An Analysis of Peer Review Response Types in Threaded Discussions of an Online Graduate Class

Abstract

The effectiveness of a peer review process for online graduate students is predicated on a balance between social- and task-directed communications. The defining criteria of learning communities are presented to illustrate the operational meaning of social and the criteria for Critical Thinking used to illustrate the operational meaning of task response types. The social responses were further categorized as an opinion/evaluative or anecdotal/reflective comment and task responses subcategorized as either a content or style comment. The hypothesis that a significant difference would be found between the social and task responses was accepted as was the second hypothesis that there would be a significant difference between the content and style responses.     

Ubuntu,ukama, environment and moral education

This article outlines a moral education guided by African traditional values such as ubuntu and ukama. It argues that ubuntu is not by definition speciesist, as some have claimed, but that it has strong ecocentric leanings, that is, if ubuntu is understood as a concrete expression of ukama. In fact, ubuntu deconstructs the anthropocentric–ecocentric distinction which has characterised and continues to characterise debates in environmental theory/philosophy. To become more fully human does not mean caring only for the self and other human beings but also for the entire biophysical world. Some implications that this discussion has for moral education are explored, as well as some opportunities that post-apartheid curriculum frameworks offer for implementing a moral education guided by ubuntu.     

Reward contrast in delay and probability discounting

In this study, we examined whether reward contrast influences choice between delayed and probabilistic outcomes. Specifically, we predicted that the subjective value of an intermediate reward would seem relatively larger or smaller, respectively, if it followed choices involving a smaller or larger reward and would produce corresponding changes in rates of delay and probability discounting. In Experiment 1, subjects made choices about hypothetical 5,000 or5,000 or 50 outcomes and then made choices about 500 outcomes. Delay-discounting rates for the500 outcomes. Delay-discounting rates for the 500 outcome were larger for Group 5,000 than for Group5,000 than for Group 50, whereas the opposite result was obtained for probability-discounting rates. In Experiment 2, we used a design that allowed for contrast effects to be assessed within subjects. Two groups made choices about delayed or probabilistic rewards. After completing question blocks in which the amount was 5,000 or5,000 or 50, subjects responded to questions with an intermediate amount (475/475/525). For Group Delay, the present value of the intermediate reward was greater after the 50 block than after the50 block than after the 5,000 block, whereas the opposite was obtained for Group Probability. The results from both experiments confirmed the predictions of reward contrast and suggested that the subjective value of a monetary reward varies inversely with the prior reward amount.     

Words to Argue By

In a first proof-oriented mathematics course, students will often ask questions – for example, What is this problem asking me to do? or What would a proof of this even look like? – that have more to do with logic than mathematics. The logical structure of a proof is a dance involving those basic logical forms – such as p or q, if p then q, for every x in A we have p(x), there exists x in A such that p(x) – that appear in the theorem being proved, and at various stages of this dance these basic logical forms are either being proved or used. How does one prove a statement of the form There exists x in A such that p(x)? How does one use a statement of the form For every x in A we have p(x)? We introduce particular “proving and using words” that encourage the fledgling mathematics major to pay attention to these sorts of questions and to the logical structure of proofs in general.     

The didactic model LdL (Lernen durch Lehren) as a way of preparing students for communication in a knowledge society

Based on studies in learning psychology, biology and education, the original technique Lernen durch Lehren (LdL) (German for ‘learning by teaching’) has been elaborated into a meta‐model (Meta)LdL that aims at giving students a platform to acquire the competencies considered necessary for knowledge societies. Ninety‐seven former students of university classes modelled on (Meta)LdL participated in a questionnaire to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of (Meta)LdL. A majority of participants attested LdL to have allowed for a gain in all competencies and claimed that no other method they were aware of would be more efficient than LdL.     

Complex learning difficulties and EBD

Abstract

This is an account of how one residential school for KEYW ORDS children with emotional and behavioural difficulties has attempted to autistic set up a class for those children presenting complex needs within the spectrum school. The special class has been observed over a number of weeks disorders; and the boys in that unit are benefiting tremendously in their complex needs; social/emotional development and learning. The security of this small emotional and class has given them the courage to go out of school in a group, behavioural together with the teacher, on visits where they showed a high degree difficulties; of maturity in their behaviour and their anxiety was lessened to such residential an extent that they came back full of excitement to tell us what they schools had learnt.     

On some projectively flat polynomial （α,β）-metrics

In this paper, we consider some polynomial (α,β)-metrics, and discuss the sufficient and necessary conditions for a Finsler metric in the form F=α a1β a2β2/α a4β4/α3 to be projectively flat, where ai (i=1,2,4) are constants with a1≠0, α is a Riemannian metric and β is a 1-form. By analyzing the geodesic coefficients and the divisibility of certain polynomials, we obtain that there are only five projectively flat cases for metrics of this type. This gives a classification for such kind of Finsler metrics.     

