A Comparison of Approaches for the Analysis of Interaction Effects Between Latent Variables Using Partial Least Squares Path Modeling

Although stratification in the workplace has received considerable attention in the literature on organizations, there is little systematic understanding about how individual and structural characteristics act to produce a stratified workplace. This study focuses on understanding the dynamics of workplace attainment by examining stratification within higher education administration. The purpose of the study is twofold—(a) to propose and test a model concerning how organizational and individual variables affect workplace attainment and (b) to demonstrate the application of structural equation modeling in estimating and testing this model. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical significance and practical implications.     

AB2型Laves相储氢合金相组成的PLS分析

利用偏最小二乘法(PLS)研究AB2型Laves相储氢合金中C14、C15结构的影响因素,并得出了这两种结构形成的判据:AB2型Laves相储氢合金中的C14、C15结构的形成受A、B两元素的共价半径比(RA/RB),外层电子的平均浓度(ANOE),A、B两元素的电负性差△P这几个因素的影响.其中影响最大的因素为两元素的共价半径比(RA/RB).     

我国最终消费与收入增长的互动关系：一个3SLS估计

通过采用3SLS系统估计技术建立的3个结构模型来研究我国1978-2005年间最终消费和收入增长之问的互动关系,其结论显示:我国最终消费对收入增长具有显著的促进作用,而且,强于投资和对外贸易对收入的影响.这为我国改变以往过分依赖出口和投资的增长模式,转向采取注重内需和最终消费的经济增长政策,提供了一个经验支持.     

Instrumental Variables Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) vs. Maximum Likelihood Structural Equation Modeling of Causal Effects in Linear Regression Models

In the presence of omitted variables or similar validity threats, regression estimates are biased. Unbiased estimates (the causal effects) can be obtained in large samples by fitting instead the Instrumental Variables Regression (IVR) model. The IVR model can be estimated using structural equation modeling (SEM) software or using Econometric estimators such as two-stage least squares (2SLS). We describe 2SLS using SEM terminology, and report a simulation study in which we generated data according to a regression model in the presence of omitted variables and fitted (a) a regression model using ordinary least squares, (b) an IVR model using maximum likelihood (ML) as implemented in SEM software, and (c) an IVR model using 2SLS. Coverage rates of the causal effect using regression methods are always unacceptably low (often 0). When using the IVR model, accurate coverage is obtained across all conditions when N = 500. Even when the IVR model is misspecified, better coverage than regression is generally obtained. Differences between 2SLS and ML are small and favor 2SLS in small samples (N ≤ 100).     

Heisenberg群上退化椭圆方程组的最优Hi(o)lder正则性

利用新方法—A-调和逼近技巧,研究Heisenberg群上非线性次椭圆方程组在自然增长条件下弱解的H(o)lder正则性,得到弱解的局部T1,α估计.该方法避免了反向H(o)lder不等式的建立和应用,且由此建立的H(o)lder指标是最优的.     

The Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment (URSSA): Validation for Use in Program Evaluation

