大型体育赛事东道主国家形象研究

采用议程设置理论对2008年北京奥运前后国际电视传媒有关中国的报道进行内容分析,旨在探索大型事件如何影响东道国国家形象。以国家形象可见性、效价、主题结构、归因四个要素为框架,对美国、英国、德国、法国等九个国家的电视媒体报道中有关中国的新闻进行定量内容分析。结论如下:1)大型事件之前,东道主国家形象的可见性将升高,然而,在大型事件之后,东道国在国际媒体中的可见性甚至低于往常;2)奥运会后一年有关中国的新闻与会前一年相比,不明确的效价显著减少,正面和负面的效价比例均显著增加,2008北京奥运对中国的贡献在于增进了世界媒体和公众对中国的理解,但奥运会后中国的国际形象并没有显著改善;3)中国形象的主题结构和归因两个属性保持相对稳定,大型事件仅仅能够激发国际媒体对东道国的兴趣,并使东道国国家形象清晰化。     

Normative contestation in transitions ‘in the making’: Animal welfare concerns and system innovation in pig husbandry

Previous studies of system innovations mainly focused on historical cases that were driven by commercial motivations of pioneers and entrepreneurs. This article investigates a system innovation in the making that is driven by normative concerns, such as sustainability or animal welfare, initially formulated by outsiders like special-interest groups. Our central research question is: How, when and why is normative contestation of existing regimes effective in influencing the orientation of transitions in the making?The conceptual framework enriches innovation studies and the multi-level perspective with insights from social movement theory (SMT) and political science. SMT is used to analyze the build up of normative pressure (through framing, resource mobilization, and political opportunity structures). From political science we use the notion of multiple streams, in our analysis a problem, regulatory, market and technology stream.The research design consists of a comparative case study of pig husbandry systems. One case analyses the sub-sector of pregnant sows where normative pressures, after several decades, led to the changes advocated by the contestants. The second case concerns the sub-sector of pig fattening where normative pressure was less successful.The difference is partly explained by the normative pressure for pregnant sows being larger than for fattening pigs. The other part of the explanation is that in the first case normative pressure aligned better with the three other streams (regulatory, market and technology) to lead to the changes desired by the contestants.     

Factors associated with disciplinary and interdisciplinary research collaboration

There is a lack of understanding regarding the optimal conditions for interdisciplinary research. This study investigates what characteristics of researchers are associated with disciplinary and interdisciplinary research collaborations and what collaborations are most rewarding in different scientific disciplines. Our results confirm that female scientists are more engaged in interdisciplinary research collaborations. Further, a scientist's years of research experience are positively related with both types of collaboration. Work experience in firms or governmental organizations increases the propensity of interdisciplinary collaborations, but decreases that of disciplinary collaborations. Disciplinary collaborations occur more frequent in basic disciplines; interdisciplinary collaborations more in strategic disciplines. We also found that in both types of disciplines, disciplinary collaborations contribute more to career development than interdisciplinary collaborations. We conclude with three recommendations for science and innovation policy, while emphasising the need to distinguish between different scientific disciplines.     

Parental family stress during pregnancy and cognitive functioning in early childhood: The Generation R Study

We investigated whether parental family stress during pregnancy is associated with cognitive functioning in early childhood in a population-based cohort (n = 3139). Family stress was assessed using the Family Assessment Device at the 20th week of pregnancy and was reported by mothers and fathers. Mothers completed the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory, measuring children's verbal cognitive functioning, when children were 18 months and they completed the Parent Report of Children's Abilities, measuring nonverbal cognitive functioning, when children were 2 years old. Maternal prenatal family stress was related to children's low word comprehension and poorer nonverbal cognitive development independent of paternal reports. In a subset of 639 children, maternal prenatal family stress was also associated with observational assessments of poor effortful control at age 37 months. Paternal prenatal family stress was only related to poorer nonverbal cognitive development, independent of the mother. When both parents had high levels of prenatal family stress, children displayed particularly poor nonverbal cognitive development. These findings emphasize the significance of parental prenatal family stress for child developmental outcomes.     

