An Historical Phenomenology of Mean and Median

Using Freudenthal’s method of historical phenomenology, the history of statistics was investigated as a source of inspiration for instructional design. Based on systematically selected historical examples, hypotheses were formulated about how students could be supported in learning to reason with particular statistical concepts and graphs. Such a historical study helped to distinguish different aspects and levels of understanding of concepts and helped us as instructional designers to look through the eyes of students. In this paper, we focus on an historical phenomenology of mean and median, and give examples of how hypotheses stemming from the historical phenomenology led to the design of instructional activities used for teaching experiments in grades 7 and 8 (12–14-years old).     

Retracted publications in pharmacy systematic reviews

Objective:Systematic reviews and other evidence syntheses, the pinnacle of the evidence pyramid, embody comprehensiveness and rigor; however, retracted data are being incorporated into these publications. This study examines the use of retracted publications in the field of pharmacy, describes characteristics of retracted publications cited by systematic reviews, and discusses factors associated with citation likelihood.Methods:Using data from Retraction Watch, we identified retracted publications in the pharmacy field. We identified all articles citing these retracted publications in Web of Science and Scopus and limited results to systematic reviews. We classified the retraction reason, determined whether the citation occurred before or after retraction, and analyzed factors associated with the likelihood of systematic reviews citing a retracted publication.Results:Of 1,396 retracted publications, 283 were cited 1,096 times in systematic reviews. Most (65.0%) (712/1096) citations occurred before retraction. Citations were most often to items retracted due to data falsification or manipulation (39.2%), followed by items retracted due to ethical misconduct including plagiarism (30.4%), or concerns about or errors in data or methods (26.2%). Compared to those not cited in systematic reviews, cited items were significantly more likely to be retracted due to data falsification and manipulation, were published in high impact factor journals, and had longer delays between publication and retraction.Conclusions:Further analysis of systematic reviews citing retracted publications is needed to determine the impact of flawed data. Librarians understand the nuances involved and can advocate for greater transparency around the retraction process and increase awareness of challenges posed by retractions.     

A description model of the genesis of guidance and its application

Based on a review of literature, developments in guidance and counseling (further: guidance) in Dutch general secondary education are described with a three phase model, originating from an analysis of the developmental histories of guidance in the United States, Great-Britain, and West-Germany. This article begins with the clarification of the developmental model. Before this is applied to the Dutch situation, some basic information about secondary (general)eduction in the Netherlands is supplied. Besides offering an overview of developments, an attempt is made to assess some of the more recent characteristics and developments of guidance in Holland.     

Filtering Data for Detecting Differential Development

The amount of data available in the context of educational measurement has vastly increased in recent years. Such data are often incomplete, involve tests administered at different time points and during the course of many years, and can therefore be quite challenging to model. In addition, intermediate results like grades or report cards being available to pupils, teachers, parents, and policy makers might influence future performance, which adds to the modeling difficulties. We propose the use of simple data filters to obtain a reduced set of relevant data, which allows for simple checks on the relative development of persons, items, or both.     

Writing reviews: perspectives from the editors of Educational Studies in Mathematics

Educational Studies in Mathematics -     

Changes in the perception of action possibilities while climbing to fatigue on a climbing wall

In two experiments we examined changes in the perception of action possibilities as a function of exertion. In Experiment 1, participants repeatedly climbed on a climbing wall in a series of trials that progressively increased in number to 10 trials, resulting in increased exertion. Before and during climbing, the participants judged their maximum reaching height and perceived exertion. On a separate day, participants climbed another 10 trials while performing actual maximum reaches. Higher perceived exertion was associated with decreases in perceived maximum reach while the actual reaches did not decrease. However, the perceptual changes occurred early during task execution when the participants were not yet fatigued. When exertion set in, neither perceived nor actual maximum reaching appeared to be affected. In Experiment 2, we included exhaustion trials. The findings replicated the early changes in perception observed in Experiment 1, which may be explained by hands-on experience with the task. Furthermore, while climbing to exhaustion, perceptual judgements largely changed in keeping with changes in the actual maximum reach. Thus, there appeared to be a functional relationship between participants' actual action capabilities, rather than their state of physical fatigue per se, and perceived action possibilities.     

Economic Growth and Advertising Expenditures in Different Media in Different Countries

Newspaper advertising expenditures depend more strongly on economic development than advertising spent in other media. Gross domestic product (GDP), therefore, predicts ad spending better in countries where newspapers are an important advertising medium. GDP also predicts ad spending better in countries where a larger proportion of GDP is spent on advertising. Intermedia competition, on the other hand, has little impact. In conclusion, the authors propose to distinguish three advertising cultures where ad spending follows economic development in different ways.     

Rigor and reproducibility instruction in academic medical libraries

Background:Concerns over scientific reproducibility have grown in recent years, leading the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to require researchers to address these issues in research grant applications. Starting in 2020, training grants were required to provide a plan for educating trainees in rigor and reproducibility. Academic medical centers have responded with different solutions to fill this educational need. As experienced instructors with expertise in topics relating to reproducibility, librarians can play a prominent role in providing trainings, classes, and events to educate investigators and trainees, and bolstering reproducibility in their communities.Case Presentations:This special report summarizes efforts at five institutions to provide education in reproducibility to biomedical and life sciences researchers. Our goal is to expand awareness of the range of approaches in providing reproducibility services in libraries.Conclusions:Reproducibility education by medical librarians can take many forms. These specific programs in reproducibility education build upon libraries'' existing collaborations, with funder mandates providing a major impetus. Collaborator needs shaped the exact type of educational or other reproducibility support and combined with each library''s strengths to yield a diversity of offerings based on capacity and interest. As demand for and complexity of reproducibility education increases due to new institutional and funder mandates, reproducibility education will merit special attention.