bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Literary Serial Killer Fiction: The Evolution of a Genre
Authors:   , Cook Grant
Published: November 2021

This study examines the dynamics of post-war American serial killer fiction as it relates to social and literary contexts. In the context of history and development, this study considers the impact and origins of particular works and how they have influenced the stylistic and thematic evolution of a particular subgenre I have called literary serial killer fiction. Emphasis is placed on select narratives that directly (or indirectly) transform, challenge and critique the genre conventions in which they are written. Of interest is the evolution of general serial killer fiction as a postmodern phenomenon, in terms of its popularity with the reading public, and in line with the growth of media interest in representations of serial killers. I draw on literary theory (in particular, ‘new historicism’) to demonstrate that the appeal and tropes of serial killer fiction reflect socio-political interests indicative of the era from where they were produced, and to show how the subgenre of literary serial killer fiction can be categorized using its own particular set of defining features.  I examine these aspects in detail in relation to the following selection of fictional serial-killer narratives: Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me, James Ellroy’s Killer on the Road, and Brett Easton Ellis’s American Psycho. For brevity’s sake, I have selected American narrative works that employ first-person narration and are transgressive in the way they focus on characters who defy convention and push boundaries, as do the narratives within larger genre traditions and protocols. In my view, these works are the purest examples of literary serial killer fiction in that they are characteristically unlike other examples that can easily be categorised under other literary genres.  The appeal and popularity of the genre, alongside the functional aspects of the trope, leads me to conclude that it is an ideal form to interact with popular cultural narratives, while also allowing subversive interplay between both real and fictional concerns. The appeal of the genre to those authors who usually write outside of it, particularly in regard to its transgressive and allegorical qualities, is also of particular interest to this study. Because of the hybrid nature of the genre and the ease with which the central trope of the fictional serial killer transcends genres, the resulting possibilities provide a transgressive outlet for authors who wish to test boundaries, in both a literary and an ontological sense, in regard to the commentary serial killer fiction allows on the state of contemporary American literature and society.
Quantum Confinement of Chiral Charge Carriers in Ring Conductors
Authors:   , Yang Lei
Published: November 2021

We theoretically study the quantum confinement effects and transport prop- erties of quantum ring (QR) systems. In particular, we investigate QRs made out of the following materials: single-layer graphene (SLG), single- layer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and narrow-gap semiconduc- tor quantum wells (SQWs).  Via perturbation theory and assuming that the ring aspect ratio is small, the general subband dispersion relations of these hard-wall ring confined systems are determined. These dispersion results agree with and extend on previous works. We discover the necessity of including both a size-quantisation energy and an angular momentum dependent energy shift to the dispersion equation due to their sizeable impact on the conductance of the system.  The topological properties of these QR systems is also investigated. We find that QR confinement of materials may destroy the topologically non-trivial properties of states. The topological phase can be recovered when the band structure is inverted and the confined material parameters satisfy certain critical widths and gap limits.  An analytical expression of the conductance for QRs (with symmetrically- arranged leads), in the presence of the perpendicular magnetic field piercing the centre of the ring, is derived. We study the geometric (i.e. Berry) and dynamic phases of the system that arise from the interference of partial waves in the ring branches. We discover that the Berry phase is modified by a correction term that arises purely from the quantum confinement of the materials. This has generally not been taken into account by previous studies. The explicit analytical expressions of the phase correction term are derived and shown to be proportional to the angular momentum dependent energy shift, present in the dispersion relations, for lead injection energies close to the subband energy.  Overall, this study finds that the material-dependent phase plays a significant role in both the dispersion relation and the conductance of QRs and thus provides a useful insight for future experimental efforts with regards to transport in QR systems.
Monte Carlo Simulation of Adsorption Processes on Heterogeneous Crystal Surfaces
Authors:   , Rajabibonab Leila
Published: November 2021

The simulation of adsorption processes on a heterogeneous crystal surface is the main interest of this thesis. Two applications of this event have been developed with Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation. One is how to control the crystal growth by macromolecules and the other is how to measure the effective rate of interactions near a crystal surface. The first part of this thesis, considers the effective rate of catalytic conversion on a heterogeneous catalytic surface. We assume the crystal surface has two types of active site, one is neutral and the other one is highly active. We compared our result from simulation with the analytical method that is given by the homogenization theory. Our result revealed the importance of patterns of surface energies and the size of them on reaction rate.  In the second project we consider the adsorption of a homopolymer chain on a crystal surface with two types of surface energies in order to limit the growth of one site and let the other sites grow more. We developed a new Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation method in this part, which was also applied to block copolymer chains that are more complex than a homo-polymer chain. Using this method four important phases of the polymer chains at high temperatures and also the free energies of the system across different patterns of active sites have been found. We tested different types of co-polymers to find the most differentiative block copolymer for controlling the crystal growth.
Tales of Possession: A Study of Possession in the Novels of A. S. Byatt and John Fowles
Authors:   , Edwards Samantha
Published: November 2021

