The state of new media technology research in China: a review and critique

Scholars argue that the history of communication technology is a history of social change, often in unpredictable ways under the influence of various socio-political forces and technological innovations. How does this insight apply to China which has witnessed a boom of new media technologies amidst rapid social change? To what extent does new media research conducted by Chinese scholars help us understand the process of new media diffusion and consumption in China? By reviewing research published in Chinese-language scholarly journals, this paper reviews current new media research in China by tracing trends in such research, identifying research agenda, applications of theory, and use of methodology. Gaps in Chinese new media research will be explored; directions that lead to further research will be suggested.     

Epistemological pluralism in research synthesis methods

The purpose of research synthesis is to produce new knowledge by making explicit connections and tensions between individual study reports that were not visible before. Every effort of synthesizing research is inevitably premised on certain epistemological assumptions. It is crucial that research synthesists reflect critically on how their epistemological positioning enables them to pursue certain purposes while preventing them from pursuing other purposes. The literature on research synthesis methods is dominated by publications premised on positivist assumptions. The rhetoric of systematic reviews, best-evidence synthesis and What Works Clearinghouse privileges syntheses with positivist orientations. Contesting the hegemony of positivist research syntheses, this paper makes a case for research syntheses that are informed by diverse epistemological orientations. It illuminates how research syntheses with distinct epistemological orientations can serve complementary, equally worthwhile, purposes.     

State-Space Modeling of Dynamic Psychological Processes via the Kalman Smoother Algorithm: Rationale,Finite Sample Properties,and Applications

This article presents a state-space modeling (SSM) technique for fitting process factor analysis models directly to raw data. The Kalman smoother via the expectation-maximization algorithm to obtain maximum likelihood parameter estimates is used. To examine the finite sample properties of the estimates in SSM when common factors are involved, a Monte Carlo study is conducted. Results indicate that the estimates of factor loading matrix, transition matrix, and unique variances were asymptotically normal, accurate, precise, and robust, especially for moderate and long time series. The estimates of state residual variances were positively biased for shorter time series, but as the length of series increased, these estimates became accurate and precise. To illustrate the application of SSM the technique is applied to empirical multivariate time-series data on daily affect collected from 2 individuals in a dating couple.     

The Impact of Vocabulary Instruction on Passage-Level Comprehension of School-Age Children: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

A meta-analysis of vocabulary interventions in grades pre-K to 12 was conducted with 37 studies to better understand the impact of vocabulary on comprehension. Vocabulary instruction was found to be effective at increasing students' ability to comprehend text with custom measures (d = 0.50), but was less effective for standardized measures (d = 0.10). When considering only custom measures, and controlling for method variables, students with reading difficulties (d = 1.23) benefited more than three times as much as students without reading problems (d = 0.39) on comprehension measures. Gains on vocabulary measures, however, were comparable across reading ability. In addition, the correlation of vocabulary and comprehension effects from studies reporting both outcomes was modest (r = .43).     

Effectiveness of Physical Activity Interventions for Preschoolers: A Meta-Analysis

Purpose: The purpose of the meta-analysis was to examine the effectiveness of physical activity interventions on physical activity participation among preschoolers. A secondary purpose was to investigate the influence of several possible moderator variables (e.g., intervention length, location, leadership, type) on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Method: Nine databases were systematically searched for physical activity interventions. Studies were included if they contained statistics necessary to compute an effect size (ES), were written in or translated into English, examined physical activity in preschoolers, incorporated a physical activity intervention, and targeted preschool-aged children. Fifteen studies satisfied these criteria. ESs were calculated using a random-effects model. Results: Results indicated that overall, interventions had a small-to-moderate effect on general physical activity (Hedges g = 0.44, p < .05, n = 73 ESs) and a moderate effect on MVPA (Hedges g = 0.51, p < .05, n = 39 ESs). The greatest effects for MVPA were identified for interventions that were less than 4 weeks in duration, were offered in an early-learning environment, were led by teachers, involved outdoor activity, and incorporated unstructured activity. Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides an overview and synthesis of physical activity interventions and highlights effective strategies for future interventions aimed at increasing physical activity levels among preschoolers.     

