A New Approach to Avoiding Problems of Scale in Interpreting Trends in Mental Measurement Data

Extracting policy-relevant information from large national surveys of educational achievement is ordinarily a nontrivial task. It is made more treacherous when the data are expressed on scales that are not uniquely determined. The paper begins with a critical analysis of a recent attempt to interpret the findings on reading achievement obtained by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). It then describes a new approach to the quantification and interpretation of change and demonstrates its appropriateness for repeated cross-sectional designs such as NAEP. Limitations imposed by the survey design and the nature of the measurements are highlighted     

The effect of US omission in classical aversive and appetitive conditioning of rabbits

Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were given either a 100% or a 50% reinforcement schedule in classical conditioning. Two groups received an aversive US (shock) and two groups received an appetitive US (water to the oral cavity). With parameter estimates for the two-phase model serving as the dependent variables, it was possible to define more precisely the effect of US omission with the intermittent reinforcement schedule. For the aversive preparation, the major effect of intermittent reinforcement was to increase the duration of Phase 1, a phase during which response likelihood remains constant at its initial value. Only a small proportion of subjects reflected the effect of US omission during Phase 2, the “learning” phase, this being a low operator limit following trials on which neither the CR nor the US occurred. The major effect of US omission for the appetitive preparation was in Phase 2, primarily a result of a minority of subjects having a low operator limit following trials on which neither the CR nor the US occurred. Many subjects required separate operators for trials on which the CR did or did not occur. The results were interpreted to pose difficulties for strength theories of conditioning, and the limitation implied for successful application of the Rescorla-Wagner theory are discussed. The implications of the data for response-contingent interpretations and for individual differences are also discussed.     

The Role of Parents and Community in the Education of the Japanese Child

In Japan, there has been an increased concern about family and community participation in the childs education. Traditionally, the role of parents and community in Japan has been one of support and less one of active involvement in school learning. Since the government commenced education reforms in the last quarter of the 20th century, a more active role for parents and the community in education has been encouraged. These reforms have been inspired by the need to tackle various problems that had arisen, such as the perceived harmful elements of societys preoccupation with academic achievement and the problematic behavior of young people. In this paper, the following issues are examined: (1) education policy and reform measures with regard to parent and community involvement in the childs education; (2) the state of parent and community involvement at the eve of the 20th century.     

Making values education everyone's business

Adults are typically required to make values‐based decisions multiple times each day.Why, then, should a discussion of values not be explicit across the college curriculum and intentionally integrated into the cocurriculum? The authors describe a place where the work of values education is widely shared.     

Core competencies and high leverage practices of the beginning teacher: a synthesis of the literature

Teacher competency frameworks comprise a number of competencies that enable a teacher to develop effective teaching practices. However, their conception, value, use and recognition vary widely. Equally, assessment and measurement of such competencies differ across contexts. More recently, a body of research has emerged which focuses the lens of teacher preparation on the inclusion of high leverage practices. The focus of this study is to report a synthesis of the literature pertaining to the ‘core competencies’ and ‘high leverage practices’ selected for inclusion in teacher preparation. A systematic review of the literature was conducted in order to synthesis available evidence. Results are presented in two sections; competency-based approaches; and high leverage practice approaches in teacher preparation. Findings are discussed from the perspective of epistemological and methodological questions emerging from the research and the implications for teacher preparation.     

Comparative study of Anaplasma parasites in tick carrying buffaloes and cattle

INTRODUCTION The world population of buffaloes(Bubalus bubalis)has been estimated at over172million head,more than97%(167.6million)of which are in Asia and the Pacific region,mainly in India(97.7million)and Pakistan(25.5million)(FAO,2004).About98%of buffaloes in the region are raised by small farmers owning less than two hectares of land and less than five buffaloes(Mudgal,1992).In general,the water buffalo is regarded as more productive,healthier and more useful than the cow,especiall…     

Aspiring Teachers and Urban Education Programs

The Urban Review - Research stresses a need for more contextually nuanced urban teacher preparation programs that explore racially oppressive structures in society. This article presents a case...     

The unintended consequences of school inspection: the prevalence of inspection side-effects in Austria,the Czech Republic,England, Ireland,the Netherlands,Sweden, and Switzerland

It has been widely documented that accountability systems, including school inspections, bring with them unintended side effects. These unintended effects are often negative and have the potential to undo the intended positive effects. However the empirical evidence is limited. Through a European comparative study we have had the rare opportunity to collect empirical evidence and study the effects (both intended and unintended) of school inspections (a key system of accountability) in a systematic way, across seven countries. We present the findings of the unintended effects in this paper. Survey self-report responses from school principals in each country, with differing school inspection systems, are analysed to measure the prevalence of these unintended effects and to investigate the part played by pressure to do well in inspections. A key finding is that increasing pressure in school inspection systems is associated with the undesired effect of the narrowing and refocusing of the curriculum and instructional strategies. We also show that a proportion of school principals admit to misrepresenting the school in data sent to the inspectorate and show evidence for formalisation/proceduralisation (excessive focus on records) and ossification (fear of experimentation in teaching), although these factors are less related to changes in pressure.