Syndicate methods: two styles compared

A comparison is made between two styles of syndicate work. In the first, referred to as unstructured (U), groups range in size from four to six students. In the second, referred to as formal (F), groups are eight to ten in size and tend to adopt a formal chairman-secretary structure. This latter type is here illustrated by one of the authors from his experience in a Medical School, where the tasks presented to the students are complex problem boxes requiring many man-hours from different departments for their creation. The analysis of the U type is based on the second author's experience in an American university and an English polytechnic.The areas examined are, first, the size and the composition of the groups; second the tutor's role; third, the development of higher order cognitive skills in the students; and fourth the management of research in this field. Questions are raised particularly in relation to the consolidation of syndicate work, to ensure command of the basic material; to the change of role required of both teachers and students; to the influence of the institutional culture on the work; to the adaptation of assessment techniques to measure development in the higher order skills; and to the possibility that investigation needs to be carried out on actual courses by teachers, students and researchers in collaboration.     

Conditional inference and advanced mathematical study: further evidence

In this paper, we examine the support given for the ‘theory of formal discipline’ by Inglis and Simpson (Educational Studies Mathematics 67:187–204, 2008). This theory, which is widely accepted by mathematicians and curriculum bodies, suggests that the study of advanced mathematics develops general thinking skills and, in particular, conditional reasoning skills. We further examine the idea that the differences between the conditional reasoning behaviour of mathematics and arts undergraduates reported by Inglis and Simpson may be put down to different levels of general intelligence in the two groups. The studies reported in this paper call into question this suggestion, but they also cast doubt on a straightforward version of the theory of formal discipline itself (at least with respect to university study). The paper concludes by suggesting that either a pre-university formal discipline effect or a filtering effect on ‘thinking dispositions’ may give a better account for the findings.     

试论黑社会性质组织犯罪的特征及处罚

带有黑社会性质组织犯罪在我国依然存在且有时还十分猖獗，对我国的经济和社会生活秩序均构成极大威胁，继续深入开展严厉打击黑社会性质组织的斗争很有必要。本拟就黑社会性质组织犯罪的特征及其处罚原则作一粗浅探析，并结合司法实践和国外刑事立法规定提出对黑社会性质组织犯罪增设财产刑的建议。因为，黑社会性质组织犯罪和一切侵犯财产犯罪一样，其最根本的目的是为了获取巨额非法经济利益，只有增设财产刑才能从根本上杜绝黑社会性质组织犯罪的再生基础。     

Why and how mathematicians read proofs: further evidence from a survey study

In a recent paper (Weber & Mejia-Ramos, Educational Studies in Mathematics, 76, 329–344, 2011), we reported findings from two small-scale interview studies on the reasons why and the ways in which mathematicians read proofs. Based on these findings, we designed an Internet-based survey that we distributed to practicing mathematicians working in top mathematics departments in the USA. Surveyed mathematicians (N?=?118) agreed to a great extent with the interviewed mathematicians in the exploratory studies. First, the mathematicians reported that they commonly read published proofs to gain different types of insight, not to check the correctness of the proofs. Second, they stated that when reading these proofs, they commonly: (a) appeal to the reputation of the author and the journal, (b) study how certain steps in the proof apply to specific examples, and (c) focus on the overarching ideas and methods in the proofs. In this paper, we also report findings from another section of the survey that focused on how participants reviewed proofs submitted for publication. The comparison of participant responses to questions in these two sections of the survey suggests that reading a published proof of a colleague and refereeing a proof for publication are substantially different activities for mathematicians.     

Student evaluations of teaching: combining the meta-analyses and demonstrating further evidence for effective use

There is a plethora of research on student evaluations of teaching (SETs) regarding their validity, susceptibility to bias, practical use and effective implementation. Given that there is not one study summarising all these domains of research, a comprehensive overview of SETs was conducted by combining all prior meta-analyses related to SETs. Eleven meta-analyses were identified, and nine meta-analyses covering 193 studies were included in the analysis, which yielded a small-to-medium overall weighted mean effect size (r = .26) between SETs and the variables studied. Findings suggest that SETs appear to be valid, have practical use that is largely free from gender bias and are most effective when implemented with consultation strategies. Research, teaching and policy implications are discussed.     

Social class and participation in further education: evidence from the Youth Cohort Study of England and Wales

This paper examines the class distribution of young people, aged 16–17 years, in colleges of further education (FE) using data from the Youth Cohort Study. It finds that, contrary to popular perceptions of FE colleges as being for ‘other people’s children’, middle‐class students as well as working‐class students are well represented. However, this does not imply that FE colleges are institutions of choice; middle‐class representation is often related to lower achievement and, for low‐achieving working‐class students, leaving education entirely is more likely than entry to FE. These findings are explored using notions of habitus and field. Their relationship with studies of the education of middle‐class children is also discussed, and the paper suggests that research on class in FE colleges must come to terms with middle‐class presence.     

Negotiating the complementarian gender ideology of an evangelical student subculture: further evidence from women's narratives

This study is based on a longitudinal, qualitative investigation of a burgeoning evangelical student organisation on a university campus in the USA. In addition to four months of observation, in‐depth interviews were conducted with students in their first and third years of college to understand the gender climate and ideology that characterised the organisation, as well as how students' gender ideologies were altered or reinforced after three years of exposure to the organisation. The findings from the initial study revealed that the evangelical student community was steeped in a complementarian gender ideology; that is, the culture embraced normative masculinity, essential gender differences, and separate roles and expectations for men and women with respect to leadership, modesty, and dating/marriage. A narrative analysis of the longitudinal interview data revealed the diverse ways in which four women negotiated the gender ideology of the evangelical organisation during their college years.     

对完善高校基建工程招标审计的再认识

随着工程建设全面推行招投标制度、建筑市场不断规范和完善，尤其是我国加入WTO与国际接轨，高校工程建设项目也迫切需要适应新形势，本文就当前高校工程招标中存在的主要问题及如何搞好工程招标审计阐述了一点看法。