Buying power

How to handle the huge sum of money that urban and rural residentshave deposited in the bank or kept in their pockets still remains a subtleproblem in China,according to Economic DailyLatest statistics show that urban and rurai residents by the end ofSeptember this year had 480 billion yuan ((?)102 billion) in the bank.     

Integrating acupuncture: are there positive health outcomes for women?

The key health issues for women tend to be primarily associated with the female reproductive system. There are also other gender priorities and consequences associated with ageing, which require effective interventions. Acupuncture is used worldwide and its evidence base is increasing on both mechanisms of action and its effectiveness in clinical care. Although acupuncture may be a valuable addition to healthcare for some conditions, it is rarely fully integrated into mainstream Western medicine clinical practice. Inadequate design and poor reporting of clinical trials have been barriers. Additionally systematic reviews and meta-analyses have tended to be equivocal and have reported that there is insufficient evidence for its recommendation. Future research should focus on ensuring good trial design including cost effectiveness and qualitative data and using a more pragmatic stance which reflects acupuncture in clinical practice. Undoubtedly, effective interventions are always needed to ensure the best health outcomes and address preventable deaths, morbidities, and disabilities among women but integration will be compromised unless underpinned by good evidence.     

Different for women? The challenges of doctoral studies

This exploratory study investigates gender-specific differences in the challenges of the doctoral experience through the observations of a counsellor working with doctoral students. The article first contextualises the study within the literature investigating doctoral attrition and gender equity, showing that identity transformation over the doctorate is problematic in particular aspects for women. We confirm that cultural expectations regarding women passivity, family nurturance and (at least symbolic) subordination to male authority can cause tensions between women's social relationships and academic performance which values assertiveness, clear communication and confident management of power relationships. We identify various conflicts between the female roles of the social sphere and the academic arena that problematise the identity transition of the doctorate from student to independent researcher.     

Producing cosmos? The explanatory power of social drama for school reform

The winds of decentralizing reform that have been driving their way through various government education systems across the globe over the best part of two decades have generated a great deal of conflict. In the late 1990s those working in the Western Australian government high school in which I conducted the research reported here found themselves in the middle of a devolutionary storm that drew them into an increasingly disruptive conflict with their reform-minded principal. Victor Turner's influential depiction of significant conflict in terms of a processual unit that he called a social drama has considerable analytical purchase for this case study. However, while the four stages—breach, crisis, redress and reintegration—were easily recognizable in the events described here, it is Turner's claim that conflict brings ‘fundamental aspects of society, normally overlaid by the customs and habits of daily intercourse into frightening prominence’ that is of greater interest. Linking social dramas with practice theory provides a productive means for analysing and explaining the sorts of conflict produced in any social setting.     

Are women really asking for it?

Childbirth educators and doulas express frustration that the vast majority of women choose standard obstetric care for labor and birth, even though the evidence shows that this care increases the likelihood that they will experience unnecessary intervention and morbidity. Women are preparing for childbirth by reading and taking classes, but they are unprepared for this reality. What responsibility do doulas and childbirth educators have in alerting women of the risk?     

Adult outcomes of sustained high-quality early child care and education: Do they vary by family income?

Experimental research demonstrates sustained high-quality early care and education (ECE) can mitigate the consequences of poverty into adulthood. However, the long-term effects of community-based ECE are less known. Using the 1991 NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n = 994; 49.7% female; 73.6% White, 10.6% African American, 5.6% Latino, 10.2% Other), results show that ECE was associated with reduced disparities between low- and higher-income children's educational attainment and wages at age 26. Disparities in college graduation were reduced the more months that low-income children spent in ECE (d = .19). For wages, disparities were reduced when children from low-income families attended sustained high-quality ECE (d = .19). Findings suggest that community-based ECE is linked to meaningful educational and life outcomes, and sustained high-quality ECE is particularly important for children from lower-income backgrounds.     

Paying for quality? Associations between private school income,performance and use of resources

Education policy in England has explicitly aimed to remodel state schools in the image of independent, private, schools. However, the body of research evidence on the operation of private schools is very small. Critics have frequently argued that, in contrast to state schools, private schools use resources efficiently because their autonomy gives them freedom to make efficient choices in response to market pressures. We investigated the resource allocation decisions of income private schools using data from their financial accounts. We report the associations of private school spending and performance and teacher and non‐teacher numbers, teacher salaries and regional earnings. Schools with higher fees had more teachers and non‐teachers per pupil, but similar average staff wages to schools with lower income. Yet we found little evidence that achievement was associated with resource use in English private schools. That is, we found no evidence to support the view that financial autonomy enabled flexibility in using resources to promote higher achievement.     

Good jobs – but places for women?

This article is concerned with men and women's experience of elite positions and with the extent to which such positions are seen as places for women, so as to provide an insight into their commitment to continuing in them. Senior management in universities are elite positions in terms of income; those who occupy them are relatively powerful internally, although relatively powerless in relation to the state and the market. Drawing on a purposive study of those at the top three levels (i.e. presidential, vice-presidential, and dean) in public universities, it finds little difference between men and women's perceptions of the advantages/disadvantages of these positions. However, in a context where roughly four-fifths of those in university senior management are men [O'Connor, P. 2014. Management and Gender in Higher Education. Manchester: Manchester University Press.], at the level of organisational narratives and at the interactional level, gender differences persist. These differences are reflected in variation in commitment to continuing in senior management positions.     