This thesis focuses on four works: John Fowles’s The Collector and The French Lieutenant’s Woman, and A. S. Byatt’s The Game and Possession: A Romance. The French Lieutenant’s Woman and Possession have frequently been treated together in academic criticism as Possession was a deliberate response to the former. I have extended this pairing because these four works are built around the idea of ‘possession’. While most critical discussions consider the notion of ‘possession’ as one theme among many, this thesis proposes that ‘possession’ dominates the characterisations in these works.  The starting point for my argument is Jean Baudrillard’s theory of possession as outlined in his chapter “The System of Collecting”. Baudrillard proposes that “[p]ossession cannot apply to an implement” (7). To possess an object it must undergo an “abstractive operation” (7) until it is “divested of its function and made relative to a subject” (8). This thesis translates that subject-object relationship to characters, where one character is the possessor, another the possessed. While the possessive drive can take on multiple forms, in these works romantic, erotic, intellectual, and creative desires come to the fore. The Collector and The Game involve a one-on-one dynamic. The first is one man’s attempt to romantically possess his female obsession, the second is one woman’s attempt to creatively appropriate and possess her sister. Both novels are preludes to the more complex examinations of possessive intent in the novelists’ later work. In The French Lieutenant’s Woman Charles Smithson undertakes an erotic and romantic quest to possess Sarah Woodruff. Along with this is the socially possessed Ernestina Freeman. The contemporary scholars in Possession all compete to intellectually and creatively possess the Victorian poets Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte. The possessive parties in these works attempt to stabilise their projections under the delusion of reciprocity. Only the title of Byatt’s novel hints literally at ‘possession’, but in all of these works ‘possession’ reveals the nature of relationships between human beings.
Estimation and Probabilistic Linkage in Sample Surveys of Anonymous Organisations
Authors:   , Jury Nicholas
Published: November 2021

Drug use takes on many forms, normally this will be just the occasional alcoholic drink, certain individuals drug use develops into habitual use, or more extreme drugs, and then into full addiction. Some of these addicted individuals realise the harmful nature of their addition and join the anonymous support group, Narcotics Anonymous.  This study focus' on the creation of population size estimates, and an estimate of the size of the persistent population between two survey years. These estimates are created from the 2004 and 2008 surveys run by the Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship, as this is an anonymous organisation with no register of the membership database maintained.  Population size estimation for an anonymous organisation is established using simulation methods. The bootstrap estimation was used to estimate characteristics about the two populations. Probabilistic matching was used to identify individuals who were in both the 2004, and 2008 surveys. Once identi ed, a logistic regression model was used to establish what impacts an individual to remain in the programme.  Factors that impacted an individual being persistent in the population included the individual education, employment status, and if they had worked through all the 12 steps of Narcotics Anonymous.
Out of place: Rewriting a landscape signature
Authors:   , Baker Alison Leonora
Published: November 2021

South Wairarapa, in New Zealand’s lower North Island presents an interesting collision; the landscapes forms and features evidence distinct separation between traditional landscape values and recent European economic developments – a separation evident in most New Zealand regions. Combined with its low urban socio-economic outlook and the utilisation of unsustainable farming practices, the region is in decline both ecologically and socially. Near irreversible damage has been done to the landscape. Engineered floodplain manipulation, land clearing, and intensive individualistic farming has resulted in continuing land degradation, flooding, droughts, severe waterway contamination, pollution, and habitat destruction.  Utilising a design led approach in a three-scale investigation with focus assumed on the Ruamahanga River catchment, this thesis investigation explores how designed intervention with regards to the Wairarapa waterway systems can promote a re-emergence of place and placement in Wairarapa to reflect an integrated relationship with the processes of one’s landscape. It discusses how this interaction could be landscape transformative, re-introduce the prosperities of historic Wairarapa, promote sustainable farming practices, and recover declining ecologies. The investigation also discusses the wider New Zealand issue of rural waterway acknowledgement, and its relationship to place, culture, and identity discourse.  This study has been ethically approved. Approval number 22990.
The Poiesis of Systems
Authors:   , Smith Jessica
Published: November 2021