This article examines the validity of the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment (URSSA), a survey used to evaluate undergraduate research (UR) programs. The underlying structure of the survey was assessed with confirmatory factor analysis; also examined were correlations between different average scores, score reliability, and matches between numerical and textual item responses. The study found that four components of the survey represent separate but related constructs for cognitive skills and affective learning gains derived from the UR experience. Average scores from item blocks formed reliable but moderate to highly correlated composite measures. Additionally, some questions about student learning gains (meant to assess individual learning) correlated to ratings of satisfaction with external aspects of the research experience. The pattern of correlation among individual items suggests that items asking students to rate external aspects of their environment were more like satisfaction ratings than items that directly ask about student skills attainment. Finally, survey items asking about student aspirations to attend graduate school in science reflected inflated estimates of the proportions of students who had actually decided on graduate education after their UR experiences. Recommendations for revisions to the survey include clarified item wording and increasing discrimination between item blocks through reorganization.Undergraduate research (UR) experiences have long been an important component of science education at universities and colleges but have received greater attention in recent years, as they have been identified as important ways to strengthen preparation for advanced study and work in the science fields, especially among students from underrepresented minority groups (Tsui, 2007 ; Kuh, 2008 ). UR internships provide students with the opportunity to conduct authentic research in laboratories with scientist mentors, as students help design projects, gather and analyze data, and write up and present findings (Laursen et al., 2010 ). The promised benefits of UR experiences include both increased skills and greater familiarity with how science is practiced (Russell et al., 2007 ). While students learn the basics of scientific methods and laboratory skills, they are also exposed to the culture and norms of science (Carlone and Johnson, 2007 ; Hunter et al., 2007 ; Lopatto, 2010 ). Students learn about the day-to-day world of practicing science and are introduced to how scientists design studies, collect and analyze data, and communicate their research. After participating in UR, students may make more informed decisions about their future, and some may be more likely to decide to pursue graduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines (Bauer and Bennett, 2003 ; Russell et al., 2007 ; Eagan et al. 2013 ).While UR experiences potentially have many benefits for undergraduate students, assessing these benefits is challenging (Laursen, 2015 ). Large-scale research-based evaluation of the effects of UR is limited by a range of methodological problems (Eagan et al., 2013 ). True experimental studies are almost impossible to implement, since random assignment of students into UR programs is both logistically and ethically impractical, while many simple comparisons between UR and non-UR groups of students suffer from noncomparable groups and limited generalizability (Maton and Hrabowski, 2004 ). Survey studies often rely on poorly developed measures and use nonrepresentative samples, and large-scale survey research usually requires complex statistical models to control for student self-selection into UR programs (Eagan et al., 2013 ). For smaller-scale program evaluation, evaluators also encounter a number of measurement problems. Because of the wide range of disciplines, research topics, and methods, common standardized tests assessing laboratory skills and understandings across these disciplines are difficult to find. While faculty at individual sites may directly assess products, presentations, and behavior using authentic assessments such as portfolios, rubrics, and performance assessments, these assessments can be time-consuming and not easily comparable with similar efforts at other laboratories (Stokking et al., 2004 ; Kuh et al., 2014 ). Additionally, the affective outcomes of UR are not readily tapped by direct academic assessment, as many of the benefits found for students in UR, such as motivation, enculturation, and self-efficacy, are not measured by tests or other assessments (Carlone and Johnson, 2007 ). Other instruments for assessing UR outcomes, such as Lopatto’s SURE (Lopatto, 2010 ), focus on these affective outcomes rather than direct assessments of skills and cognitive gains.The size of most UR programs also makes assessment difficult. Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs), one mechanism by which UR programs may be organized within an institution, are funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), but unlike many other educational programs at NSF (e.g., TUES) that require fully funded evaluations with multiple sources of evidence (Frechtling, 2010 ), REUs are generally so small that they cannot typically support this type of evaluation unless multiple programs pool their resources to provide adequate assessment. Informal UR experiences, offered to students by individual faculty within their own laboratories, are often more common but are typically not coordinated across departments or institutions or accountable to a central office or agency for assessment. Partly toward this end, the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment (URSSA) was developed as a common assessment instrument that can be compared across multiple UR sites within or across institutions. It is meant to be used as one source of assessment information about UR sites and their students.The current research examines the validity of the URSSA in the context of its use as a self-report survey for UR programs and laboratories. Because the survey has been taken by more than 3400 students, we can test some aspects of how the survey is structured and how it functions. Assessing the validity of the URSSA for its intended use is a process of testing hypotheses about how well the survey represents its intended content. This ongoing process (Messick, 1993 ; Kane, 2001 ) involves gathering evidence from a range of sources to learn whether validity claims are supported by evidence and whether the survey results can be used confidently in specific contexts. For the URSSA, our method of inquiry focuses on how the survey is used to assess consortia of REU sites. In this context, survey results are used for quality assurance and comparisons of average ratings over years and as general indicators of program success in encouraging students to pursue graduate science education and scientific careers. Our research questions focus on the meaning and reliability of “core indicators” used to track self-reported learning gains in four areas and the ability of numerical items to capture student aspirations for future plans to attend graduate school in the sciences.     

A Modified Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale for Use in Long-Term Care Settings

ABSTRACT

Terminology in the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale of DSM-IV often is irrelevant to the realities of nursing homes, assisted living centers, and similar facilities in which residents encounter stressors that are unique to their living environment and circumstances. As the mental health needs of long-term care residents are increasingly recognized and addressed, the need for population-congruent assessment becomes more desirable as well. This article suggests revisions to the current GAF that more accurately reflect psychological and social concerns common to the long-term care population. Several indications for the use of the revised scale are also offered.     

