Region,resources, and reason: A contextual analysis of state tuition and student aid policies

This paper reports on an investigation of differences and similarities across the 50 states in approaches to the pricing and discounting, via student aid, of undergraduate education. To examine national patterns in tuition and aid policies, the analysis used recent state-by-state data and multivariate statistical methods. The results suggest that region, social and economic resources, and postsecondary governance arrangements each have distinctive connections to the nature of states' tuition and aid policies. Of particular interest are the results relating to high-tuition/high-aid policies at the state level, an approach termed by proponents therationalization of tuition and aid policy. Multiple regression analysis revealed rationalization to be primarily a regionally driven phenomenon concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest. Rationalization showed weaker, but still significant, connections to the states' population, personal income levels, extent of reliance on private postsecondary institutions, and governance arrangements. Implications of these findings for theory and policy are discussed.     

标准生均成本应成为高等教育学费定价的数量基础

教育成本补偿机制下,高等教育学费定价虽然受到多种因素的影响,但生均成本仍然是学费定价的重要依据,世界上大部分国家的学费制度都以生均成本为基础.在学费定价实践中,由于生均成本计量的争议与困难,使得学费制度及其生均成本法受到多方质疑.提出在学费定价中,以标准生均成本代替实际生均成本的设想.标准生均成本类似于社会平均成本,应成为高等教育学费定价的数量基础,也是一种新的学费定价机制.     

Trends in student aid: 1963–64 to 1988–89

This article describes the aggregate financing of student aid by the federal government, state governments, and institutions over the past 25 years. The major trends in student aid funding are sketched in historical perspective with attention directed to federal program changes that precipitated funding changes. All major programs are covered, and figures are presented in current and constant dollars. Trends in the composition of aid delivered (grants, loans, and work-study) are also discussed. Over time comparisons in the numbers of recipients and aid per recipient are given by programs. Changes in educational costs are compared with changes in income and aid to show the increased difficulty for families and students to pay for higher education in the 1980s.     

Assessing problem solving in mathematics: Some variables related to student performance

A mathematical problem is defined here as a question not dependent on specific syllabus content, and one sufficiently new to the student such that it cannot be solved by a previously known method. With increased attention being paid to this type of mathematical problem solving at the primary school level, the need for reliable and valid methods of assessment has become more apparent. This paper reports the results of using a new problem solving test, developed for use in the upper primary school, with 371 students in Years 4,5 and 6 at government schools in Melbourne. Particular attention is given to the effects of year level, sex and the method of test administration on student performance for different types of items and different problem solving processes. The performance of Year 4 students was generally lower than that of other students, but differences were small for most items and processes between Years 5 and 6. Although most of the differences in performance between the sexes were not significant, the girls had higher scores than the boys for the total score, for all processes and for all items except the spatial item. The method of administration was important for performance, especially for the girls. The marking schedule developed enabled high intra- and inter-marker reliabilities to be obtained.     

研究生学费定价与资助政策研究综述

对最近十年内国内外研究生学费定价与资助政策的文献进行了综述。关于研究生收费的理由问题国内文献已经基本解决。如果以成本分担理论为基础,则生均成本的计量和分担比例的确定,是研究生学费定价与资助政策中的难点问题,也是关键所在。     

Latino student transition to college: Assessing difficulties and factors in successful college adjustment

The primary purpose of this study is to understand the factors that affect Latino student adjustment in the first and second year of college. The study examines data from a national, longitudinal survey along with the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire completed by Latino students judged to have high potential for success upon entering a variety of four-year colleges. Results show dimensions of the campus climate affect all forms of student adjustment, as do transitional experiences that are common to most students in the first year. Implications of the findings suggest further college programming and monitoring of adjustment in the second year of college.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Association of Institutional Research Forum in New Orleans, LA, May 1994.     

Financial aid and student persistence: An application of causal modeling

This research uses path analysis to explore the relationships among a number of variables (including financial aid variables), which have been shown in both theory and prior research to be related to student persistence. The subjects were 227 full-time freshmen, who enrolled Fall Quarter 1982, in a liberal arts college at a large commuter institution of higher education, and who received financial aid. The model, which includes background and academic variables, accounted for 35% of the variance in persistence. Persistence was measured by credits completed over a two-year period. Significant variables that showed the largest total effects on persistence were college grade-point average and high school rank. The financial aid variables in the model showed no significant effect on persistence in this study of students who received aid. The model was cross-validated on a second data set and the model was supported.Revised version of a paper presented at the Twenty-Sixth Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Orlando, Fla., June 22–25, 1986.     