This thesis looks at how to engage with the existing ‘poiesis’ of the Kapiti region north of Wellington, to reveal the large scale ecological systems operating in this coastal landscape, making them legible at the human scale. The research has also developed into an exploration of how sites should produce their own boundaries, and how simplistic structures can bring together the large-scale systems down to an engaging human scale.  Kapiti is a region undergoing fast development and change. Since the days of early European settlement the natural processes once found in there have been altered or depleted to allow for human infrastructure. This has left it with degraded dune and wetland ecosystems. Through the lens of different ‘Acts / Catalysts’ this research uses a variety of design approaches to privilege the human perspective of experiencing space. The design outcome of this research is a series of wooden catalyst structures arranged along a transect starting in Kapiti Island and ending at the foot of the Tararua Ranges.
Arbuscular Mycorrhizae of Phormium Tenax in a restored New Zealand wetland across hydrological gradients
Authors:   , Coles Alexandra
Published: November 2021

New Zealand has lost over 90% of its former wetlands and many that remain are in a degraded state. Restoration projects are often impeded by the failure of native plants to establish back into non-native dominated communities. Phormium tenax is fast growing and acts a nurse plant in wetlands, accelerating the establishment of slower growing native woody species. The roles of below ground organisms are increasingly recognised as affecting plant community dynamics, and this study investigates the diversity of a group of pervasive organisms, the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), growing in symbiosis with Phormium tenax. Next generation sequencing was used to create two libraries to determine the sensitivity of coding and non-coding molecular markers when characterising the AMF community associated with Phormium tenax.  AMF communities colonising individual plants were found to be diverse, and varied across restoration stages, but uncorrelated with soil moisture. The composition of of AMF communities changed seasonally and I observed more AMF hyphae and arbuscules in winter.
Selling sex in Luganville: Ni-Vanuatu sex workers' experiences of, and limits to claiming their sexual and reproductive health rights in Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu
Authors:   , Burry Kate Florence
Published: November 2021

This thesis is a foundational piece of research into ni-Vanuatu sex workers’ experiences within the sex industry of Luganville, on the northern island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu. This research identifies and unpacks ni-Vanuatu sex workers’ limits to claiming their sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), limits which are intricately associated with gender paradigms and hierarchies in Vanuatu.  Those interviewed were male and female sex workers, an ex-sex worker, ‘middle men,’ who manage sexual transactions, a client and an ex-boyfriend of a local sex worker. Discussions focused on the technicalities of Luganville’s sex industry, as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights, and the extent to which sex workers are able to exercise agency during interactions with clients. Thus, this thesis reveals both the intricate workings of the sex industry in Luganville, and the considerable extent to which sex workers are limited in making decisions about their wellbeing, leading to significant accounts of abuse.  The theory of ‘body work’ informs this thesis’ analysis of how ni-Vanuatu sex workers’ bodies are understood as a constitution of their self. This analysis reveals the extent to which sex workers are divested of personhood, thereby limiting their ability to have their rights as persons realised. This thesis also draws on the complex process of, as the author conceptualises, gender and developman in Vanuatu; that is, the ways in which Vanuatu has mingled with, co-opted, and rejected introduced commodities, ways, and beliefs in particularly gendered ways. In this way, this thesis is not only unique in investigating the sex industry in Luganville. This thesis also provides a deep analysis of sex work as a part of gender and developman in Vanuatu, and what that process reveals about sex workers’ agency in particular, and modern configurations of gender in Vanuatu in general.
Messagerunner: Gamifying Behavioural Change Through Mobile Media
Authors:   , Cheng Xudong
Published: November 2021

This research proposes a design solution that integrates gamification and behavioural change theories into a mobile fitness application to promote and maintain physical activity for young adults. This research proposes that the usability of mobile apps on behavioural modification can be improved by integrating psychological interventional methods into the product design. The design output, Messagerunner, will provoke critical reflection about the future design of mobile fitness applications. During the design process, I identified and collected related theories to analyse existing precedents, and then extracted design methods and criteria. Various methodologies including literature analysis, contextual inquiry, and iterative prototyping support the design solution.   Messagerunner seeks to balance the tedious exercise routine with the enjoyment from gamification. It uses widely accepted theories and methods on behavioural intervention to promote physical activity. This research was started by analysing the benefits and cost of behavioural intervention counselling and mobile persuasive technologies. Mobile applications have the benefits of being low cost and easy to access, compared to counselling. However, the existing applications have limits compared to professional intervention. Design solutions that combine intervention methods with persuasive technologies could lead to a better management for sedentary lifestyles.   Messagerunner adopts activity promotion methods drawn from a range of theories. These includes the transtheoretical model (TTM), the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) , and flow theory. The design of the app is inspired by three precedents: Pokémon Go, Habitica, and Run An Empire. To test the method, the design process includes contextual inquiry, prototyping, and user testing. The design outcomes apply to users worldwide and reflect on the design of current commercial fitness apps. The outputs produce a concept and UI design for the final iteration of Messagerunner. This research will provide insightful perspectives for future designs for fitness applications.
Ka ao, ka ao, ka awatea: Emergent Māori experiences of education employment transition
Authors:   , Mitchell Moana
Published: November 2021

