Five Myths about Abraham Lincoln

由好莱坞导演斯皮尔伯格执导、丹尼尔·戴·刘易斯主演的电影《林肯》获得2013年金球奖的最佳剧情片男主角及12项提名。大家对这位头像印在5美元纸币上的美国总统一直以来都有哪些误解呢?     

The Prokudin-Gorskii Collection of Early 20th Century Color Photographs of Russia at the Library of Congress: Unexpected Consequences of the Digitization of the Collection, 2000–2017

The article describes activities in Russia related to the Library of Congress’ Prokudin-Gorskii collection of early 20th century color photographs. The collection was digitized in 1999/2000 and is freely available on the Internet. Russian interest in the photographs has resulted in websites, blogs, documentary films, dissertations, exhibitions, and books about the collection and the photographer and his work.     

Mental aerobics: The half-sheet response

Mental aerobics is the process of stimulating the mind through wellplanned, specific, and direct exercise routines. The half-sheet response, one type of mental aerobics, has many uses. Also, it encourages inclusion, expression, understanding, thinking, feedback, insight, and comparison. It serves as a form of entertainment, a way to test, and a means for taking attendance. Weaknesses include the possibility that it will be viewed as a gimmick, used just for attendance, or used without feedback. With enough time to write, avoidance of overuse, and substantial planning, it can stimulate and motivate students, and it can form an important bond between instructor and students.     

For-profit post-secondary education and civic engagement

Theorists such as Gumport (2000) suggest thatdifferent conceptions of higher education mayhave important consequences for students andsociety. We explore this possibility byconsidering a specific research question: Dostudents who attend for-profit post-secondaryschools show lower levels of civic engagementthan students who attend non-profit communitycolleges, either at the beginning of theirstudy or two years later? Using longitudinal data from the U.S. NationalCenter for Education Statistics (NCES)National Post-secondary Student Aid Survey(NPSAS90) and Beginning Post-secondary Survey(BPS), we test the hypothesis that students whoattend for-profit, post-secondary vocationalschools will show lower levels of civicengagement on several measures than similarstudents in community colleges. Studentsattending the two types of schools are alike intheir levels of civic engagement at thebeginning of their post-secondary education,but different four years later. We considerwhether observed differences in civic behaviorare due to variations in who attends thedifferent types of schools or to identifiableexperiences students may have in theirprograms, such as interactions with faculty orother students. The effect of proprietary school attendance onseven out of the ten different types of civicengagement measured here appears to be direct,rather than being mediated by measurableeducational experiences. We reflect further onprocesses that might explain the differencesand consider the policy implications of thesefindings for educational decision-makers.     

Toward the development of a children's science curiosity measure

Based on the need for, suggestions about the construction, and existing measures serving as models found in the literature both inside and outside of science education, the “Children's Science Curiosity Scale” has undergone six versions using four different samples of fifth graders. Respectable internal consistency (alpha) and test-retest reliabilities have been calculated. Concurrent validity has been demonstrated by significant positive correlations with another recognized curiosity measure, and by way of significant differences between students who were interested in science and students uncertain about interest in science. Somewhat weak predictive validity has been decided by way of significant positive correlations with students' semester science grades. Construct validity has been described and established by eight judges using six criteria, and supported through the use of factor analysis where four underlying factors were hypothesized as characteristics of science curiosity. Sex differences were also explored where significant differences were not found between the genders. Suggestions have been made concerning future attempts at instrument refinement, establishing conceptual validity, future research involving other variables, and classroom use in a variety of contexts.     

Predicting higher education outcomes and implications for a postsecondary institution ratings system

The accountability of colleges and universities is a high priority for those making policy decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine institutional characteristics predicting retention rates, graduation rates and transfer-out rates using publicly available data from the US Department of Education. Using regression analysis, it was determined there are 14 predictors of the full-time retention rate, 7 predictors of the part-time retention rate, 15 predictors of the graduation rate and 12 predictors of transfer-out rates. Institutions and policymakers could use the results of this analysis to determine the policies that would be beneficial to improving the analysed outcomes. All four analyses indicate good fit with R² ranging from .273 to .828. Some possible policy implications include addressing selectivity if institutions want to improve retention rates and addressing affordability to improve retention and graduation rates.