Gender Differences in Mathematics Attainment of Singaporean Pupils

This study compares the performance of Singapore boys and girls in Ordinary (‘O’) level Mathematics (Syllabus D). A sample of 88 boys and 88 girls was used to identify some areas of concern as regards gender and Mathematics attainment. The findings of the study were as follows:

• (i) Boys performed better than girls on Paper I questions.

• (ii) For the compulsory questions on both papers boys did significantly better than the girls on the following topics – mensuration, statistics, arithmetic, geometry and probability while the girls out-performed the boys on algebra and graphs.

• (iii) Boys also surpassed girls on the compulsory questions which tested spatial ability.

• (iv) In Paper II, section B, girls showed a marked preference for questions on algebra and graphs, and vectors in two dimensions while the boys' only marked preference was the question on mensuration.

The pupils' grades in Mathematics were also compared with those of the other subjects they took in the English medium examination and it was found that grades in Physics, Science (Chemistry, Physics) and Metalwork – the so called Mathematics-related subjects – did not correlate to the same degree for the two sexes.

The Mathematics results of the Singapore candidature in ‘O’ level Mathematics examination revealed that on the whole boys performed better than girls.     

Exploring and evaluating differentiated assessment practices of in-service teachers for components of differentiation

Classroom assessment is central to effective teaching and learning, making assessment literacy a core component for teacher education. The present study explores self-reported, differentiated assessment practices of Malaysian in-service teachers. The practices were evaluated using an analytic framework that was developed based upon the existing literature on components of differentiation. Data were collected from 32 in-service teachers using open-ended survey questionnaires. Twelve of the teachers also participated in in-depth interviews. Documents provided by the teachers were also analyzed. Data from the open-ended survey were analyzed using NVivo11 to develop codes for the analytic framework. The findings offer insights into teachers’ knowledge, application, and interpretation of differentiated assessment practices. The discussion explores teachers’ explanations of their own practices and, further, recommends ways to improve knowledge and application of differentiated assessment. The implications of the findings are discussed for assessment literacy-related professional development for teachers, school management and policies to facilitate implementation of differentiated assessment.     

Examining citizens' perceived value of internet of things technologies in facilitating public sector services engagement

With the advancement of disruptive new technologies, there has been a considerable focus on personalisation as an important component in nurturing users' engagement. In the context of smart cities, Internet of Things (IoT) offer a unique opportunity to help empower citizens and improve societies' engagement with their governments at both micro and macro levels. This study aims to examine the role of perceived value of IoT in improving citizens' engagement with public services. A survey of 313 citizens in the UK, engaging in various public services, enabled through IoT, found that the perceived value of IoT is strongly influenced by empowerment, perceived usefulness and privacy related issues resulting in significantly affecting their continuous use intentions. The study offers valuable insights into the importance of perceived value of IoT-enabled services, while at the same time, providing an intersectional perspective of UK citizens towards the use of disruptive new technologies in the public sector.     

Parental perspectives and challenges in inclusive education in Singapore

Relatively little work has focused on inclusive education in Singapore. This study examines the experiences and perceptions of parents whose children with disabilities are attending mainstream secondary schools in Singapore. Data was drawn from interviews with 13 parents of children with mild disabilities. Our findings reveal that parental perspective on inclusive education in Singapore is not only about classroom support but also reflects a deeper concern about whether their children with disabilities will emerge from school as contributing individuals in society. While parents strive to effectively include their children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms, there were dichotomies in their (1) understanding of disabilities, (2) expectations of school support, and (3) expectations for their child with disabilities. Given that academic and social prowess is a critical prerequisite to have a shot at entering the meritocratic Singapore society, the tension parents experience is to gauge a reasonable amount of pressure to exert on their children, the school and themselves as they assert their children's educational entitlements within an imperfect but evolving state of inclusion.     

Are we using Thyroid Function Tests Appropriately?