The significance of genealogy on Māori transitions between education and employment is often not appreciated as a valid body of knowledge. This research seeks to consider a family history of Māori ‘education towards employment’ experiences and the ensuing conversations that have occurred as part of those experiences. Of major focus is the influence of state policy on systems that have educated Māori to become employable or unemployable, highlighting the often insidious nature of the underlying themes of assimilation, cultural adaptation and integration that have underpinned these policies.  Kaupapa Māori theory is engaged as the methodological approach for this research, while a ‘hypothetical dialogue’, counter-storying and Critical Race Theory (CRT) form the theoretical frameworks for analysing the historical and contemporary narratives provided. What this enables is the positioning of a Māori lens with which to understand the inherent values, beliefs and experiential learning that emerge through using autoethnography and more specifically, indigenous autoethnography. This research details a series of conversations that portray the education-employment transitions of different generations of the researcher’s family. It is a highly personalised account shared to provide insight into the effect of policy on these transitions. Accompanied by scholarly commentary, the thematic material is derived from the collection and analysis of primary data such as genealogical and personal experience, which includes the analysis of family narratives and the observation of hui/meetings.1 Secondary data includes literature and review of policy, which provided a baseline for the research.  The findings of the research establish deficit thinking as a distinctive, historic and recurring feature of systems that are supposed to educate Māori for employment, but which instead continue to educate and transition a significant number of young Māori into unemployment, underemployment and temporary employment arrangements. These findings contribute to the development of an initiative that supports Māori transitions between education and employment, and which looks to the design of a community hub dedicated to educating whole families at a grassroots level; specifically focusing on a group of parents and whānau studying towards an undergraduate qualification based at their local kura/school.
Assessing women’s risk of recidivism: An investigation into the predictive validity of the Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-entry (DRAOR) with matched samples of community-sentenced women and men
Authors:   , Scanlan Jessica
Published: November 2021

Although men and women share risk factors for offending, some scholars claim these factors operate differentially by gender and that certain proposed women-specific risk factors are neglected in the existing gender-neutral risk assessment tools. The present research evaluated one such gender-neutral risk assessment tool used by New Zealand Department of Corrections: The Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-entry (DRAOR; Serin, 2007; Serin, Mailloux, & Wilson, 2012). The research was comparative and examined the predictive validity of the DRAOR for breaches of sentence and criminal reconvictions in matched samples of New Zealand women and men who had served community supervision sentences. Cox regression and AUC analyses showed the initial DRAOR had mixed predictive validity and the proximal DRAOR comparative predictive validity across gender. Additionally, the proximal DRAOR assessment consistently outperformed the initial DRAOR in the prediction of reconvictions for both women and men. Further, offenders made significant change on the DRAOR between two assessment points and overall the change made on the DRAOR was significantly related to reconvictions for women and men. For both samples, the RoC*RoI did not predict breach reconvictions; however, the proximal DRAOR TS provided incremental predictive validity above the RoC*RoI for criminal reconvictions. To conclude, the research supports the continued use of the DRAOR as a risk prediction tool with community-sentenced women and men and thus supports gender neutrality. Further, the research supports the dynamic nature of the DRAOR and highlighted the importance of updating dynamic risk assessments. Additionally, the research recommends that change made on a dynamic risk assessment tool over time be considered useful for predictive purposes for women and men alike.
Itineraries of Modern Ethiopian Instrumental Music
Authors:   , Johnson Lucien
Published: November 2021

This dissertation explores the way in which Ethiopian musicians of the 1960s and 70s adapted forms such as jazz, soul and Latin music to create a new hybrid instrumental music style variously referred to as Ethio-Jazz or Ethio-Groove. It will then go on to investigate the impact that this music has had, in turn, on musicians in various locations around the world since its reissuing on CD in the late 1990s. The central focus is to investigate and articulate the role of individuals’ musical agency in this narrative, and to ask how, within the context of Ethiopian instrumental music and its offshoots, individual musicians and composers have engaged with, responded to and integrated music from elsewhere into their own musical languages. In particular, it looks at how musicians and composers have approached their own notion of creative individuality when their musical genealogy can be traced via affinities rather than geographic and ethnic inheritances. In adopting various influences these musicians, from both the original generation of Ethiopian musicians in the 60s and 70s who adapted soul, jazz and other American forms, and those from around the world who have in turn been influenced by this style of hybrid Ethiopian music, have had to unlock various technical musical problems, as well as navigate at times treacherous ethical waters and answer to allegations of cultural betrayal and/or appropriation. This dissertation identifies these problematic musical and ethical areas and, in the context of this criticism, it examines various viewpoints on how cultural interaction and exchange take place. The final chapter of this dissertation contextualizes my own creative portfolio, which accompanies this written work. It offers a personal response to the questions that have arisen from my affinity for Ethiopian music and from choosing an approach to composition closely informed by this affinity.
From the Superatom to a Large Variety of Supermaterials: A Theoretical Study
Authors:   , Schacht Julia
Published: November 2021

