International University Education: An Australian Perspective

This paper attempts to explore the effectiveness of UK universities' websites. The area of branding in higher education has received increasing academic investigation, but little work has researched how universities demonstrate their brand promises through their websites. The quest to differentiate through branding can be challenging in the university context, however. It is argued that those institutions that have a strong distinctive image will be in a better position to face a changing future. Employing a multistage methodology, the web pages of 20 UK universities were investigated by using a combination of content and multivariable analysis. Results indicated ‘traditional values’ such as teaching and research were often well communicated in terms of online brand but ‘emotional values’ like social responsibility and the universities' environments were less consistently communicated, despite their increased topicality. It is therefore suggested that emotional values may offer a basis for possible future online differentiation.     

Razonamiento y construcción de valores en el aula

Resumen

El objetivo de esta investigación es doble. Se pretende, por una parte, establecer perfiles evolutivos en el razonamiento de justicia que los alumnos aplican a las situaciones conflict ivas de clase y, además, ver si la interacción social y la discusión pueden favorecer el desarrollo.

Para llevar a cabo el doble objetivo señalado se ha puesto un especial interés en indagar cómo se sitúan los niños ante la autoridad del profesor y los castigos, cómo entienden la responsabilidad, tanto individual como colectiva, qué consideran más importante cuando tienen que elegir entre autoridad y solidaridad, entre obedecer al profesor y ayudar al compañero, o cuando se enfrentan sus propios intereses y los del grupo.

Los resultados—en base a un diseño de intervención Pretest-Tratamiento-Postest—ponen de manifiesto que, efectivamente, existen patrones bien delimitados en el razonamiento de justicia que los alumnos aplican a las situaciones conflict ivas del aula. Asimismo, evidencian la importancia evolutiva de la edad como variable clave para explicar una parte importante de las diferencias encontradas y la importancia del sexo, no tanto por las diferencias halladas en el razonamiento como en los contenidos de valor que se defienden. Por otra parte, se confirma que la discusión de dilemas entre compañeros es un potente instrumento para favorecer el avance.     

Listening to grandmothers

In this column, three proud grandmothers share their unique stories and eloquently describe the transforming experience of becoming a grandmother and the joy associated with witnessing their daughters giving birth.     

Self-regulation and co-regulation in early childhood – development,assessment and supporting factors

Metacognition and Learning - The development of self-regulation represents one of the hallmarks in early childhood. This special issue addresses important questions regarding the assessment and...     

Evaluation of a new equation for estimating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol through the comparison with various recommended methods

IntroductionThe accurate estimation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) is crucial for management of patients at risk of cardiovascular events due to dyslipidemia. The LDL is typically calculated using the Friedewald equation and/or direct homogeneous assays. However, both methods have their own limitations, so other equations have been proposed, including a new equation developed by Sampson. The aim of this study was to evaluate Sampson equation by comparing with the Friedewald and Martin-Hopkins equations, and with a direct LDL method.Materials and methodsResults of standard lipid profile (total cholesterol (CHOL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and triglycerides (TG)) were obtained from two anonymized data sets collected at two laboratories, using assays from different manufacturers (Beckman Coulter and Roche Diagnostics). The second data set also included LDL results from a direct assay (Roche Diagnostics). Passing-Bablok and Bland-Altman analysis for method comparison was performed.ResultsA total of 64,345 and 37,783 results for CHOL, HDL and TG were used, including 3116 results from the direct LDL assay. The Sampson and Friedewald equations provided similar LDL results (difference ≤ 0.06 mmol/L, on average) at TG ≤ 2.0 mmol/L. At TG between 2.0 and 4.5 mmol/L, the Sampson-calculated LDL showed a constant bias (- 0.18 mmol/L) when compared with the Martin-Hopkins equation. Similarly, at TG between 4.5 and 9.0 mmol/L, the Sampson equation showed a negative bias when compared with the direct assay, which was proportional (- 16%) to the LDL concentration.ConclusionsThe Sampson equation may represent a cost-efficient alternative for calculating LDL in clinical laboratories.     

The Meyerhoff Way: How the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program Helps Black Students Succeed in the Sciences

The Meyerhoff Scholarship Program (MSP) is widely recognized for its comprehensive approach of integrating students into the science community. The supports provided by the program aim to develop students, primarily Blacks, into scientists by offering them academic, social, and professional opportunities to achieve their academic and career goals. The current study allowed for a rich understanding of the perceptions of current Meyerhoff students and Meyerhoff alumni about how the program works. Three groups of MSP students were included in the study: (1) new Meyerhoff students participating in Summer Bridge (n = 45), (2) currently enrolled Meyerhoff students (n = 92), and (3) graduates of the MSP who were currently enrolled in STEM graduate studies or had completed an advanced STEM degree (n = 19). Students described the importance of several key aspects of the MSP: financial support, the Summer Bridge Program, formation of Meyerhoff identity, belonging to the Meyerhoff family, and developing networks—all of which serve to integrate students both academically and socially.     