骨骼肌肥大动物模型形态学研究的系统量化分析

系统量化分析负荷作用于动物骨骼肌的效果.研究对随机设计的9个工作394个动物实验数据进行标准化处理.在全部实验设计和种类中,发现肌肉质量增加(效果量为2.72,95% 置信区间为1.75至3.68,p=0.0000)、肌纤维面积增加(效果量为3.05,95%置信区间为2.13至3.97,p=0.0000)和肌纤维数量增加(效果量为0.67,95%置信区间为0.18至1.16,p=0.0077)具有显著意义.研究提示负荷对有些动物肌肉肥大有作用,其中牵张负荷后实验动物肌肉质量、肌纤维面积明显增加.     

Misunderstandings of Effect Sizes in Message Effects Research

Widespread acknowledgement of the weaknesses of null hypothesis significance testing has led to correspondingly greater appreciation of the central role of effect size estimation in social-scientific research. But in the context of message effects research, it is easy to confuse an effect size—a quantitative representation of the effect of a variable on an outcome—with the size of the effect of a message on an outcome. Illustrations of this misunderstanding are offered, its unhappy consequences specified, and remedies discussed.     

Fostering scientific reasoning in education – meta-analytic evidence from intervention studies

Scientific reasoning skills are not just for researchers, they are also increasingly relevant for making informed decisions in our everyday lives. How can these skills be facilitated? The current state of research on supporting scientific reasoning includes intervention studies but lacks an integrated analysis of the approaches to foster scientific reasoning in primary through secondary education. This meta-analysis evaluates effect sizes taken from 30 interventions in experimental and quasi-experimental studies and shows a medium mean effect of interventions on scientific reasoning. Interventions successfully facilitate scientific discovery, scientific argumentation, or nature of science in all age groups. Moderator analyses show that interventions set in constructive and interactive learning activities yield positive effects but do not differ substantially. Although the meta-analysis is limited by the number of studies included, we can conclude that scientific reasoning can successfully be facilitated and we show which characteristics are beneficial in educational interventions.     

Meta-analysis of transformational school leadership effects on school outcomes in Taiwan and the USA

Researchers have suggested that transformational leadership is an important aspect of effective schools; however, whether the effects vary across related studies and the robustness of the overall effect size remain unclear. A meta-analysis technique was used to synthesize the results of 28 independent studies and to investigate the overall relationship between transformational school leadership and three measures of school outcomes. The study found that, in terms of the mean effect sizes, transformational school leadership does have positive effects on teacher job satisfaction, school effectiveness perceived by teachers, and student achievement. Support for this paper was funded in part by the Taiwan’s National Science Council. The author is especially grateful to the two reviewers for their valuable comments and Dr. Jin-Fu Wu for his helps of statistical analysis.     

Peer assessment in the digital age: a meta-analysis comparing peer and teacher ratings

Given the wide use of peer assessment, especially in higher education, the relative accuracy of peer ratings compared to teacher ratings is a major concern for both educators and researchers. This concern has grown with the increase of peer assessment in digital platforms. In this meta-analysis, using a variance-known hierarchical linear modelling approach, we synthesise findings from studies on peer assessment since 1999 when computer-assisted peer assessment started to proliferate. The estimated average Pearson correlation between peer and teacher ratings is found to be .63, which is moderately strong. This correlation is significantly higher when: (a) the peer assessment is paper-based rather than computer-assisted; (b) the subject area is not medical/clinical; (c) the course is graduate level rather than undergraduate or K-12; (d) individual work instead of group work is assessed; (e) the assessors and assessees are matched at random; (f) the peer assessment is voluntary instead of compulsory; (g) the peer assessment is non-anonymous; (h) peer raters provide both scores and qualitative comments instead of only scores; and (i) peer raters are involved in developing the rating criteria. The findings are expected to inform practitioners regarding peer assessment practices that are more likely to exhibit better agreement with teacher assessment.