Science Letters： A TOM1 homologue is required for multiplication of Tobacco mosaic virus in Nicotiana benthamiana

The AtTOM1 gene ofArabidopsis thaliana had been shown to be essential for the efficient multiplication of Tobacco mosaic virus （TMV） in A. thaliana. In this study, we cloned an AtTOM1-like gene from Nicotiana benthamiana named as NbTOM1. Sequence alignment showed that NbTOM1 is closely related to AtTOM1 homologues of N. tabacum and Lycopersicon esculentum with 97.2% and 92.6% nucleotide sequence identities, respectively. Silencing of NbTOM1 by a modified viral satellite DNA-based vector resulted in complete inhibition of the multiplication of TMV in N. benthamiana. The result suggests that inhibition of NbTOM1 via RNA silencing is a potentially useful method for generating TMV-resistant plants.     

Case Diagnostics for Factor Analysis of Ordered Categorical Data With Applications to Person-Fit Measurement

Mahalanobis distance (M-distance) case diagnostics are a useful tool for assessing response pattern inconsistency in factor analysis; however, the derivations of these statistics assume continuous variables, which limits their utility in ordinal self- or rater-report data. This research generalizes M-distance diagnostics to categorical factor analysis. We prove that the residual-based M-distance d_r is equivalent to the person-fit index lco, which motivates the use of the new categorical M-distance d_r* as a person-fit index. d_r* is compared and contrasted with z_h, a commonly used item response theory person-fit index. A simulation study is used to show that a simple transformation of d_r* satisfies established criteria for person-fit measures. A sample of responses to the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is used to determine parameters for a simulation study, and real data are analyzed to contrast the use of d_r and d_r* as indexes of person-fit in continuous and categorical factor analysis.     

The expression of emotion in response to bullying

Abstract

Recent literature on bullying suggests that victims of KEYW ORDS bullying are likely to have certain emotional reactions that contribute anti-bullying to the problem. This is not to say that victims in any way deserve the intervention; treatment that they get from more aggressive peers, but rather to bullying; propose that they themselves can be empowered to change the situ-bystanders; ation. The purpose of the present review is to examine the proposal emotional that the ways in which victims express their emotions during a bullying expression episode can play a crucial role in the responses of peers. There are implications for both researchers and practitioners to develop new insights that may help vulnerable children and adolescents.     

An Assessment of Statistical Process Control-Based Approaches for Charting Student Evaluation Scores

We compare three control charts for monitoring data from student evaluations of teaching (SET) with the goal of improving student satisfaction with teaching performance. The two charts that we propose are a modified p chart and a z‐score chart. We show that these charts overcome some of the shortcomings of the more traditional charts for analyzing SET data. A comparison of three charts (an individuals chart, the modified p chart, and the z‐score chart) reveals that the modified p chart is the best approach for analyzing SET data because it utilizes distributions that are appropriate for categorical data, and its interpretation is more straightforward. We conclude that administrators and faculty alike can benefit by using the modified p chart to monitor and improve teaching performance as measured by student evaluations.     

Energising critique in action and in learning: The GNOSIS 4R Framework*

This paper presents a fresh conceptualisation of critical action learning by energising critique in action and in learning, embedding this as integral to Continuous Professional Development (CPD). The criticality that action learning promotes could be most impactful, in fostering a mode of learning – Learning in Crisis – that cultivates reflexive critique and Phronesis to guide professional conduct, particularly when dealing with professional dilemmas. The GNOSIS 4R Framework supports CPD that fosters Re-search, Readiness, Resilience and Renewal. It does so by cultivating Ways of Seeing, through Review, Reflection and Reflexivity, to extent Ways of Being in professional conduct that demonstrate beyond Competence, Character and Conscience. The GNOSIS 4R Framework also enables Ways of Becoming by fostering courage to engage in phronesis through critique that ignites Curiosity and builds Confidence to arrive at informed Choices that serve the common good. The GNOSIS 4R Framework is illustrated with fragments of the dialogical exchanges between the author and a Secretary of Education over 15 months typical of GNOSIS collaborative research engagements. The impacts of the GNOSIS 4R Framework is accounted for also from the perspective of the author and the wider implications for Action Learning especially on Professional programmes (e.g. Professional Doctorates) are considered.     

Equating of Augmented Subscores

Recently, there has been an increasing level of interest in subscores for their potential diagnostic value. Haberman (2008b) suggested reporting an augmented subscore that is a linear combination of a subscore and the total score. Sinharay and Haberman (2008) and Sinharay (2010) showed that augmented subscores often lead to more accurate diagnostic information than subscores. In order to report augmented subscores operationally, they should be comparable across the different forms of a test. One way to achieve comparability is to equate them. We suggest several methods for equating augmented subscores. Results from several operational and simulated data sets show that the error in the equating of augmented subscores appears to be small in most practical situations.     