Change management in extremis: A case study

After 40 years under one manager, the Circulation Department at the Richard J. Daley Library was long past due for a change. The challenge of reorganizing included interesting and interrelated aspects: changes to workflows and assignments, moving staff and functions inside the department and across departments, and a deep dive into the culture to which staff had become habituated. Managers eliminated redundancies and increased services, effectiveness, productivity, and joy. This case study is a testament to how successful change happens with patience, respect, and a willingness to be flexible.     

Mother-child interactional patterns in high-and low-risk mothers

Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine the extent to which mother-child interactional patterns in high-and low-risk (for child physical abuse) mothers were similar to patterns observed in physically abusive parents.Method: Ten high-risk and 10 demographically similar low-risk mother-child dyads were studied. Trained observers coded maternal-child interaction patterns in the home during five 1-hour periods using the Standardized Observation Codes system.Results: As expected, high-risk mothers made fewer neutral approaches to their children, displayed more negative behaviors toward their children, and made more indiscriminant responses to their children's prosocial behavior. Expected risk group differences were not found in the number of neutral instructions or positive responses, albeit the proportion of positive responses out of the total number of positive and negative responses was higher for low-risk mothers. After control for educational differences, risk group differences remained in the rates of neutral approaches and the number of indiscriminant behaviors made in response to children's prosocial behaviors.Conclusions: The observational data indicated that high-risk mothers display some behaviors similar to those observed in physically abusive mothers. The finding that high-risk mothers made more indiscriminate or noncontingent responses when reacting to their children's prosocial behavior is consistent with a coercive model of child physical abuse.     

On the acquisition of some basic word spelling mechanisms in a deep (French) and a shallow (Spanish) system

An experiment was carried out to compare the time course of the acquisition of two basic spelling mechanisms in Spanish, a shallow system, and French, a deep system. The first was lexical. It relies on the orthographic lexicon, a hypothetical structure containing the orthographic representations of words accessible for word spelling. To evaluate its contribution the participants were asked to spell words of high and low frequency containing phonemes which can take different graphemic values. The second mechanism relies on sub-lexical processes. Its contribution was evaluated asking the participants to spell words containing consistent phoneme-to-grapheme translation pairs which were identical in Spanish and French. Two contrasting predictions were considered, one derived from the Orthographic Depth Hypothesis (ODH, Frost, 2005) and the other from the Self-Teaching Hypothesis (STH, Share, 2004). According to the ODH, the orthographic lexicon should develop more rapidly in French than in Spanish because Spanish spellers can rely on phoneme-to-grapheme translation mechanisms to spell most words, meaning that they do not need to resort to the orthographic lexicon. In contrast, the STH suggests that effective identification of a word gradually generates its orthographic representation. The results revealed that both spelling mechanisms develop far faster in Spanish than in French. The fact that word frequency effects appeared earlier in Spanish than in French, indicating that the orthographic lexicon incorporates words more rapidly in a shallow than in a deep system, is clearly incompatible with the ODH and easier to handle in the context of the STH.     

Representación espacial en los niños ciegos: una investigación sobre las principales variables que la determinan y los procedimientos de objetivación más adecuados

Resumen

El objetivo fundamental de este trabajo es el estudio conjunto de los principales factores que determinan el conocimiento y la representación del entorno en los invidentes, haciendo especial énfasis en las relaciones entre desarrollo y aprendizaje. El marco teórico se toma de la psicologia ambiental y de la psicología evolutiva del conocimiento espacial. El procedimiento consiste en el aprendizaje de un entorno desconocido, en un máximo de cuatro sesiones. El conocimiento espacial se evalúa mediante tres tipos de técnicas. Los resultados no muestran, en términos generales, grandes diferencias entre ciegos de nacimiento y ciegos tardíos, ni tampoco entre el espacio pequeño y el grande. Las diferencias más significativas son las debidas a la edad de los sujetos, y el aprendizaje también se revela como factor importante, aunque en nuestro diseño parezca estar subordinado al desarrollo. La investigaáón tiene implicaciones claras para la instrucción de la orientación, movilidad y conocimiento del entorno en los invidentes.