Audio Computer-Based Tests (CBTs): An Initial Framework for the Use of Sound in Computerized Tests

Are there important aspects of human ability that we have not been measuring? What are the purposes and types of audio that are possible in computerized tests? Will the use of audio in computer‐based tests lead to more valid and reliable measurement?     

Using Large-scale Assessment Datasets for Research in Science and Mathematics Education: Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

Large-scale assessments of student achievement provide a window into the broadly defined concepts of literacy and generate information about levels and types of student achievement in relation to some of the correlates of learning, such as student background, attitudes, and perceptions, and perhaps school and home characteristics. This paper provides an overview and outlines potential research opportunities of one such assessment—the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). In order to provide examples of the work that can be accomplished with these data, we describe and discuss the results generated from PISA 2000 and PISA 2003 in terms of international comparisons of achievement and the models of relational patterns of student, home, and school characteristics. We provide insight from the recent pilot testing conducted in Taiwan for PISA 2006, which has a focus on scientific literacy. This is followed by a discussion of the implications and potentials of the 2000 and 2003 datasets to facilitate research on scientific and mathematical literacy. The paper concludes with a look ahead to PISA 2006 and what researchers should be attending to in the research reports generated from the OECD and the research interests that they could follow given access to the datasets generated.

Using cogenerative dialogues to improve coteaching for language learner (LL) students in an inclusion science classroom

This paper presents findings from a study conducted in an urban elementary school in the United States with an English language learner (ELL) student and two teachers engaged in collaborative teaching in an inclusion science classroom. This study examines the efficacy of utilising cogenerative dialogues between an ELL student and his science teacher and English as second language teacher to improve instructional practices enacted during coteaching. Drawing from field notes, teacher and student interviews, and video captured during cotaught science lessons and during cogenerative dialogues between the student and his coteachers, we examined the ways in which cogenerative dialogue expands teachers’ agency to adapt curriculum and implement instructional strategies that can better meet the needs of their students. At the same time, we examined the ways in which participation in cogenerative dialogues with his teachers expanded this student’s agency as a science learner and a language learner.     

PUSH(ing) Limits: Using Fiction in the Classroom for Human Behavior and the Social Environment

The use of fiction and autobiography in social science course work has been shown to enhance students' learning experience. Using the novel PUSH, by Sapphire, we designed a curriculum supplement for the social work course, human behavior and the social environment (HBSE) that encourages students to integrate course content in an innovative way and enables them to apply the material to life-like situations. The HBSE supplement allows students to explore poignant and problematic issues that push them past intrapersonal and interpersonal limits. Classes are infused with energy and the critical consciousness of the students. Final projects are a systematic case study of a chosen character (or characters) in the book and are a testament to student critical thinking and creativity. Methods, assignments, and student experiences in an introductory BSW course are described.     

The Framework for Posing Elementary Mathematics Problems (F-PosE): Supporting Teachers to Evaluate and Select Problems for Use in Elementary Mathematics

Educational Studies in Mathematics - An essential task for mathematics teachers is posing problems. Selecting mathematics problems that develop mathematical proficiency and engage students in...     

Using co-creation as a pedagogic method for the professional development of students undertaking a BA (Hons) in Education Studies

Using an interpretive epistemology to explore the perceived benefits of using co-creation as a pedagogic tool with undergraduate students, this research focuses on a collaborative project between some first year undergraduate Education Studies students, a university Senior Lecturer and an Education Coordinator from a regional social enterprise organisation. The paper explores how the use of co-creation and creativity enhances the professional development and employability of graduates. Drawing on data collected from the students, this paper presents a range of perspectives and identifies how ‘meaningful’ problem-solving, co-creation and collaboration lead to transformative learning and enhanced student engagement. By doing this, we explore how complex challenges create agency for learning and develop critical thinking.     

