Sensory, cognitive, and linguistic factors in the early academic performance of elementary school children: The Benton-IU project

Standardized sensory, perceptual, linguistic, intellectual, and cognitive tests were administered to 470 children, approximately 96% of the students entering the first grade in the four elementary schools of Benton County, Indiana, over a 3-year period (1995--1997). The results of 36 tests and subtests administered to entering first graders were well described by a 4-factor solution. These factors and the tests that loaded most heavily on them were reading-related skills (phonological awareness, letter and word identification); visual cognition (visual perceptual abilities, spatial perception, visual memory); verbal cognition (language development, vocabulary, verbal concepts); and speech processing (the ability to understand speech under difficult listening conditions). A cluster analysis identified 9 groups of children, each with a different profile of scores on the 4 factors. Within these groups, the proportion of students with unsatisfactory reading achievement in the first 2 years of elementary school (as reflected in teacher-assigned grades) varied from 3% to 40%. The profiles of factor scores demonstrated the primary influence of the reading-related skills factor on reading achievement and also on other areas of academic performance. The second strongest predictor of reading and mathematics grades was the visual cognition factor, followed by the verbal cognition factor. The speech processing factor was the weakest predictor of academic achievement, accounting for less than 1% of the variance in reading achievement. This project was a collaborative effort of the Benton Community School Corporation and a multidisciplinary group of investigators from Indiana University.     

Knowledge characteristics of communities of practice

This paper proposes a typology of communities of practice based on their knowledge characteristics. The structure of a community of practice, in terms of knowledge, may tend to the stratified or to the egalitarian. The predominant knowledge activity of the community may be sharing or nurturing. This produces four classes of community of practice. The paper identifies and discusses examples of these classes. It is argued that the class to which a community belongs tends to determine the rapidity with which knowledge within the community evolves and the degree of pluralism, as opposed to homogeneity, that the knowledge exhibits. The paper concludes by discussing some of the implications of the typology for knowledge management practice.     

Cause and Event: Supporting Causal Claims through Logistic Models

Efforts to identify and support credible causal claims have received intense interest in the research community, particularly over the past few decades. In this paper, we focus on the use of statistical procedures designed to support causal claims for a treatment or intervention when the response variable of interest is dichotomous. We identify seven key features of logistic regression studies that should play a critical role in estimating a causal effect and discuss their implications for causal inference. These include elaboration of research design, clarification of link function, model specification, challenges and limitations of sample size, interpretation of treatment effect through odds ratios, statistical tests and examination of model fit, and the potential for multilevel logistic models in pursuit of causal claims. Our recommendations are intended to guide researchers in the critical evaluation of logistic regression models for analyses culminating in causal claims and to promote stronger design and modeling strategies for reliable causal inference.     

The effect of stud configuration on rotational traction using the studded boot apparatus

Due to its associated injury risk, rotational traction is a frequently measured natural turf surface property. The most commonly used equipment, the studded boot apparatus (SBA), consists of a circular stud configuration that does not replicate the stud pattern on a regular football boot and may under or over estimate the surface traction. The aim of this study was to establish potential differences in the rotational traction measured between the current stud configuration on the SBA and the stud configuration on the most commonly used Australian football boots. The original studded boot had significantly higher rotational traction than the moulded stud sole or bladed sole. Location, quality and time tested all interacted significantly with the rotational traction measured. The current SBA may not accurately represent the rotational traction experienced by football players, and consequently may not be the most appropriate configuration to assess the relationship between rotational traction and injuries.     

English and German academics’ perspectives on metrics in higher education: evaluating dimensions of fairness and organisational justice

Higher Education - Many contemporary analyses criticise metrics-based evaluation in the higher education context as a neoliberal technology, notwithstanding the different national contexts and...     

Assessing the Correlates of Over- and Underrating of Academic Competence: A Conceptual Clarification and a Methodological Proposal

The present article addresses 3 issues pertaining to the conceptualization and assessment of the effects of over- and underrating academic competence. First, it is shown that it is impossible to separate the effects of over- and underrating from the effects of both perceived and actual competence. Second, it is shown that the method used by Connell and Ilardi in a previous article to assess the effect of net overversus underrating is of questionable validity. Finally, a new definition and method for assessing the effects of over- and underrating is presented. The new method was applied to Connell and Ilardi's data to retest the hypothesis that overrating is associated with more problematic psychological profiles than accuracy and underrating. Results did not generally support the hypothesis, but did show that the correlates of over- and underrating vary as a function of both extremity of over- or underrating and the level of children's actual competence.     

Teaching Patrons to Fish: The Educational Value of Cancelling Requests for Locally Available Materials

Expansive document delivery service for locally available materials is becoming increasingly popular, but is a learning component lost with the implementation of this service? In this study, the authors compare data from two institutions, one that provides an unadvertised document delivery service without instruction, and another that cancels requests for locally available materials with an instructional component. The behavior of each institution's patrons over a 4-year period is analyzed and found to differ at statistically significant levels. These findings will be useful for interlibrary loan policy makers who are considering whether to implement document delivery for locally available items.