Does the relationship between student ratings of course easiness and course quality vary across schools? The role of school academic rankings

Student ratings of teaching effectiveness are widely used to make judgments of faculty teaching performance. Research, however, has found that such ratings may not be accurate indicators of teaching performance because they are contaminated by course easiness. Using student ratings of 9855 professors employed at 79 different colleges and universities, the author hypothesized and found that the relationship between perceived course easiness and perceived course quality was moderated by school academic rankings. More specifically, easiness ratings were more strongly correlated with quality ratings among low‐ranked schools than among high‐ranked schools. Furthermore, the easiness–quality relationship was slightly stronger among public schools than among private schools. The article concludes by discussing the practical implications of these findings.     

Who Gets Vocal About Hyperlocal

This study examined the characteristics of readers who share hyperlocal news in person, over email, and through social media. A reader survey of 10 hyperlocal news websites that operate in a variety of communities in the United States was conducted (n?=?2289). More readers indicated sharing hyperlocal news in person than through email or social media. Higher neighborhood involvement and higher education tended to characterize readers who shared hyperlocal news via each of the three channels. Education moderated the association between neighborhood involvement and sharing news in person and via social media. These results suggested that highly involved readers with little education used social media more than their highly educated neighbors to share news from hyperlocal websites. The study extends the precepts of channel complementarity theory into the domain of online news sharing.     

Experimental measurement of the quantum geometric tensor using coupled qubits in diamond

Geometry and topology are fundamental concepts, which underlie a wide range of fascinating physical phenomena such as topological states of matter and topological defects. In quantum mechanics, the geometry of quantum states is fully captured by the quantum geometric tensor. Using a qubit formed by an NV center in diamond, we perform the first experimental measurement of the complete quantum geometric tensor. Our approach builds on a strong connection between coherent Rabi oscillations upon parametric modulations and the quantum geometry of the underlying states. We then apply our method to a system of two interacting qubits, by exploiting the coupling between the NV center spin and a neighboring ¹³C nuclear spin. Our results establish coherent dynamical responses as a versatile probe for quantum geometry, and they pave the way for the detection of novel topological phenomena in solid state.     

Effect of string bed pattern on ball spin generation from a tennis racket

Topspin has become a vital component of modern day tennis. Ball-to-string bed and inter-string friction coefficients can affect topspin generation from a racket. The aim of this research was to determine the effect of string bed pattern on topspin generation. Tennis balls were projected onto nine head-clamped rackets with different string bed patterns. The balls were fired at 24 m/s, at an angle of 26° to the string bed normal with a backspin rate of 218 rad/s and outbound velocity, spin and angle were measured. Outbound velocity was shown to be independent of string bed pattern. Outbound angle increased with the number of cross strings, while outbound topspin decreased. In the most extreme case, decreasing the number of cross strings from 19 to 13 increased rebound topspin from 117 to 170 rad/s.     

Just how much multitasking can students handle during lecture? Effects of question frequency and relevancy,and note taking on retention

Educational technology research and development - Classroom response systems (i.e., clickers) have become increasingly popular to facilitate student learning. Unfortunately, the common practice of...     

The story of ESM

This paper looks at the origins of the international journal Educational Studies in Mathematics (ESM) in 1968 and traces its later development as it responded to changes in mathematics education. The paper first examines, in chronological order, the contributions of its editors in defining its spirit, policy and procedures, as they directed its growth and its transformation into a leading journal of research in mathematics education. The paper then presents a statistical profile of ESM articles by content area, educational issue, level of schooling and research method, and goes on to look more closely at the special issues of ESM, each dedicated to a single topic, and how they reflect the changing concerns of mathematics educators. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Estimates of young children's time with television: a methodological comparison of parent reports with time-lapse video home observation

Accurate information on behavior of young children at home is crucial to the study of child development. The present study compared parent diaries of 5-year-old children's time spent with television to concurrent automated time-lapse video observations. In addition, a number of control groups were employed to assess the effects of observational equipment in the homes. The sample consisted of 334 mostly white middle-class families, of whom 106 had observational equipment installed. Results indicated no systematic subject selection of families who were willing to have observational equipment as compared to the controls. In addition, there were no differences in reported viewing behavior between the observed families and controls. Of 3 types of parent estimates of 5-year-old TV viewing, concurrent diaries correlated best with video observation (r = .84) and produced a very small absolute mean time error. Direct parent estimates of typical time spent viewing produced smaller correlations and large overestimates as compared with diaries.     

Being Alone, Playing Alone, and Acting Alone: Distinguishing among Reticence and Passive and Active Solitude in Young Children

3 forms of solitude were studied in young children—reticence (onlooker and unoccupied behavior), solitary-passive behavior (solitary-constructive and -exploratory play), and solitary-active behavior (solitary-functional and -dramatic play). 48 4-year-old children grouped in quartets of same-sex unfamiliar peers were observed in several situations. Mothers completed the Colorado Temperament Inventory. Results indicated that (1) solitary-passive, solitary-active, and reticent behaviors were nonsignificantly intercorrelated; (2) reticence was stable and associated with the demonstration of anxiety and hovering near others, whereas solitary-passive and solitary-active play were stable yet unrelated to anxiety and hovering; (3) reticence during free play was generally associated with poor performance and displays of wariness in several other social situations, while solitary-passive and -active play were not; (4) reticence was associated with maternal ratings of child shyness, while solitary-active behavior was associated with maternal ratings of impulsivity. Results are discussed in terms of the underlying mechanisms associated with reticence and passive and active withdrawal.     

Frontal Activation Asymmetry and Social Competence at Four Years of Age

The pattern of frontal activation as measured by the ongoing electroencephalogram (EEG) may be a marker for individual differences in infant and adult disposition to respond with either positive or negative affect. We studied 48 4-year-old children who were first observed in same-sex quartets during free-play sessions, while making speeches, and during a ticket-sorting task. Social and interactive behaviors were coded from these sessions. Each child was subsequently seen 2 weeks later when EEG was recorded while the child attended to a visual stimulus. The pattern of EEG activation computed from the session was significantly related to the child's behavior in the quartet session. Children who displayed social competence (high degree of social initiations and positive affect) exhibited greater relative left frontal activation, while children who displayed social withdrawal (isolated, onlooking, and unoccupied behavior) during the play session exhibited greater relative right frontal activation. Differences among children in frontal asymmetry were a function of power in the left frontal region. These EEG/behavior findings suggest that resting frontal asymmetry may be a marker for certain temperamental dispositions.