Projectively flat arctangent Finsler metric

INTRODUCTION In recent years, significant progress has been made in the study of Finsler metris which have straight lines in local coordinates (Hamel, 1903). Finsler metrics with this property are called locally projectively flat metrics. An important fact about these metrics is that locally projectively flat Finsler metrics have scalar flag curvature, a natural extension of the sectional curvature in Riemannian geometry. In general, it also depends on the direction (flag pole) in the se…     

Conceptualizing Magnification and Scale: The Roles of Spatial Visualization and Logical Thinking

This study explored factors that contribute to students’ concepts of magnification and scale. Spatial visualization, logical thinking, and concepts of magnification and scale were measured for 46 middle school students. Scores on the Zoom Assessment (an assessment of knowledge of magnification and scale) were correlated with the Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT) and a series of four spatial visualization tests. Results showed that the TOLT was significantly correlated with the Zoom Assessment. There was also a significant correlation between the TOLT and spatial visualization assessments MV1 (Shape Memory), MV2 (Building Memory), the Storage Test, and the Surface Development Test. The implications of this study for further research are discussed.     

An Alternative Scoring Formula for Multiple-Choice and True-False Tests

Abstract

Scoring multipie-choice questions according to the simple scoring systems S₁ = R, where R is the number of correct answers, produces an upward bias in scores of poorer students as a result of guessing. The scoring formula conventionally used to adjust for guessing is S₂ R-W/(n-1), where W is the number of wrong answers and nis the number of choices per question. However, S₂ is based on the unrealistic assumption that on each question the student either knows the correct answer or guesses randomly. On the basis of a more realistic assumption an alternative scoring formula is derived, S₄ = [nR + (n-1)Q - Q²/R]/2(n-1), where Q is the number of questions. Compared to S₄, the conventional formula (S₂) has a downward bias for Q/n < R < Q and the simple formula (S₁) has a downward bias for Q/(n-2)<R<Q in addition to its upward bias for R<Q/(n-2).     

‘It didn’t really change my opinion’: exploring what works,what doesn’t and why in a school science,technology, engineering and mathematics careers intervention

Background: It is widely agreed that more needs to be done to improve participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Despite considerable investment in interventions, it has been difficult to discern their effectiveness and/or impact on participation.

Purpose: This paper discusses findings from a six-week pilot STEM careers intervention that was designed and overseen by a teacher from one London girls’ school. We reflect on the challenges for those attempting such interventions and the problems associated with evaluating them.

Sample: Data were collected from Year 9 students (girls aged 13–14 years) at the school.

Design and methods: Pre- and post-intervention surveys of 68 students, classroom observations of intervention activities, three post-intervention discussion groups (five or six girls per group) and a post-intervention interview with the lead teacher were conducted.

Results: Although the intervention did not significantly change students’ aspirations or views of science, it did appear to have a positive effect on broadening students’ understanding of the range of jobs that science can lead to or be useful for.

Conclusions: Student aspirations may be extremely resistant to change and intervention, but students’ understanding of ‘where science can lead’ may be more amenable to intervention. Implications are discussed, including the need to promote the message that science is useful for careers in and beyond science, at degree and technical levels.     

Toddlers’ Processing of Phonological Alternations: Early Compensation for Assimilation in English and French

Using a picture pointing task, this study examines toddlers’ processing of phonological alternations that trigger sound changes in connected speech. Three experiments investigate whether 2;5‐ to 3‐year‐old children take into account assimilations—processes by which phonological features of one sound spread to adjacent sounds—for the purpose of word recognition (e.g., in English, ten pounds can be produced as te[mp]ounds). English toddlers (n = 18) show sensitivity to native place assimilations during lexical access in Experiment 1. Likewise, French toddlers (n = 27) compensate for French voicing assimilations in Experiment 2. However, French toddlers (n = 27) do not take into account a hypothetical non‐native place assimilation rule in Experiment 3, suggesting that compensation for assimilation is already language specific.     

Which aspects of processing text mediate genetic effects?

Genetic influences on reading are investigated in a sample of 285, 13 year old twins. Using a multiple regression procedure, the heritability of disability (h _g ² ) for Reading Recognition was found to be non-significant. However the h _g ² for spelling disability was found to be 0.58 (P<0.05), after controlling for individual differences in IQ. The twins in this study were an unselected sample from the general population. Therefore it was possible to estimate h _g ² for differing degrees of severity of disability. These analyses showed that for spelling but not for Reading Recognition or Reading Composite, there were substantial genetic contributions to all levels of disability. For indices of Orthographic Coding there were no significant values of h _g ² . In contrast measures of Phonological Coding and Homophone Recognition have consistently high values of h _g ² . More detailed analyses suggested that there were possibly two independent aspects of phonological ability, each influenced by genetic factors.