Student response to tuition increase by academic majors: empirical grounds for a cost-related tuition policy

This study explored the responses of students in different academic majors to tuition increase, with a particular focus on the relationship between tuition increase, and future earnings and college expenditures. We analyzed effects of tuition increase on enrollment in six academic majors—Engineering, Physics, Biology, Mathematics, Business, and Education—where disciplinary enrollment data were available. The main findings are that students are elastic to tuition level in Physics, Biology, and Business, but not in Engineering, where the rate of return is the highest among the six majors and the college expenditure are the highest. The findings suggest that student enrollment in various academic majors is affected differentially by tuition. Further, the findings support a cost-related tuition policy, one designed to charge students higher tuition for higher-cost majors and lower tuition for lower-cost majors.

研究生学费定价与资助政策

研究生教育应当收取学费,学费定价与资助政策应建立在研究生教育是私人产品的基础上,学费是学校根据学生对研究生教育的需求以及劳动力市场需求所确定的市场化价格。研究生学费定价与资助政策应同时考虑以下因素:(1)基础研究是典型的纯公共产品,应用研究有更多的私人产品的属性。(2)研究生教育所颁授学位分为学术性与职业性学位两类。(3)不同的研究生教育方式具有不同的成本特点,教育过程可以明确划分为以课堂教学为主和以研究为主两个阶段。(4)国防研究生教育属于典型的纯公共产品,国防领域的研究与发展以及高级军事人才的培养属于纯公共产品范畴。(5)财政经费给予研究生资助的主要性质应当是研究生工作的工资。这一理论可称为多因素市场决定论。     

生物教学中学生合作学习的困惑及对策

新课程理念倡导的是自主探究、合作交流的学习方式,这种方式已普遍应用于生物教学实践中,并取得了较好的教学业绩。然而在实施过程中,根据学生身心发展的特点,剖析当前课堂教学中运用合作学习方式而出现的一些现象,还存在着令人困惑的问题,特别是合作学习方式的运用始终不能达到预想的课堂效果。     

Assessment matters: Early intervention: Using assessment to reduce student attrition

Brian A. Vander Schee describes how incorporating the College Student Inventory into an existing freshman seminar measurably improved student retention.     

Undergraduate student response strategies to test questions of varying format

This paper reports an analysis of response strategies employed by 300 first year undergraduate students on a chemistry test to answer questions posed in multiple choice and constructed response formats. Test answers were categorized and analyzed for format-related differences in solution strategies and error patterns. A subgroup of 21 students who had written the test were interviewed following the test with the intent of further exploring the response strategies which they had used. The verbal reports from the interviews were scored for the presence of typical problem-solving behaviours. Analysis of the test data indicated no significant differences in the types of solution strategies employed, nor in the types of errors committed, across test format. Most students used algorithmic production strategies and worked out the answers without regard to question format. However, the verbal data revealed evidence of subtler differences in the types and frequencies of problem-solving behaviours, particularly with respect to problem representation and answer evaluation.     

优化中学体育考试的措施与策略

中学体育考试是一项在室外进行的动态考试,规模大,开放程度高,组织工作复杂,操作难度大,实施不好就会使它失去严肃性.优化体育中考,不仅给学生创造良好考试条件,检查体质水平,而且要激发学生体育学习兴趣,提高身体素质,更要引导社会、学校、教师、家长深度重视学生身体健康.     

Using Wikipedia to enhance student learning: A case study in economics

Currently, there is widespread interest in how Web 2.0 tools can be used to improve students’ learning experiences. Previous studies have focused either on the advantages of wikis or on concerns over the use of Wikipedia. In this study, we propose to use Wikipedia as a classroom wiki. In doing so, we discuss how students can improve their standard written assignments using Wikipedia instead of a module wiki. Compared to traditional essay assignments, students’ submission of articles to Wikipedia can address many of the problems faced by instructors of traditional assignments, such as students’ poor writing skills, lack of primary source research, and poorly balanced discussions. Our study was based on our experience in teaching an upper-level economics module at the National University of Singapore over two semesters: 121 students who were enrolled in semester 1 submitted a traditional writing assignment, while 124 students enrolled in semester 2 contributed two short entries to Wikipedia. The results showed a large increase in the number of students checking their assignment feedback. Further, students’ writing quality improved noticeably in the Wikipedia assignment, and they were able to put forth more balanced discussions of relevant issues and include a greater number of primary sources. Despite the challenges faced when using Wiki markup language, the students enjoyed the overall experience.