Could teacher grading practices account for unexplained variation in school achievements?

In the economics of schooling literature, input substitutions have been identified as the major difficulty in assessing school and teacher effectiveness. In this paper we examine whether a teacher's grading practice can improve students' academic achievements by reducing these input substitutions. We use the teacher-student interaction model of Correa and Gruver (1987) to enhance the specification of the traditional production functions of students' academic achievements by introducing a teacher grading parameter in these functions. Under specific conditions, Correa and Gruver show that a student may respond either positively or negatively to the teacher's greater effort and/or harder grading, depending upon the student's preferences; thus the issue of an efficient grading practice is, as usual in the economics of education research, an empirical issue. To implement the econometric specification of the model, we define a latent grading variable from an error components specification on class grade regressions. This variable is used to explain the students' grade specific standardized test results for a sample of first and fourth-graders of Montreal francophone public elementary schools.     

Effects of multicycle-run training on triathlete performance

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of triathlon training using multiple, short cycle-run sequences (multicycle-run training) on cycle-run performance. Twelve competitive triathletes, randomized into two groups, underwent multicycle-run training or normal training for 6 weeks. During this period, baseline training remained the same for both groups, and only the high-intensity component differed. The differentiated exercises were performed at or above 100% maximal aerobic velocity. The improvements in overall cycle-run performance were similar (3.3 +/- 1.4 % and 6.1 +/- 1.7% rise in Performance in multicycle-run and normal training, respectively). However, the improvement in performance was significantly greater for the multicycle-run training (-11.2 +/- 6.8 s versus -1.2 +/- 7. 7 s for multicycle-run training and normal training, respectively) during both the cycle-run change and the first 333-m lap, which together are termed the cycle-run transition. We concluded that 6 weeks of multicycle-run training did not induce greater improvement in cycle-run performance than did normal training in competitive triathletes. However, it did induce significant improvement in the cycle-run transition. This finding indicates that multicycle-run training may help competitive triathletes to develop greater skill and better physiological adaptations during this critical transition period of the triathlon race.     

The Value of Certain Factors for Direct and Differential Prediction of Academic Success

Are some students advantaged when changing multiple-choice answers? The authors of this investigation assessed the importance of an examinee's cognitive style in the answer-changing process. Two separate studies were conducted using undergraduates (n = 125 and n = 84). One set of variables consisted of a measure of field dependence/field independence, a measure of impulsivity/reflectivity, and an introductory psychology unit examination made up of multiple-choice items. A second set of variables was formed by gathering two answer-changing scores for each subject using the scannable forms from the unit examination—one reflecting the effect of answer changes and the other representing the number of changes. Canonical correlation analysis was used to describe the relationship between the two sets of variables. Only the first canonical correlation coefficient was statistically significant in each study. The structure coefficients indicated that the cognitive-style variables had little impact on the canonical solution and that a combination of the effect of answer changes, the number of changes, and unit examination scores were the most influential components of the first canonical variates.     

Dimensions rurales-urbaines de la gestion scolaire en contexte de décroissance des clientèles et des compression budgétaires

Résumé En utilisant des données recueillies lors d'un sondage provincial et des données provenant du ministère de l'Éducation du Québec, cet article analyse l'impact de la variable urbain-rural sur différents aspects de la gestion de commissions scolaires en période de décroissance. La réduction des effectifs scolaires ainsi que celle du personnel sont plus importantes en milieu urbain qu'en milieu rural. Lorsqu'on analyse les conséquences des stratégies de gestion, la décroissance des effectifs et la variable urbain-rural ont des effets constants à travers toutes les estimations. Bien que certains de ces effets soient directs, ils sont, dans la plupart des cas, indirects via la réduction du personnel. En général, les conséquences de la gestion sont moins positives en milieu urbain qu'en milieu, rural. Enfin, selon les répondants, la qualité des services liés à l'enseignement se serait détériorée en milieu urbain comparativement au milieu rural.

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Using data collected in a provincial poll and provided by the Ministry of Education of Quebec, this article analyzes the impact of the urban-rural variable on different aspects of the management of school commissions at a time of economic recession and population decrease. The reduction in school enrollees as much as that of the educational personnel is more considerable in the urban environment than the rural one. When analyzing the consequences of management strategies in all assessments the decrease in enrolments and the urban-rural variable show constant results. Although some of these effects are direct, in most cases, however, they tend to be indirect because of the decrease in the number of staff members. In general, the consequences of management are less positive in the urban environment than in the rural one. Finally, according to the respondents the quality of the service linked to teaching has deteriorated more so in the urban environment than compared to the rural one.

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Zusammenfassung Gestützt auf die bei einer Umfrage in einer kanadischen Provinz gesammelten und vom Erziehungsministerium von Quebec zur Verfügung gestellten Daten, wird in diesem Artikel die Auswirkung der Unterschiede zwischen städtischen und ländlichen Gebieten auf Aspekte der Schulverwaltung bei sinkenden Einschulungsraten analysiert. Sinkende Einschulungsraten und Personalkürzungen werden in Stadtbereichen für schwerwiegender gehalten als in den Landgebieten. Andererseits sind die Verwaltungsmaßnahmen bezüglich der untersuchten Variablen unabhängig von Stadt-Land Unterschieden konstant. Obwohl einige dieser Folgen direkt sind, sind die meisten mittelbar durch Personalkürzungen bedingt. Im allgemeinen sind jedoch die Folgen der Verwaltungsmaßnahmen im städtischen Bereich weniger positiv als im ländlichen. Schließlich hat sich gemäß den Befragungsergebnissen die Qualität der unterrichtsbezogenen Dienstleistungen in den städtischen Gebieten stärker verschlechtert als in den ländlichen.

     

A new type of transitional filter based on summation of polynomials

A new transitional filter based on the sum of filter polynomials is proposed and discussed. It shall be shown that the approach allows for greater flexibility in adjusting passband and stopband gain shapes. The sensitivity of the filter transfer function is analyzed and related to the approximation problem. Some new modified classical filters are also derived including maximally flat (Butterworth) and equiripple (Chebyshev) types. Several examples of combining Butterworth, Chebyshev and sync-tuned filters are presented and compared to those obtained using the conventional product method. The new transitional filter provides an alternative to other forms and provides a means for isolating the effects of non-uniformly distributed pole angles.