Developing a systemic approach to teacher education in sub-Saharan Africa: emerging lessons from Kenya,Tanzania and Uganda

While many countries in Eastern and Southern Africa are on track for meeting the Education for All targets, there is a growing recognition of the need to improve the quality of basic education and that a focus on pedagogy and its training implications needs to be at the heart of this commitment. By drawing on three East African countries, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, which are at different stages of development with regard to the reforming of teacher education, this paper explores the challenges and the lessons learned from each of the countries with regard to the development and strengthening of pre- and in-service training. The tension between quality, breadth and cost-effectiveness is explored together with a broader discussion of key principles to be taken into account when enhancing teacher education in the region as a whole.     

Students’ attributions for their best and worst marks: Do they relate to achievement?

Research has found a relation between motivation and attributions for success and failure. However, few studies have clarified the relationship of attributions to school achievement and possible cultural differences in this relationship. To investigate this issue, 5333 secondary students (European, Asian, Maori, Pacific) rated four common attributions - ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck - and three social influences (teachers, peers, and family) for their best and worst marks. Motivation orientations were also measured. Several measures were significantly related to students’ GPA scores, most notably the motivation orientations Doing My Best and Doing Just Enough, but also attributions to effort, teacher, and peer influences. There were substantial differences for ethnicity, particularly between European students and Maori and Pacific students. The results support theories claiming that effort attributions motivate achievement but also support the benefits of a self-serving bias.     

A Longitudinal Investigation of African American and Hispanic Adolescents' Educational and Occupational Expectations and Corresponding Attainment in Adulthood

Adolescents' expectations about school and work may be key antecedents of adult attainment and this relationship may vary by specific racial, ethnic, and gender groups. This article examines how educational and occupational expectations change in adolescence and how expectations predict corresponding attainment in adulthood. Participants included African American and Hispanic females and males. Educational and occupational expectations were reported at ages 14, 16, and 18, and educational and occupational attainment at ages 20 and 26. Results indicated distinct developmental trajectories per racial or ethnic and gender group. Educational expectations were more nuanced for African American and Hispanic females than for their male counterparts; occupational expectations were more varied for Hispanic females than for other groups. Educational expectations positively predicted educational attainment for all participants, whereas occupational attainment was predicted just by educational expectations and for Hispanic females and males only.     

Re-conceptualising the concept of a nexus? A survey of 12 Scottish IS/IM academics’ perceptions of a nexus between teaching,research, scholarship and consultancy

Abstract

This article starts with a personal perspective written by Stephen Rowland. This is responded to in each of the four contributions which follow. In order to stimulate debate from a wide basis of experience, Catherine Byron, Frank Furedi, Nicky Padfield and Terry Smyth were invited to respond as academics from very different disciplinary backgrounds and types of Higher Education institution in the UK.

In a brief conclusion to the article, Stephen Rowland draws together the contributions. Questions are raised for further discussion, reflection and research amongst those concerned to develop higher education teaching, and to resist the managerialist discourse which dominates in this field.

We hope that the article will stimulate debate amongst readers of the journal from different parts of higher education at a time when the very purpose of higher education is itself in a state of flux. We suspect that the issues raised here apply in many countries and would particularly welcome a response from readers not in the UK.     

Book reviews

David Warner and Charles Leonard. The Income Generation Handbook, Second Edition: A Practical Guide for Educational Institutions, Buckingham, UK: The Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) and Open University Press, 1997. ISBN 0–335–19858–9 (hard); 0–335–19862–7 (paper)

Henry D.R. Miller. The Management of Change in Universities: Universities, State and Economy in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, Buckingham, UK: The Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press, 1995. ISBN 0–33.5–19089–8 Price £50.00. 183 pp