Metal clusters have been a subject of interdisciplinary research for many years as they act as a bridge between atoms and solid-state materials. In particular, clusters that show distinct thermodynamic stability and unusual atom like behavior, with an electronic shell structure that exhibits a superatomic nature, have attracted considerable attention. The concept of clusters behaving as individual atoms and furthermore mimicking the chemistry of specific elements directly leads to the idea of using those nanoparticles as building blocks for new functional materials. Furthermore, it is interesting that one can change the properties of cluster assembled materials by solely changing the properties of the individual clusters involved.  In this work, various factors affecting superatomic assemblies are identified and critically analyzed within the means of first-principles computations. The icosahedral gold cluster Au₁₃[RS(AuSR)₂]₆ has been chosen as a model system to study the tunability of the electronic structure using single atomic impurities. In this context the doped clusters were found to be tunable such, that they reveal atomic properties, e.g. electron affinities similar to individual halogen atoms. In addition, the choice of ligands protecting the clusters is evaluated regarding the stability of the whole cluster and the involvement of the ligands in creating the superatomic structure. The latter was found to be important when thinking of orbital overlap in superatomic assemblies.  In a next step the knowledge gained is used to investigate cluster-cluster interactions and detect pairs of clusters that are good candidates to create new superatomic materials. Furthermore basic principles regarding cluster assemblies are established and partially tested in an experimental collaboration studing the structure of an Au₉(PPh₃)₈-C₆₀ assembly.  Beyond the investigation of individual gold clusters and gold cluster materials, the electronic structure of binary solid state materials consisting of ligand protected transition metal-chalcogen clusters and fullerenes, as synthesized by Roy et al., is presented. This study shows an intermediate case of non-tunable clusters and furthermore displays the partial loss of the superatomic character of the transition metal chalcogen clusters due to charge transfer.  An experimental collaboration conducted in cooperation with the research group of Prof. Beate Paulus in Berlin proceeds even further and investigates the absorption of water on non-superatomic aluminumoxo fluoride clusters.
Identically Self-Dual Matroids
Authors:   , Perrott Alexander
Published: November 2021

In this thesis we focus on identically self-dual matroids and their minors. We show that every sparse paving matroid is a minor of an identically self-dual sparse paving matroid. The same result is true if the property sparse paving is replaced with the property of representability and more specifically, F-representable where F is a field of characteristic 2, an algebraically closed field, or equal to GF(p) for a prime p = 3 (mod 4).  We extend a result of Lindstrom [11] saying that no identically self-dual matroid is regular and simple. We assert that this also applies to all matroids which can be obtained by contracting an identically self-dual matroid.  Finally, we present a characterisation of identically self-dual frame matroids and prove that the class of self-dual matroids is not axiomatisable.
Bach to Batch
Authors:   , Piątek Tomek
Published: November 2021

Ōtaki Beach is an example of a small town by the sea romanticised by many New Zealanders, yet it suffers for not being able to grow without resorting to greenfield development and subdivision. Its coarse urban grain and wide roads prioritise cars and promote a sprawl of low-density, impermeable suburban blocks. Still, the old houses have their charm.  This thesis explores how we can grow the population of Ōtaki Beach without resorting to further greenfield development. Early design experiments centred on large multi-residential structures sited in surrounding landscapes. The final proposal though, developed in the context of adaptive reuse, focuses on exploring the potential of a single block that serves as an example.  The design experiments led to three main strategies. Firstly, unification of existing outdoor spaces generates shared landscape. Secondly, transverse pathways add permeability and refine block grain. Thirdly, selective preservation, unification and vertical stacking of existing structures constitute the formal strategy that increases density without consuming more land and gives rise to a specific architectural expression.  Final design achieves: 4-fold increase in density, taking it from 63 people/km² to over 252 people/km²; refined block grain and permeability, by growing the number of public pathways from zero to three; over 3000m² of shared landscape.
Pragmatism and Reconciliation: Czech-German Political Relations, 1989 – 1997
Authors:   , Bracey Sarah
Published: November 2021

