To work or to continue to higher education? The choice of senior secondary students in Shenzhen, China

In the planning and development of highereducation, it is necessary to understand the majorfactors affecting senior secondary students' decisionson whether to continue to higher education or to enterinto labor force. This is particularly important incountries shifting from a centrally-planned economy toa market-oriented economy where individuals areallowed free choice. This study in 1997 surveyed theeducational intentions of 1,513 senior secondarystudents in Shenzhen, the first and largest SpecialEconomic Zone (SEZ) in China which has adopted amarket-oriented economy and an open door policy for thelast two decades. Ninety percent of students in thestudy opted to continue into higher education oncompletion of senior secondary education. Theyexpected a much higher rate of return to highereducation than the remaining ten percent of studentswho opted to work after completing senior secondaryeducation. The analysis of logistic regression usedin this study reveals that students' expected rate ofreturn to higher education has a positive andsignificant effect on their intention to pursue highereducation, after controlling for the effects of thestudents' gender, family background and ability. Itis evident that students in this study acted inaccordance with predictions in the human capitaltheory in making their choice of higher education orwork in the market-oriented economy sector of China. This pattern of educational choice has importantbearing on the development of higher education indeveloping countries.     

Assessing the concordance between child reports and adult observations of single and mixed emotion in children’s drawings of themselves or another child

The present study assessed concordance between child reported and adult observed strategies to depict single and mixed emotion in the same human figure drawings. 205 children (104 boys, 101 girls) aged 6 years 2 months to 8 years 3 months formed two age groups (6 years 2 months–7 years 2 months and 7 years 3 months–8 years 3 months) across two conditions drawing either themselves or another child. They heard vignettes designed to elicit single and mixed emotion and drew a baseline drawing, counterbalanced happy and sad, and a mixed emotion drawing. Categories of children’s verbal reports and adults’ observations were similar with some variation of use by condition, age group and emotion type. Mixed emotion strategies were more similar to those observed and reported in happy drawings. Findings are discussed in relation to a framework theory of art and social display rules.     

Variation indexes of marks due to continuous assessment. Empirical approach at university / Índices de variación de la nota debidos a la evaluación continua. Contrastación empírica en la enseñanza universitaria

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has required continuous assessment at university in Spain. The goal of this paper is to analyse how continuous assessment modifies the subject’s final mark, to ascertain whether it improves or lowers the final exam score and to determine whether other variables also affect this relationship. To accomplish this, we have created a database with the marks earned by students who took the final exam in the Financial Accounting class at university in the last three academic years. A variation index of the exam score was constructed as a consequence of continuous assessment, and it was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The results obtained from the marks and the index were analysed using contingency tables, ANOVA, regression analyses and a contrast of differences in mean. The main conclusions allow us to state that continuous assessment has an important direct effect on the learning process as well as on the final exam score and the overall class mark, and that other variables also influence them.     

Familial dyslexia: genetic and medical findings in eleven three-generation families

In addition to providing information on the inheritance of dyslexia, the present study of eleven three-generation families has provided a unique opportunity to compare affected and unaffected family members at all ages. The data presented here are based on pedigree information, a questionnaire administered to all participating family members in relation to sex ratio, handedness, the severity of dyslexia by sex, pre- and perinatal complications, medical complications, years of education and earning ability, and a battery of standardized tests to define the presence or absence of dyslexia. The pattern of inheritance was consistent with the postulated autosomal dominant mode of inheritance and penetrance was found to be > 90 percent. Of 73 individuals determined to have a gene leading to dyslexia, seven were classified as obligate carriers and six as compensated adults who had no current symptoms or diagnostic evidence of dyslexia. The sex ratio (1.06) was not different from the expected ratio of 1.04. Left-handedness, major pre- and perinatal complications, and autoimmune disorders and allergy were not more common in dyslexics than non-dyslexics. The number of years of education and average income were similar in affected and unaffected family members. Compensated adults and obligate carriers were similar to unaffected family members in each of these parameters.