关于指导自考生学习《综合英语(一)》和《综合英语(二)》的几点建议

文章提出要学好英语,顺利通过《综合英语(一)》和《综合英语(二)》考试,首先要打好基础,练好 语言基本功。文章并具体指出要达到这个目的应从那几方面着手。     

Using the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children-Short form (TSCC-SF) on abused children in South Africa: Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch models

BackgroundWhile assessment measures of trauma-related symptoms in children exist, few of them are at once brief, self-reports, normed, comprehensive (i.e., cover both general and trauma-specific symptoms), and thus suitable for poorly resourced clinical contexts.ObjectiveThis study validated the short form of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC-SF) in a sample of children and adolescents.Participants and settingsParticipants were school-age children and adolescents (N = 270; M_age = 12.55 yrs., SD = 1.19; 67% = Female) exposed to different types of abuse (i.e., sexual, physical, emotional and neglect) receiving counselling at a non-governmental organisation.MethodsThe TSCC-SF’s factor structure and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across sexes were examined using confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis.ResultsResults revealed a satisfactory construct validity of the scale, while internal consistency was also adequate. No DIF was found across the sexes.ConclusionsThe TSCC-SF appears to be a viable option for use with children exposed to different types of abuse, particularly in low resource clinical contexts.     

Adaptation and psychometric properties of the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool for use in trials (ICAST-Trial) among South African adolescents and their primary caregivers

Child abuse prevention research has been hampered by a lack of validated multi-dimensional non-proprietary instruments, sensitive enough to measure change in abuse victimization or behavior. This study aimed to adapt the ICAST child abuse self-report measure (parent and child) for use in intervention studies and to investigate the psychometric properties of this substantially modified tool in a South African sample. First, cross-cultural and sensitivity adaptation of the original ICAST tools resulted in two preliminary measures (ICAST-Trial adolescents: 27 items, ICAST-Trial caregivers: 19 items). Second, ICAST-Trial data from a cluster randomized trial of a parenting intervention for families with adolescents (N = 1104, 552 caregiver-adolescent dyads) was analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis established the hypothesized 6-factor (adolescents) and 4-factor (caregivers) structure. Removal of two items for adolescents and five for caregivers resulted in adequate model fit. Concurrent criterion validity analysis confirmed hypothesized relationships between child abuse and adolescent and caregiver mental health, adolescent behavior, discipline techniques and caregiver childhood abuse history. The resulting ICAST-Trial measures have 25 (adolescent) and 14 (caregiver) items respectively and measure physical, emotional and contact sexual abuse, neglect (both versions), and witnessing intimate partner violence and sexual harassment (adolescent version). The study established that both tools are sensitive to measuring change over time in response to a parenting intervention. The ICAST-Trial should have utility for evaluating the effectiveness of child abuse prevention efforts in similar socioeconomic contexts. Further research is needed to replicate these findings and examine cultural appropriateness, barriers for disclosure, and willingness to engage in child abuse research.     

The Use of Verbal Self‐instruction Training (VSIT) to Enhance Learning in the Mentally Retarded: a study of techniques for improving acquisition,maintenance and generalisation outcomes

Abstract Verbal self‐instruction training (VSIT) was seen as one possible solution to the problem of obtaining more efficient procedures for the teaching of the retarded. Thus, VSIT was compared to the more commonly used modelling and imitation (MODIM) procedures with a moderately‐severely mentally retarded sample of 48 adult men from an institution in a rural setting. Feedback regarding performance was also added to these conditions to investigate its effect on generalisation outcomes, thus giving four training packages: VSIT; VSIT with feedback MODIM; and MODIM with feedback.

Six independent living tasks were trained (two sandwich making, two vacuuming and two collating): three being used for initial training and three as related or ‘near generalisation’ tasks.

The four instructional packages were investigated in order to ascertain their relative efficiency in terms of (trainer) effort required to train to criterion on the six tasks and the achievement of generalisation and maintenance outcomes.

It was found that VSIT was an efficient alternative to MODIM for enhancing acquisition on five out of the six trained tasks (the exception being initial acquisition of the sandwich making task). Moreover, as indicated by reduction in training effort required for the generalisation tasks, the VSIT groups achieved greater savings on the sandwich making and vacuuming tasks. VSIT was also found to generate significantly better short and long‐term maintenance of skills on all three initial training tasks.

A differential task effect was noted with the feedback conditions (VSIT with feedback, and MODIM with feedback), whereby the performances of VSIT subjects on both the training and generalisation sandwich making tasks, and performances of MODIM subjects on the sandwich making generalisation task, were benefited by the addition of this condition; although feedback was found to exert no consistent influence on performances of subjects in either VSIT or MODIM groups on the vacuuming and collating tasks.

The data are discussed with reference to other studies in this area, it being concluded that VSIT is a promising method of instruction for MR populations.