This thesis charts the process of Czech-German political reconciliation between the years 1989 and 1997 asking, broadly, how Czech and German government representatives arrived at the 1997 Declaration on Mutual Relations and their Future Development. The argument focuses on two failed approaches to reconciliation. First, the search for historical truth in the belief that a shared normative assessment would itself dictate the necessary political and legal action, and second, the resort to legal argumentation in the context of international law. In 1989-1990, the foreign policy agendas of both Czechoslovak and German governments prioritised the speedy harmonisation of relations in a spirit of goodwill and optimism. However, a series of seemingly intractable legal disputes arose. Firstly, concerning calls for German compensation for Czech victims of Nazism, and secondly, calls from within the Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft, an organisation of German expellees, for the restitution of property and the right of return, supported by the German federal government. Both the Czechoslovak (later Czech) and German governments simultaneously utilised two competing legal paradigms reflecting the jurisprudential schools of legal positivism and natural law theory to both support their own arguments and refute those of the other, exhibiting a striking symmetry of selfinterested bias. Czech and German representatives disputed the legal status of the Munich Agreement of 1938 (by which the Third Reich partitioned Czechoslovakia), and of the Beneš Decrees of 1945 (collectively sanctioning the deprivation of citizenship and expropriation of Sudeten German property). Their differing interpretations had implications either strengthening or undermining the Sudeten German restitution claim in the 1990s. Neither government sufficiently abided by the intellectual ground rules of a necessarily rational process of inter-state negotiation, preventing a legal resolution. Analysing Czech-German relations through the lens of ‘failed approaches’ highlights the triumph of pragmatism, with surprisingly durable results.
Strategies of Supporting Progressed Learners for Quality Teaching and Learning in Vhembe District, Limpopo, South Africa
Authors: Muedi Fhulufhelo Patrick , Kutame Azwidohwi Philip , Ngidi Thelma , Uleanya Chinaza
Published: November 2021

Progressed learners differ from their counterparts. The difference is reflected in their assimilation, retention and abilities to reproduce what they are taught. Meanwhile, progressing learners due to policy is insufficient, certain support strategies are to be in place. Hence, the study investigated the strategies of supporting “qualified to be progressed” (QP) learners for quality learning and teaching. Mixed methods was employed for data collection. Random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select teachers and School Management Team (SMT) members respectively who formed the study sample. The study was conducted in 10 purposively selected secondary schools in the Vhembe education, Limpopo, South Africa. Questionnaires were used to collect data from 165 selected teachers who were the respondents for the quantitative part of the study. Meanwhile interviews were conducted for the 10 SMTs who formed the participants for the qualitative part of the study. Percentage was used to analyse the quantitative data, while the qualitative data were used for triangulation. The finding of the study showed amongst others that there are no specific support strategies put in place to assist progressed learners to catch up with their counterparts. The study recommends that schools and relevant education stakeholders put in place support strategies to assist progressed learners.
Modular Distance Learning: Its Effect in the Academic Performance of Learners in the New Normal
Authors: Dargo Janina Molina , Dimas Michelle
Published: November 2021

Due to Covid-19 pandemic, schools, particularly in the rural areas employed Modular Distance Learning (MDL) to ensure education continuity. This study seeks to investigate the effects of MDL in the academic performance of learners whether there is a significant difference in their performance before and after the implementation of MDL. Mixed method was applied in this study; Quantitative using T-Test to compare the GWA of learners and Qualitative through the use of semi-structured interview to find out the perceived effect of MDL to 15 parents, 10 learners, and 7 teachers and their recommendations. The study revealed that the 2.25% decrease in the GWA of learners after the implementation of MDL denotes a significant difference in their academic performance. MDL strengthens family bonding, independent learning, and is cost-effective. However, it is an additional workload to working parents, there is limited teacher-learner interaction, learners lack socialization with other children and have no exposure to significant school activities but are rather exposed to many distractions at home. To bridge the gaps, simplifying of modules accompanied by video lessons and audio recordings, conduct of online mediations, neighborhood instruction and home visitations are recommended. The results of this study will help teachers reflect on their current teaching strategies and improve learning outcomes. Future researchers who will conduct research related to Modular Distance Learning may also consider the findings of this study in drafting their related concepts.
READY FOR SCHOOL IN THE CONTEXT OF „SINGLE PEDAGOGICAL SYSTEM –CHILDREN’S TRADITION-PRIMARY SCHOOL“
Authors:   Sofia University „St. Kliment Ohridski“, Sofia, Angelova Luchia , Angelov Bozhidar ,   Sofia University „St. Kliment Ohridski“, Sofia
Published: November 2021