Training for Empowerment? A comparative study of nonformal education for women in small island countries

This article compares nonformal education (NFE) and training options for women among the small island countries of Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, Tonga, Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent. Data were obtained from 4 groups (the government agency for women, the national women's organization, a nongovernmental organization, and the university extension center) that operated an NFE course during 1992-94. Interviews were conducted among the tutor and 5 women from the selected NFE programs who had attended research workshops. Over 200 women were interviewed. Caribbean country NFE programs included a varied program of instruction that included, for example, self-defense, assertiveness training, and women-in-trade programs. South Pacific training programs included, for example, training of trainers, leadership training, women and traditional medicine, and women in development. Regional papers in preparation for the 1995 Beijing Conference included research findings on NFE, including workshop findings. Facilitators from Niue and Tonga were more satisfied with women's status in their countries than those in Fiji and Kiribati, but women in all 4 countries said things were changing. Women reported benefits from NFE programs such as new information, acquiring new skills, visiting new places, and sharing experiences with other women. In Kiribati and Tonga, women were disappointed in lack of follow-up. Caribbean women were self-aware, but gained insight into their lack of rights and justice. Not all programs empowered women. NFE providers and participants were unable to identify significant outcomes.     

Partners for success? Undergraduate women’s post-feminist constructions of intimate relationships

Past research suggests that undergraduate women have faced educational cultures in which their college experience is defined through romantic experiences. This study expands this literature by investigating how heightened achievement expectations for undergraduate women inform their broader conceptions of intimate relationships, by asking the following research question: how do high-achieving undergraduate women conceptualise intimate relationships? Through qualitative analysis of 76 semi-structured interviews, I find that study participants reject gendered narratives of romance and instead preserve their achievement by constructing two ideal relationship logics: independent and companionate logics. I suggest that participants’ conceptions of relationships have undergone a notable inversion: students’ constructions of positive intimate relationships centre on the maintenance of academic achievement and autonomy, and show the long reach of neoliberal, ‘post-feminist’ ideologies into women’s everyday lives.     

One year of preschool or two: Is it important for adult outcomes?

Until recently, public funding for preschool education had been growing rapidly over a decade with most state programs providing one year of preschool for four year olds. Fewer three year olds are enrolled in preschool. To investigate the importance of enrollment duration, this study is the first to estimate long-term dosage effects of years of preschool. We use data from a cohort of 1500 students in the Chicago Longitudinal Study who enrolled in the Chicago Public Schools in the mid-1980s. Many of these students participated in a high-quality preschool program called Child-Parent Centers (CPC) for one or two years. To address selection with multiple treatments, we employ inverse propensity score weighting. Relative to children who attended one year of CPC preschool, the two-year group is significantly less likely to receive special education or be abused or neglected or to commit crimes. The findings provide support for the long-term benefits of greater exposure to preschool.     

The Man of Zheng Buying Shoes郑人买履

One day, a man in the Zheng State wanted to buy a pair of shoes. Before he set out for the marketplace, he measured his foot.从前，郑国有个人想买双鞋子，出发之前，他量好了脚的尺码。     

Are women engineers in Lebanon prepared for the challenges of an engineering profession?

This study investigates the status of women engineers in the Middle East, considering women engineers in Lebanon as a case study. The author investigated the following questions: What are the influences behind females’ decisions to choose engineering as their major course of study? What are the motives behind this decision? What are the perceptions of females regarding the essential skills for a successful engineering career? An online survey consisting of Likert-scale items was completed by 327 female engineers who graduated from universities in Lebanon and now work in various locations around the world. A genuine interest in the field appeared to be the main influence in the participants’ decisions to choose engineering profession. The potential for professional growth was the leading motivator for choosing engineering. Although participants reported that they possessed adequate theoretical knowledge and technical skills before graduation, in the actual practice of engineering, they noted weaknesses in creativity and innovation.     

To what extent is the culture of a university department supportive of equal opportunities for women?

Most British universities now have equal opportunities policies but the extent to which these policies have brought about real change in university departments is not clear. Management theory suggests that when trying to implement change in an organisation it is important to understand that organisation's culture. Opportunity 2000, a business initiative to try to increase the number of women (especially managers) in the British workforce stresses the importance of cultural change. However, there has been little attempt to 'measure' culture in relation to gender in university departments. This article explores the findings from an attempt to use Johnson & Scholes's cultural web to 'measure' the culture in a business studies department in an 'old' British university     

Reliability of power connections

Despite the use of various preventive maintenance measures, there are still a number of problem areas that can ad- versely affect system reliability. Also, economical constraints have pushed the designs of power connections closer to the limits allowed by the existing standards. The major parameters influencing the reliability and life of Al-Al and Al-Cu connections are identified. The effectiveness of various palliative measures is determined and the misconceptions about their effectiveness are dealt in detail.     

The power of attention

注意力是学 生提高学习质量 的前提和保障。科 学地关注学生的注 意力更是教师应该 关注的一个问题。     

Odd One Out? Some views of lay inspection

A lay inspector is an essential part of the team conducting an Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) inspection in England. Evidence from a small research project focusing on interpretations of policy for primary mathematics at different levels of the OFSTED system revealed some tensions and lack of clarity about the role of the lay inspector. While expressing positive feelings about many aspects of lay inspection, primary inspectors interviewed felt, on the whole, that limitations in lay inspectors’ experience of teaching and learning meant that the responsibilities allocated to them relating to subject inspection (in this case mathematics) should also be limited. But boundaries were blurred and extensive experience of lay inspection itself could bring its own, perhaps worrying, form of ‘expertise’. Concerns about variations in the quality of lay inspectors were raised by both inspectors and key personnel in schools, variations which might impact on both the process of the inspection itself and the resulting inspection report