University teachers' thinking about lecturing: student evaluation of lecturing as an improvement perspective for the lecturer

Student evaluation of instruction (SEI) is a common practice in higher education. Despite a great deal of progress that has been made during the last two decades of SEI-research, some questions remain unanswered. One of the unsolved problems concerns theutility of SEI, i.e., its efficacy for improving instruction. Apparently there is a need for understanding ‘how university teachershandle SEI-feedback.’ In that perspective cognitive and motivational psychology stress the importance of the so-calledsubjective theory of a teacher about his lecturing. This empirical study was focused on teachers' conceptualisation of lecturing, as related to student ratings. For representing a teacher's subjective theory and his interpretation of SEI-feedback, theHiclas-algorithm of De Boeck and Rosenberg (1988) was used, corresponding to theirHierarchical Classes Model. Results indicate that the lecturer's interpretation of student ratings and his/her ‘thinking about lecturing’ are crucial elements for an effective use of SEI as an improvement strategy. It gives one explanation why student evaluation of university teaching does (or does not) change teaching behaviour. The author is indebted to Prof. Piet J. Janssen and Prof. Joost Lowyck for their assistance in this research.     

Birds of different feathers? The relationship between multicultural personality dimensions and foreign language mastery in business professionals working in a Dutch agricultural multinational

The relationship between personality dimensions, measured with the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), and foreign language mastery were studied in a Dutch-based multinational company in the agricultural sector. In a survey, differences were studied between internal and external stakeholders to determine whether MPQ dimensions and language mastery allow us to discriminate between them. The internal stakeholders were divided into international and non-international employees; external stakeholders were the business contacts of the international employees (clients and business partners based or working abroad). The international employees were found to be more open-minded and flexible than the non-international employees, and the former group was found to be more emotionally stable than the group of business contacts. On average, the international employees reported speaking one foreign language more than both other groups. Also, the number of foreign languages correlated with the multicultural personality dimensions open-mindedness and emotional stability. It is concluded that emotional stability, open-mindedness, and the number of spoken foreign languages are to some extent predictive of differences between the various stakeholders distinguished in this sample.     

Dimensions of faculty members' sensitivity to job satisfaction items

Researchers have suggested that questionnaire item sensitivity may be a possible source of response bias in investigations using mail surveys. In conducting job satisfaction studies of faculty members in higher education, investigators have assumed that job satisfaction items are not highly sensitive to faculty members and do not vary in their degree of sensitivity. The purpose of the present research was to assess the degree of sensitivity of various job satisfaction items to faculty members and to identify dimensions of faculty members' sensitivity to these items. Results from a questionnaire returned from 354 faculty members at a large university showed that their sensitivity to job satisfaction items centered primarily in three areas: (1) concern with extrinsic job factors, (2) concern with department head actions, and (3) concern with promotion and salary. On the whole, item sensitivity appeared to be rather low. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Analysis of cognitive abilities for learning disabled children

The study investigated WISC-R subtest pattern scores of 58 learning disabled children (42 boys and 16 girls) ranging in age from 6 years to 15 years, 10 months. The variation in subtest scores was analyzed by a 1 X 10 analysis of variance with repeated measures on the single factor. Differences between individual subtest means were analyzed by the Newman-Keuls test for simple effects. The evidence indicates that the low subtest scores on Arithmetic, Coding and Information were characteristic of this group. The study did not support the verbal-Performance discrepancies as useful in the diagnosis of learning disabilities.     

The Concept of Modularisation in Vocational Education and Training: The debate in Germany and its implications

This paper summarises the debate on modularisation in initial vocational training provisions in Germany in the context of the German 'dual system'. This system has been increasingly criticised in recent years and the paper describes the on-going discussion regarding potential strategies for the modernisation of this system. The paper then introduces three different concepts of modularisation in training provisions that have emerged from the recent debate in Germany. They are each evaluated in terms of their potential application to the German training framework. Finally, a potential strategy for the modularisation of initial training in Germany is proposed. It draws on research regarding modules and units in training in other European countries and shows how it might be possible to embed the concept of modularisation within the pre-existing training frameworks in the German context.     

国际金融危机影响下的世界一流大学

2008年爆发的国际金融危机对多国的实体经济造成了重创。金融危机对世界一流大学的捐赠基金造成了严重影响,但对捐赠基金支出的影响较为温和;相对而言,依赖地方政府的美国公立大学受到了金融危机的更大的冲击,而私立大学则依靠较为稳定的科研、学费和捐赠收入降低了金融危机的影响。在此种情况之下,世界一流大学采取了较为温和的措施应对金融危机。而多元化的收入结构、稳定的财政拨款、雄厚的捐赠基金基础以及优秀的前瞻性的制度设计对于大学平安应对复杂经济环境具有重要意义。