Strategies for Efficient Experimental Design in Studies Probing 2-1-1 Mediation

Abstract

When well-implemented, mediation analyses play a critical role in probing theories of action because their results help lay the ground work for the critical development of a treatment and the iterative advancement of theories that are foundational to a discipline. Despite strong interest in designs that incorporate mediation, few studies have developed effective and efficient strategies to plan experiments examining multilevel mediation. We probe several design strategies for cluster-randomized designs and derive sampling plans that maximize power under cost constraints. The results suggest that among the more durable design strategies for mediation is covariance adjustment on variables predictive of the outcome and optimal sample allocation. The statistical power and optimal sample allocation results are implemented in the R package PowerUpR.     

高校教室资源优化配置研究

教室资源配置的难点由来已久,然而在实际教学管理过程中,往往得不到应有的重视,而且随着高等教育的发展,这方面问题的发展已经蕴涵了新的特点、要求,也要求高等教育的具体管理者给以更多的关注。从当前宏观和微观的背景着手,分析高校教室资源优化配置的内容,并从高校教室的管理主体、构成结构及日常使用管理等三方面分析高校教室资源优化配置的途径。     

Optimal Design for Two-Level Random Assignment and Regression Discontinuity Studies

An important concern when planning research studies is to obtain maximum precision of an estimate of a treatment effect given a budget constraint. When research designs have a multilevel or hierarchical structure changes in sample size at different levels of the design will impact precision differently. Furthermore, there will typically be differential costs of enrolling additional units at different levels of the hierarchy. The optimal design problem in multilevel research studies involves determining the optimal sample size at each level of the design given specified design parameters and a specified marginal cost of recruitment at each level. The current work extends existing results by considering optimal design for (a) unbalanced random assignment designs and (b) regression discontinuity designs.     

高校人力资源现状及其优化配置

高等院校人力资源的优化配置对推动学校的学科建设、人才培养、师资队伍建设、科技创新等有着重要意义.目前,我国许多高校的人力资源配置现状并不理想.高等院校应该顺应创新发展的战略目标,树立人力资源战略观念,创建良好的制度、机制、环境,组建优秀的教师团队,优化和配置好高校的人力资源.     

供给侧改革背景下高校内部教育资源优化配置研究

高校内部教育资源主要可分为三种:满足基本教育教学需要的基本资源、强化培育学科特色竞争力的专项资源和支撑师生发展与区域社会服务的共享资源。在更加注重"供给侧结构性改革"的时代背景下,优化配置高校内部的基本资源,应遵循"师生满意,设施优良,管理一流,服务高效"的基本原则;优化配置高校内部的专项资源,应遵循"培育特色,强化优势,改革创新,重在大精"的基本原则;优化配置高校内部的共享资源,应遵循"教师发展,学生成才,文化繁荣,引领社会"的基本原则。     

Between-School Variation in Students' Achievement,Motivation, Affect,and Learning Strategies: Results from 81 Countries for Planning Group-Randomized Trials in Education

To plan group-randomized trials where treatment conditions are assigned to schools, researchers need design parameters that provide information about between-school differences in outcomes as well as the amount of variance that can be explained by covariates at the student (L1) and school (L2) levels. Most previous research has offered these parameters for U.S. samples and for achievement as the outcome. This paper and the online supplementary materials provide design parameters for 81 countries in three broad outcome categories (achievement, affect and motivation, and learning strategies) for domain-general and domain-specific (mathematics, reading, and science) measures. Sociodemographic characteristics were used as covariates. Data from representative samples of 15-year-old students stemmed from five cycles of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA; total number of students/schools: 1,905,147/70,098). Between-school differences as well as the amount of variance explained at L1 and L2 varied widely across countries and educational outcomes, demonstrating the limited generalizability of design parameters across these dimensions. The use of the design parameters to plan group-randomized trials is illustrated.     

Optimal production lot sizing model in a supply chain with periodically fixed demand considering learning effect

This paper presents an optimal production model for manufacturer in a supply chain with a fixed demand at a fixed interval with respect to the learning effect on production capacity.An algorithm is employed to find theoptimal dela time for production and production time sequentially.It is found that the optimal delay time for production and the production time are not static,but dynamic and variant with time.It is important for a manufacturer to schedule the production so as to prevent facilities and workers from idling.     

Testing Students with Special Needs: A Model for Understanding the Interaction Between Assessment and Student Characteristics in a Universally Designed Environment

This article presents a model of assessment development integrating student characteristics with the conceptualization, design, and implementation of standardized achievement tests. The model extends the assessment triangle proposed by the National Research Council ( Pellegrino, Chudowsky, & Glaser, 2001 ) to consider the needs of students with disabilities and English learners on two dimensions: cognitive interaction and observation interaction. Specific steps in the test development cycle for including students with special needs are proposed following the guidelines provided by Downing (2006) . Because this model of test development considers the range of student needs before test development commences, student characteristics are supported by applying the principles of universal design and appropriately aligning accommodations to address student needs. Specific guidelines for test development are presented.     

Teaching the Election with Purpose: Toward a Framework of Racial Media Literacy and [Socio] Political Consciousness When Discussing Elections in the Social Studies Classroom

Infusing content about elections has not been an issue for social studies teachers, but rather contextualizing race discourse in discussions of elections has served as a curricular cessation for social studies teachers. This is especially concerning given that teachers' attempts to remain neutral with regards to race consequently results in a lack of racial awareness and sociopolitical consciousness pertaining to political issues among students. This article advocates for pedagogical frameworks of racial media literacy and (socio)political consciousness to address systemic issues of race as they are discussed in the election. The author argues that students, especially students of color, should be afforded the opportunity to critically interrogate media outlets, messages, and candidates' positioning of race as an effort to promote political consciousness that could potentially impact their immediate or future political decision making. Suggestions for enacting these frameworks are provided within the broader discourse on acquiring knowledge, political disclosure, and inquiry pedagogy.