A CASE STUDY IN THE EXAMINATION OF SYSTEMS ANALYSIS Robert

This article describes an approach to the teaching and examining of systems analysis as a final year and MSc subject in a university department of computing mathematics.

One of the chief functions, if not the chief function of our University, is to prepare young Men — partly by the personal influence of those who have charge of them, and partly by the influence they exercise on one another — for the business of life.

(This needs to be specially borne in mind in connection with the assumption, so constantly made in this controversy, that the sole meaning of the BA Degree is that it guarantees the possession of a large amount of knowledge.)

Charles L. Dodgson Christ Church College Oxford 7 March 1896(1)

     

我国高等院校师生比研究

我国高校师生比明显高于世界各主要国家和港、台的高校。造成我国高校师生比过高的原因，主要有：学校规模太小，专业布点太多；教师队伍人员结构不合理；教师待遇低。应按国家有关规定定编，明确提出教学工作质量的要求，严格教师聘任、晋升、延聘标准和程序，逐步改善教师的工作条件和生活待遇，降低师生比，提高高校教师使用效率     

HIGH ABILITY IN SPORT: A CASE STUDY

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the concept of giftedness and sport. Generally the area of sport does not fit into the framework of contemporary models of intelligence. The neglect of the psychological aspects of exceptional development in physical abilities is due to the historical cultural separation between body and psyche. A case study is given of a gifted girl in track and field. The present approach links up with Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Described and discussed is the influence of the variables family, exceptional drive and dedication, coaching, and schooling. It is proposed that research should concentrate more on the development and guidance of specific (sport)talents.     

ASSESSING LEARNING STYLES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF PERFORMANCE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS IN DEVELOPMENTAL WRITING PROGRAMS: A PILOT STUDY

Why are many community college students unable to exit remedial college preparation programs and advance into credit courses? Many educators have grappled with this question for years. While many fads and new techniques have been tried, few have been successful, except for learning styles, a research-based approach that has demonstrated statistically significant results. Learning styles refer to the way students concentrate on, process, internalize, and recall new and difficult information. Most people have learning-style preferences, but individual preferences differ significantly and the stronger the preference, the more important it is to provide compatible instructional strategies, especially among less academically successful students whose preferences may be quite different from successful students. With this in mind, two experiments were conducted at an urban community college experiencing difficulty getting remedial students to pass the ACT Writing Skills Test. In both experiments, the majority of students passed the standardized test and improved their scores significantly.     

THE APPLICATION OF A FACTORIAL DESIGN TO THE STUDY OF CULTURAL BIAS IN GENERAL CULTURE ITEMS ON THE NATIONAL TEACHER EXAMINATION1

This article describes a series of studies performed with the National Teacher Examinations which were designed to study the relationship between the cultural content of special sets of general culture test items and the performance of blacks and whites on these experimental items. Significant differences between the performance of blacks and whites were found in terms of black, modern, and traditional test items. A replication of the study with the same test items, and also with a different group of test items, is also described.     

EARLY TRANSFER: A CASE STUDY OF TRADITIONAL-AGED COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS

The traditional 2+2 path no longer reflects the general practice of student transfer between 2- and 4-year institutions. However, students continue to enroll in and complete a substantial number of credits at community colleges. Studies related to transfer most frequently have focused on gathering statistics to measure posttransfer academic performance or student perceptions regarding the transfer process. It is important to talk with students to understand why they transfer before completing the associate degree. This article presents a qualitative analysis of interviews with 103 students who transferred from a public community college to a public state university. Findings indicated that many students enrolled at the community college with a specific intent other than earning the associate degree. Faculty members and students at both the community college and the university also influenced the number of credit hours students completed before transfer.     

ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY

The literature suggests that most studies on student retention have focused on student satisfaction at 4-year institutions where students tend to be more traditional in nature. The study discussed in this article investigated how Tinto's (Tinto, Russo, & Kadel, 1994) model of retention could be applied to 2-year institutions. It explored academic and social integration and their effects on student withdrawal rates as well as the effect of background skills on withdrawal rates. Study participants were 462 second-semester degree-seeking community college students who completed a survey regarding their satisfaction with the academic and social climate of the community college. Performance on Computer Placement Tests (CPTs) were correlated with withdrawal rates to determine the association between background skill levels and withdrawal patterns. No correlation was found between academic and social integration and withdrawal rates. However, findings did show that the poorer the CPT performance, the more likely students were to withdraw from courses.     

基于法律思维能力培养之案例教学法探讨--以《国际私法》案例教学为例

实施案例教学法的方式多种多样,但在应用型法学本科《国际私法》教学中,基于学生法律思维能力培养的案例教学,教师应以典型案例为中心,根据国际私法课程教学目的、教学内容和教学方法等因素,适当采用案例讲授式、师生互动式、个案全程教学法等案例教学方法,以实现教学目的,培养学生法律思维能力。     

CLASSROOM CONTEXTS AS THE FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING SOCIAL–EMOTIONAL ADJUSTMENT: A NATIONAL STUDY IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Contextually based assessments reveal the circumstances accompanying maladjustment (the when, where, and with whom) and supply clues to the motivations underpinning problem behaviors. The Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA) is a teacher rating scale composed of indicators describing behavior in 24 classroom situational contexts. This study examines the Trinidad and Tobago national normative process for the ASCA contextual dimensions with a representative sample of elementary school children (N = 900). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded the same three dimensions (peer context problems, teacher context problems, and learning context problems) observed in U.S. national samples. Dimensions were scaled using item response theory (IRT) and Bayesian scoring methods, with peer and learning context problems scores relating more strongly to clinical behavior disturbances and learning context problems showing stronger association with classroom learning styles. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