Questions are raised directly related to the problem of the „unified pedagogical system kindergarten – primary school“. The answers were sought in the specifics of preschool age, the unevenness of child development, the saturation with sensitive periods in cognitive development and periodic time changes, with psychosocial crises and age changes. In fact, the use of aspects and fragments in considering a conceptual concept as readiness shows our desire for precision in terms of socio-emotional, aesthetic-artistic, motivational and linguistic readiness for school. If 50 years ago a number of questions were asked related to the education of 6-7 year old children in the direction of the parameters of school maturity, general and special preparation for school, diagnostics and prognosis of school readiness; motivation, socialization and adaptation of children in school, now, in the age of the information society, these problems, in our opinion, expect adequate scientific and practical solutions. Therefore, the report proves that rapid social change sometimes precedes scientific responses to pedagogical practice and in this changed social, social and psychological context, all three actors in the education system: teachers, parents and children, have different attitudes, expectations and opportunities for reactions.
APPLICATION OF THE PERMA MODEL IN AN INNOVATIVE STEM SUBJECT – SPACE RESEARCH
Authors:   „Alexander Georgiev-Kodzhakafaliyata“ Primary School, Burgas, Nenov Mihail , Ivanova Sevil , Stoyanova Greta , Srebreva Tanya ,   „Alexander Georgiev-Kodzhakafaliyata“ Primary School, Burgas
Published: November 2021

The article traces the application of the PER MA model in the innovative STE M subject Space Research. The design of educational solutions takes into account modern trends in the development of „soft skills“ and an integrated set of knowledge aimed at identifying and solving problems in the micro- (individual) and macro (global) context of the individual and the community in a period of dynamic digitalization and robotization of personal and social parameters and their consolidation into business intelligent systems (BIS ). The content design for the STE M subject Space Research is based on the PER MA model in positive psychology and presents the ways in which it is realized through: an integrated learning approach, combined with a set of hardware and software solutions that ensure the realization of goals, expanding the parameters of personal development of students and setting new challenges for learning and mental (cognitive and emotional) growth.
SPEECH DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN IN KINDERGARTEN IN A TEXT-CENTRIC AND INTERACTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Authors:   University of Shumen Bishop Konstantin Preslavski, Shumen, Georgieva Snezhanka , Balanska Nora ,   Sava Dobroplodni Secondary School, Shumen
Published: November 2021

This article presents an anonymous (for the purpose of objectivity) survey amongst 75 teachers from 27 kindergartens from all over the country. It analyses the kindergarten teachers’ attitude towards the role of text and interactivity when teaching Bulgarian Language and Literature. The online survey covers 20 questions divided into three semantic subgroups – teachers’ attitude towards the preliminary prep work for teaching; teachers’ point of view on the role of text in the speech development of children; teachers’ attitude towards the effects of using an interactive learning environment. Some of the questions are related to the presumption of the survey’s authors that part of the interactive methods (such as thinking cards, pictograms and book games) are not used actively enough to increase the effectiveness of language teaching in the modern kindergarten, that the text-centricity seldom departs from the framework of the traditional educational nuclei of working with literary text – Comprehension of the literary text and Recreation of the literary text. The data collected from these and the remaining groups of questions forms the basis of the conclusions on the speech development of children in mandatory preschool education groups.
INTEGRITY IN EDUCATION BY THE ART MEANS
Authors:   Episkop Konstantin Preslavski University, Shumen, Zlatkova Liuba
Published: November 2021

The report examines the possibility of understanding and awareness of a topic in any lesson in general education school, finding common ground with different aspects of knowledge. In this way, students perceive the new knowledge more fully and from different points of view. Their interest in searching for a new information and connecting it with the available information received in classes in various subjects, as well as from independent sources, is aroused. Thus, the students are motivated to look for new ways to perceive the entity, as well as to understand its place in the world. They gain flexibility and skills for learning and applying knowledge.
THE ROLE OF ARTISTIC DEFORMATION IN CHILDREN’S FINE ARTS
Authors:   St Cyril and St Methodius University of Veliko Turnovo-Vratsa Branch, Alexandrova Elitsa
Published: November 2021

The artistic deformation in children’s art is done unconsciously. It is observed in the change in the shape, proportion and color of an object or object. This is due to the exceptional desire of the child to convey greater expressiveness of his drawing, emphasizing the most important image for him. The deformation characteristic of this age period conveys a uniqueness and uniqueness of the children’s drawing. The use of specific methods of fine arts contributes to the stimulation of creative imagination and the manifestation of individual inclination to different ways of deformation. Stimulation of creative thinking increases the expressiveness of children’s fine arts. appearances.
GUIDELINES, IDEAS AND APPROACHES FOR AI EDUCATION IN SCHOOL. KNOWLEDGE STRUCTURING AND SEMANTIC MODELING
Authors:   Plovdiv University Paisij Hilendarski, Plovdiv, Stoyanov Stanimir , Glushkova Todorka ,   Plovdiv University „Paisii Hilendarski”, Plovdiv, Grancharova-Hristova Mariya ,   Humanities High School „St. St. Cyril and Methodius“, Plovdiv, Tabakova- Komsalova Veneta ,   Plovdiv University „Paisii Hilendarski”, Plovdiv
Published: November 2021

