school children (Seigneuric, Ehrlich, Oakhill, & Yuill, 2000). Cognitive load is the strain that carrying out a task, such as learning or reading, puts on a person's working memory (Sweller, van Merrie & BULL;nboer, & Paas, 2019). Cognitive load theory (CLT) is often applied in instructional
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack detection in intelligent systems. In recent times, due to the endemic COVID-19, the use of intelligent systems has increased. However, these systems are easily affected by DDoS attacks. A DDoS attack is a reliable tool for cyber-attackers because there is no efficient method which can detect or filter it properly. In this context, we analyze different types of DDoS attacks and defense techniques for intelligent systems. For the analysis, we used Scopus databases to collect relevant papers in English between 2014 and 2022. This study makes an important contribution to the field of DDoS attack detection for intelligent systems, providing a comprehensive overview of the field's evolution and current status, as well as a comprehensive, synthesized, and organized summary of various perspectives, definitions, and trends in the field.
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AIM: Although normative and ethical procedures are extremely critical for health care providers, during this unique time, when the pandemic suddenly increased job requirements and workloads, maintaining a morally appropriate working style became an increasingly difficult challenge for nurses. Few previous studies have examined whether these highly increased job demands influence nurses' resource condition, in turn affecting their deviance and task mastery. DESIGNS: In the current study, we proposed a theoretical model examining whether nurses' job demands (the predictor) will affect task mastery and deviance (the outcomes) by increasing resource depletion. METHODS: A multiwave field study of 172 nurses from two comprehensive hospitals was conducted to test the proposed theoretical model from April to August 2020. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analyses, correlation coefficients and linear regressions were used to test the hypotheses. RESULTS: The results suggested that even though job demands may temporarily increase nurses' task mastery and decrease their organizational deviance, they ultimately have a negative influence since resource depletion acts as a side effect that suppresses the two direct effects. CONCLUSION: The theoretical contributions and practical implications of our findings were discussed. Specifically, we suggested that healthcare institutions should provide abundant support for nurses to supplement their resource reserves to avoid the risk of potential medical malpractice. IMPACT: Practically, this study tried to emphasize the important role of nurses' resource condition. Especially we aimed to remind managers and leaders cannot just improve nurses' job demand to deal with the public health crises. They also need to focus on their resource condition during pandemics.
Subject(s)
Nurses , Nursing Staff, Hospital , Attitude of Health Personnel , Humans , Job Satisfaction , Pandemics , Surveys and Questionnaires , WorkloadABSTRACT
The mismanagement of waste in protected areas may lead to significant and irreversible environmental, economic and social impacts, such as land degradation, resource depletion, surface and groundwater pollution, loss of biodiversity and impacts on the aesthetic value of these areas. This paper aims to identify the challenges and opportunities for sustainable solid waste management in privately protected areas, given the limited research conducted on this topic. A case study approach was followed, which focused on the Sabi Sand Wildtuin, a private nature reserve (PNR) in South Africa. Interviews were conducted with 30 participants, which included representatives from the management authority, commercial lodges, non-commercial properties and a waste service provider. Several challenges have been identified by interviewees. Behaviour was the most frequently mentioned challenge, where interviewees raised concerns about negative attitudes, unwillingness to implement waste management measures and a possible lack of support. Other frequently mentioned challenges included foreseen difficulties due to the size and location of the reserve and concerns around funding of waste management measures, especially given the financial implications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) travel and tourism restrictions. The most frequently identified opportunities included creating jobs and improving livelihoods, providing assurance and transparency of what happens to waste ‘beyond the gate’ and improving awareness, knowledge and skills related to waste management. To optimise the opportunities towards sustainable solid waste management, PNRs should focus on aligning their strategic direction to achieve legal compliance and support community initiatives to establish waste-related infrastructure and services that cannot be implemented within the reserve. Conservation implications: The pursuit of waste-related opportunities within privately protected areas could enhance the implementation of sustainable solid waste management in PNRs, whilst also contributing to pollution prevention, community upliftment and other secondary benefits, which could ultimately result in increased conservation efforts.
ABSTRACT
Every November and December, farmers outside Delhi burn rice straw in their fields. Smoke from those fields makes its way to the city, where it contributes to respiratory problems. Although it may seem as though the smoke problem could be solved by strict enforcement of existing policies to reduce burning, changing farmers' practices is not that simple. The annual air pollution crisis in Delhi has roots in the country's famed Green Revolution and is an example of how rapidly rural agriculture is evolving, creating new and highly complex environmental issues in an increasingly industrialized India. The story behind Delhi's smog is a bogglingly complex interplay among multiple factors, including technology, farming practices, market shifts, government policies, and seasonal weather conditions. And its effects aren't confined to health problems: there is increasing evidence that this pollution also has severe and adverse economic impacts that are undermining India's efforts to realize the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Addressing the complex causes of Delhi's air pollution will require collaboration among many participants to mitigate tradeoffs involving resource depletion, food security, and environmental quality. Within that complexity lies a possible path toward a more sustainable mode for the region's agricultural practices.