TEACHING AGING IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS: RESULTS OF AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

A survey of 500 public school teachers in Texas was conducted to determine the extent to which aging content is incorporated into curricula. Results show that very few teachers (3.6%) make specific provision for teaching about aging. Almost one‐half of the teachers who indicated they did not teach about aging stated they would include this area in their curricula if instructional materials were available. Most of the teachers (68%) indicated their willingness to participate in short‐term inservice training to better prepare themselves to teach about aging. From the results of this study it appears that educational gerontology has far to go in the direction of “gerontologizing” public schools at all levels. Yet the willingness of teachers to learn more about this important curriculum area is encouraging.     

AGING CURRICULUM AND RESEARCH CAPACITY IN SCHOOLS OF SOCIAL WORK: A NATIONAL SURVEY

Aging related social work research structures are vital in demonstrating the effectiveness of social work services with the elderly population, especially with the current focus on cost-effectiveness of services. However, not much is known about strategies employed by schools of social work to engage in social work research in the field of aging. This study surveyed all accredited MSW programs in the United States and had a response rate of 62%. The survey explored curriculum issues and interest levels in aging at both Master's and Doctoral levels, formal aging research structures within schools of social work and identified strengths and limits of these formal structures. The study also identified strategies for developing social work research in the field of aging in graduate schools of social work.     

MARKETISATION AS A STRATEGY FOR DESEGREGATION AND REDRESS: THE CASE OF HISTORICALLY WHITE SCHOOLS IN SOUTH AFRICA

This article examines the process of desegregation in historically white schools in South Africa. It is argued that reforms within these schools can be understood as an example of the marketisation of education. The article commences with a consideration of the relevance and scope of such an approach. Exponents of marketisation in South Africa (as elsewhere) have claimed that the introduction of market forces can help to increase "choice" for the consumers of education. It is also suggested that it can act as a means of redressing past inequalities. These arguments are critically considered in relation to the experiences of black pupils both within the schools themselves and within the wider educational system. It is argued that a marketised approach towards desegregation may have increased choice for whites and for a minority of blacks, but has not increased choice for blacks as a whole. Nor has it served as an efficient mechanism for the redistribution of educational resources. Although the article is critical of many aspects of the marketisation process, it is acknowledged that some of the policies associated with marketisation are compatible with the creation of a more equitable and efficient education system.     

MEASURING INSTRUCTIONAL VALIDITY: A REPORT OF AN INSTRUCTIONAL VALIDITY STUDY FOR THE ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION EXAMINATION

Prior to the initial administration of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam, this study was conducted to determine to what extent competencies to be measured by the exam were being taught in the public schools of Alabama.
Teachers of grades 7, 8, 9, and 10 were asked to report the proportion of students in their classes who had received instruction on each competency. The survey identifies a number of competencies that were not being extensively taught and provides insight as to possible reasons certain competencies are not uniformly taught.     

WHY DO CHINESE-AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS OUTPERFORM THEIR AUSTRALIAN PEERS IN MATHEMATICS: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY

International comparative studies and cross-cultural studies of mathematics achievement indicate that Chinese students (whether living in or outside China) consistently outperform their Western counterparts. This study shows that the gap between Chinese-Australian and other Australian students is best explained by differences in motivation to achieve, attributing success to effort, the influence of parental help and the use of extra mathematics curricula. The argument explored is, in order to promote students’ mathematics achievement, we must improve the pedagogical knowledge of classroom teachers of mathematics, as well as to encourage parents’ involvement in the mathematics education of their children and to promote students’ motivation to learn mathematics.     

农村留守老人生存状况研究

随着工业化和城镇化的推进,大量农村剩余劳动力向城镇转移,导致出现农村大量留守群体.以安庆市镇江村留守老人为研究对象,分析农村留守老人的物质生活状况、精神生活状况以及他们的期望和需求,得出如下结论'留守老人总体上对物质生活比较满意,但是在生活照料、医疗保障方面仍面临着困境;留守老人精神文化生活匮乏,时常感到孤独抑郁;留守老人对幸福晚年生活的期望不高,希望子女对自己付出更多情感.因而,应该提倡传统孝道文化,建设"四位一体"的农村养老服务体系;促进城乡基本公共服务均等化,推进个人缴费、集体补助、政府补贴相结合筹资的农村养老保险制度;创新传统民俗文化活动,加强农村的基础文化设施建设.     

A MODEL FOR USING THE FINAL EXAMINATION AS A MEASURE OF THE AMOUNT LEARNED IN CLASSROOM LEARNING1

A student's score on the final examination in a classroom learning situation does not necessarily represent the amount learned during the course. Various measures of gain have been advanced to measure the amount learned, but all have subsequently been found inadequate. It is hypothesized that the relationship between test scores and knowledge is curvilinear. A rationale is presented for the curvilinear nature of the posited relationship and for the fit of the model to classroom learning. From hypothetical data conforming to the model expressed in a mathematical formula, it was shown that it is possible for the final examination to be the best indicant of amount learned, even though individuals are not equal in proficiency at the beginning of the learning task. Based upon several considerations it was concluded that, at present, the best indicant of amount learned in many classroom situations is the final examination.