Thyroid function tests are very important for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with thyroid dysfunction. The guidelines recommend serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) as the single most reliable test to diagnose all common forms of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. The aim of this study was to analyze the ordering pattern for thyroid function tests by physicians and the analysis of results based on the clinical history. The mean age of the patients was 32.5 ± 6.5 years. Majority of samples (87.7% of total) were received from the departments of Medicine and Gynae. Thyroid profiles (47.5%) were ordered more frequently as compared to TSH only (46%). There was no significant difference in the percentage of normal reports for both types of tests. 77.8% of TFT and 76.6% of TSH samples had results within the reference range. The percentage of abnormal results was 13.7% in the patients who were screened for thyroid disorders. There is a need to redefine the case definition for thyroid dysfunction and order the appropriate test in a rational and cost effective manner.     

Acid base status in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

348 patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) were studied for their acid base profile using ABL-3 blood gas analyser (Radiometer, copenhagan). 185 patients (53.1%) had simple disorders (respiratory acidosis—53%, respiratory alkalosis—25.4%, metabolic acidosis—11.3%, metabolic alkalosis—10.2%). Mixed disorders were present in 131 patients (34.9%) (respiratory acidosis and metabolic acidosis—75.2%, respiratory acidosis and metabolic acidosis—14%, metabolic acidosis and metabolic alkalosis—5.7%, metabolic alkalosis and respiratory alkalosis—4.9%). Hypoxemia without other acid base abnormalities was observed in early patients of GOPD (42 patients—12%). Chronic respiratory acidosis was the most common finding in advanced cases of COPD (98%). An almost equal number of such patients had a mixed disorder of respiratory acidosis with metabolic alkalosis (91%). Salt restriction, prolonged use of steriods and hypokalemia were often related to metabolic alkalosis in such patients.     

Evidence and benefits of postgraduate international students-staff members partnership in extra-curricular activities: a Malaysian perspective

ABSTRACT

The student engagement concept has been revolutionised so that students play an active role alongside staff members in determining their student learning experiences. Although the development of student–staff partnerships enhances student engagement and experience, empirical research on partnerships in Malaysia is scant. This paper contributes to the growing scholarly literature on such partnerships – in particular, exploring postgraduate international students and staff members’ partnership dimensions in extra-curricular activities at a research university in Malaysia. This qualitative study interviewed 33 postgraduate international students, 10 academic staff and 12 professional staff members. Based on the findings, the student–staff partnership model is well integrated into the extra-curricular activities: international students are invited to co-design and implement adjustment programmes for newly arrived international students. This paper also explores the multi-layered benefits of partnerships for postgraduate international students and for staff members. The implications of such partnerships for the university, international students and staff members are discussed.     

Scientific discovery and topological transitions in collaboration networks

We analyze the advent and development of eight scientific fields from their inception to maturity and map the evolution of their networks of collaboration over time, measured in terms of co-authorship of scientific papers. We show that as a field develops it undergoes a topological transition in its collaboration structure between a small disconnected graph to a much larger network where a giant connected component of collaboration appears. As a result, the number of edges and nodes in the largest component undergoes a transition between a small fraction of the total to a majority of all occurrences. These results relate to many qualitative observations of the evolution of technology and discussions of the “structure of scientific revolutions”. We analyze this qualitative change in network topology in terms of several quantitative graph theoretical measures, such as density, diameter, and relative size of the network's largest component.To analyze examples of scientific discovery we built databases of scientific publications based on keyword and citation searches, for eight fields, spanning experimental and theoretical science, across areas as diverse as physics, biomedical sciences, and materials science. Each of the databases was vetted by field experts and is the result of a bibliometric search constructed to maximize coverage, while minimizing the occurrence of spurious records. In this way we built databases of publications and authors for superstring theory, cosmic strings and other topological defects, cosmological inflation, carbon nanotubes, quantum computing and computation, prions and scrapie, and H5N1 influenza. We also built a database for a classical example of “pathological” science, namely cold fusion. All these fields also vary in size and in their temporal patterns of development, with some showing explosive growth from an original identifiable discovery (e.g. carbon nanotubes) while others are characterized by a slow process of development (e.g. quantum computers and computation).We show that regardless of the detailed nature of their developmental paths, the process of scientific discovery and the rearrangement of the collaboration structure of emergent fields is characterized by a number of universal features, suggesting that the process of discovery and initial formation of a scientific field, characterized by the moments of discovery, invention and subsequent transition into “normal science” may be understood in general terms, as a process of cognitive and social unification out of many initially separate efforts. Pathological fields, seemingly, never undergo this transition, despite hundreds of publications and the involvement of many authors.