The strategic documents at European and national level set as a main goal for education the introduction of elements of artificial intelligence in the various educational levels and forms of training in a way appropriate for the learners. In the last two years, experimental training in artificial intelligence in high school has been implemented in Bulgaria. The report examines some problems and challenges in organizing and conducting this training in different types of schools, specialties and classes. Some guidelines are outlined and ideas for creating an appropriate curriculum and learning resources in the field of knowledge structuring and semantic modelling are shared. An approach to teacher and student training is proposed. The authors share their experience in teaching teachers and students and analyse the results of surveys and tests.
INTELLIGENT AGRICULTURE IN STEAM CENTERS
Authors:   Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, BAS, Sofia, Krasteva Irina , Todorov Yordan ,   Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, BAS, Sofia, Stoyanov Ivan ,   Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, BAS, Sofia
Published: November 2021

The article presents a conceptual model and architecture of the ATOS (Artificial intelligence for agriculture TO Steam center) platform, designed for STEAM centers. The theoretical basis of the platform is the concept of „integrated domains“, developed in accordance with the work program of the National Scientific Program „Intelligent Agriculture (2021-2024)“ (NSP). The basic component in this program is ViPS, which is a reference architecture for building cyber-physical applications, which is adapted for different domains as e-learning, digitization of cultural and historical heritage, smart agriculture and smart city. One of the main goals of the program is to involve young researchers (including school students) in the problems of intelligent agriculture. The idea of ATOS is to maintain an integrated domain „intelligent agriculture – STEAM Center“, using the information resources of the NSP to provide training units mainly on the subject of biology and its applications in intelligent agriculture, as well as on topics such as artificial intelligence, robotics, game-based learning. A key component of the ATOS platform is a personal intelligent student assistant mounted on a third-generation Robobo robot.
THE PLACE OF AUGMENTED REALITY IN THE LEARNING PROCESS
Authors:   Plovdiv University „Paisii Hilenadarski“, Plovdiv, Shopova Vera , Dimitrov Ivan ,   Plovdiv University „Paisii Hilendarski”, Plovdiv
Published: November 2021

One of the most important aspects of meaningful reaching out to students is the ability to be engaged in their work. As a digital generation, today’s students want learning, not passive participation. Innovation-based hours are a fun, challenging, and effective way to deliver personalized inter-thedal connections. Augmented and virtual reality can be used to improve student learning and engagement. The educational environment and learning process can be transformed in a way that captivates students and meets their new digital needs. Augmented reality is the premise of creating a virtual world – real or imagined – and allows students not only to see it, but also to interact with it. Thus, the training itself becomes modern, interactive and practice-oriented. In the scientific report, the authors examine the essence of the concept of „augmented reality“. They note the benefits of introducing augmented reality into the learning process for teachers and students. The report shares good practices by describing applications they used to work and create resources (Google Expeditions, Smart Classroom AR, Merge EDU, Mozaik 3D, Lens Studio, Unity, etc.) science scholars in school hours and interest groups.
SEVERAL QUESTIONS REGARDING THE RULES FOR THE PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA IN KINDERGARTEN
Authors:   Sofia University „St. Kliment Ohridski“, Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, Manchev Angel
Published: November 2021

The protection of personal data is one of the core values of modern European societies. This protection is provided by the law of the European Union and by the national legislations of the Member States, to which the Republic of Bulgaria also belongs. As of May 25, 2018, the protection of personal data is being expanded and updated in response to technological progress and the increasingly accelerated data exchange. The reason for this is the entry into force of Regulation (EU ) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR) and the changes in our national law that it imposes. In the sense of what has been said so far, the issues of personal data protection in children’s institutions are especially relevant, because these organizations actively handle personal data at any level of children, parents, teachers and staff. In this article, we will try to give short answers to some of the most important questions regarding personal data and the rules for their protection, according to European and Bulgarian legislation.
IMPROVING THE COMPETENCES OF PRESCHOOLERS OUTSIDE THE PEDAGOGICAL SITUATIONS
Authors:   Kindergarten “Morska zvezda”, Burgas, Dimova Blaga
Published: November 2021

The article presents an initial stage of research and application of the competence approach in the process of preschool education in activities and forms outside the pedagogical situations. The main emphasis is on the goals that are achieved by applying the competence approach in this context. The additional forms with their infiniteness and flexibility are a reliable component for effective realization of the competence-oriented education of the child at preschool age and for satisfying his/her creative and educational interests and abilities. The key technological steps and indicators for expected results are presented, according to the regulatory documents for preschool education in our country and in Europe. As important components of the educational space, the additional forms expand the opportunities for the formation of the competences of the child at preschool age in the context of his/her upbringing, education, socialization and development.