The effect of school inspections on school improvement

This study uses a school-level longitudinal control-group design to examine how teachers and principals of inspected versus uninspected schools perceive school improvement at their schools. During the phasing in of school inspections in the states of Berlin and Brandenburg (Germany), both inspected and uninspected schools were surveyed with respect to school improvement activities over a 1-year period. The main finding is that principals’ and teachers’ perceptions of school quality were highly stable, irrespective of the introduction of school inspections. The results show school inspections had a comparatively low impact on the aspects of school quality measured here.     

A Nonlinear Structural Equation Mixture Modeling Approach for Nonnormally Distributed Latent Predictor Variables

Structural equation models with interaction and quadratic effects have become a standard tool for testing nonlinear hypotheses in the social sciences. Most of the current approaches assume normally distributed latent predictor variables. In this article, we describe a nonlinear structural equation mixture approach that integrates the strength of parametric approaches (specification of the nonlinear functional relationship) and the flexibility of semiparametric structural equation mixture approaches for approximating the nonnormality of latent predictor variables. In a comparative simulation study, the advantages of the proposed mixture procedure over contemporary approaches [Latent Moderated Structural Equations approach (LMS) and the extended unconstrained approach] are shown for varying degrees of skewness of the latent predictor variables. Whereas the conventional approaches show either biased parameter estimates or standard errors of the nonlinear effects, the proposed mixture approach provides unbiased estimates and standard errors. We present an empirical example from educational research. Guidelines for applications of the approaches and limitations are discussed.     

On the Performance of Likelihood-Based Difference Tests in Nonlinear Structural Equation Models

This article investigates likelihood-based difference statistics for testing nonlinear effects in structural equation modeling using the latent moderated structural equations (LMS) approach. In addition to the standard difference statistic T_D, 2 robust statistics have been developed in the literature to ensure valid results under the conditions of nonnormality or small sample sizes: the robust T_DR and the “strictly positive” T_DRP. These robust statistics have not been examined in combination with LMS yet. In 2 Monte Carlo studies we investigate the performance of these methods for testing quadratic or interaction effects subject to different sources of nonnormality, nonnormality due to the nonlinear terms, and nonnormality due to the distribution of the predictor variables. The results indicate that T_D is preferable to both T_DR and T_DRP. Under the condition of strong nonlinear effects and nonnormal predictors, T_DR often produced negative differences and T_DRP showed no desirable power.     

Wirtschaftliche Bedeutung des Sportkonsums in Deutschland

The aim of this research project was to determine the volume and structure of the sport-related consumption (based on participation and on interest) of private households in Germany in the year 2010 in a differentiated and extensive way. A representative computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) survey with n?=?7,031 was implemented, followed by a computer-assisted web interview (CAWI) survey with n?=?12,365. This way, data was gathered on the number of people spending money on sport and the respective amounts spent, differentiating between 48 sport-related categories of consumption. The results show that—in the realistic scenario—a total sum of 138.6 bn euros were spent, of which 112.6 bn euros were caused by participation and the remaining 26 bn euros alone by the interest in sport. The most relevant categories of participation-based consumption were transportation costs (33.7 bn euros; 30?% of the total), sport-related vacation and training camps (22.4 bn euros; 19.9?%) and shoes and clothing (15.3 bn euros; 13.3?%). The most relevant categories of interest-based sport consumption are entrance fees/tickets (10.4 bn euros; 40?% of the total), catering and accommodation (5.2 bn euros; 20.1?%) and media/information technology/pay TV (4 bn euros; 15.5?%).     

Model-based testing with UML applied to a roaming algorithm for Bluetooth devices

In late 2001,the Object Management Group issued a Request for Proposal to develop a testing profile for UML2.0. In June 2003,the work on the UML 2.0 Testing Profile was finally adopted by the OMG. Since March 2004,it has become an official standard of the OMG. The UML 2.0 Testing Profile provides support for UML based model-driven testing. This paper introduces a methodology on how to use the testing profile in order to modify and extend an existing UML design model for test issues. The application of the methodology will be explained by applying it to an existing UML Model for a Bluetooth device.     

Education in Europe and Muslim Demands for Competitive and Moral Education

While European education systems fundamentally rest on a rather monolithic world-view, some of them are explicitly oriented towards Christianity and others are comparatively secular. Apart from this, they differ in the way that they offer opportunities for Muslim minorities to enjoy a modern and competitive as well as religious-moral education. Principally, there are three approaches. The first allows private Muslim schools which are neither subsidized nor controlled or regulated by the state. Other countries require Muslim schools to apply for approval, and such schools are then subsidized and regulated; but they do not have to teach a national curriculum. In a third group of countries, only schools that teach the national curriculum are permitted, and they are subsidized and controlled by the state. In the latter case, because Islamic matters are not taught in these schools, many Muslim parents send their children to non-formal Qur’anic schools in the evening or during weekends. This study examines some typical arrangements in a number of countries.     

The links between grammar and spelling: A cognitive hurdle in deep orthographies?

A cross-sectional study tested Danish students' mastery of links between grammar and spelling (cf. the English link between past tense verbs and the -ed spelling for a word final /t/, e.g., miss ed vs. mis t). One hundred and forty-two students aged 10–17 spelled pseudo-word items with ambiguous phonemes, where the choice between a 'conditional' spelling (cf. English ed for /t/) and a simple spelling (cf. t for /t/) was predictable from the grammatical context but not from the sound. Overgeneralisations (conditional spellings used where simple spellings were appropriate) were controlled to obtain pure measures of grammatical spelling competence. The oldest group of participants performed near ceiling on four of five spelling problems studied while three younger groups in the experiment never did. The nature of the apparent grammatical hurdle in Danish spelling acquisition is discussed.     

Print exposure across the reading life span

Reading and Writing - Leisure reading is a main contributor to print exposure, which is in turn related to individual differences in reading and language skills. The Author Recognition Test (ART)...