Coordinating market and evaluation research on the Admissions rating process

A research program is suggested that integrates Admissions procedures and methods of statistical analysis to study the first stage of the Admissions selection process: the rating of applicants. To form the base for evaluation research, a systematic procedure is described that provides an index of applicant quality in the light of institutional goals. Then the rating process itself is explored using a Path Model to measure the contributions of background and achieved characteristics of applicants to their rating. How questions of bias may be raised and pursued is discussed. Applicants are profiled in segments to show how the effects of policy adjustments may be monitored. For doing marketing research, quality-by-enrollment status segments are defined. Using factor analysis models, an analysis of image variance is applied. Next, a discriminant analysis is used to isolate those institutional attributes that most influence higher quality applicants to enroll. Some specifics of a differentiated policy are given in examples. Implications of this integrated approach are discussed.Presented at the Twentieth Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Atlanta, May 1980.     

Packing and film thickness theories for the mix design of high-performance concrete

A high-performance concrete (HPC) is required to have superior performance in various aspects such as workability, strength, durability, dimensional stability, segregation stability, and passing ability. The mix design of HPC is rather complicated because the number of ingredients in HPC is usually more than those in conventional concrete and some of the required properties are conflicting with each other in the sense that improvement in one property would at the same time cause impairment of another property. However, there is still lack of understanding regarding how the various mix parameters should be optimised for achieving best overall performance. Most practitioners are still conducting mix design primarily through trial concrete mixing, which is laborious, ineffective, and often unable to timely respond to fluctuations in the properties of raw materials. To address these issues, the authors have been developing the packing and film thickness theories of concrete materials, in order to revamp the mix design philosophy of HPC in terms of the water film thickness (WFT), paste film thickness (PFT), and mortar film thickness (MFT) in the concrete. Based on the findings from an extensive experimental programme, suitable ranges of WFT, PFT, and MFT have been recommended.     

Educational inclusion in Singapore for children with physical disabilities

Under Singapore’s inclusive education policy, children with mild physical disabilities are integrated into mainstream schools. There is currently no known published research yet in Singapore on the outcomes of inclusion for children with physical disabilities. Internationally, recent research had compared the school experience of children with physical disabilities to that of their typically developing peers. This study examined the social and academic impact of educational inclusion for children with physical disabilities. It investigated how their participation in school activities, academic performance, self-esteem, peer relationships, and social/emotional development compared to that of typically developing schoolmates. A total of 60 clients (n = 30 with physical disability; n = 30 typically developing students; age range = 8 to 16 years) in a local primary and secondary regular school participated in the study. The children with physical disabilities met academic expectations in school and had comparable levels of self-esteem, but experienced peer problems and participated less in school activities. Understanding children’s overall school experience is critical to becoming an inclusive society that enables children with a range of disabilities to benefit academically and socially. Implications for practice and future research were discussed.     

用矩阵近似分解方法求解第二类积分方程

基于区域分解和多项式插值，对积分算子进行离散，得到高精确度的近似离散矩阵．这一方法适应于核函数为光滑、振动较小、只有有限弱奇点的情形．如果采用ｎ个离散点，近似矩阵可以经过Ｏ（ｎ）次计算得到，存储也只要Ｏ（ｎ）．矩阵－向量相乘的计算量为Ｏ（ｎｌｏｇｎ）．所以，此方法特别适合共轭梯度类型算法     

Middle leadership in international schools: evidence from Malaysia

This paper examines middle leadership of the heads of English, maths and science departments in four international secondary schools in Malaysia. It focuses on their roles, responsibilities, role relationships, instructional engagement and leadership involvement within the theoretical framework of instructional, distributed and teacher leadership. The study is a qualitative multi-method case study, involving observation, documentary analysis, and semi-structured interviews with 12 heads of department, 36 teachers, and four principals. With respect to the middle leaders’ roles and responsibilities, the findings illustrate cross-school and in-school differential developments, with contextual factors contributing to uneasy role relationships. The results also show that, while broad-based leadership opportunities are limited for the middle leaders and teachers, the most powerful and common feature of all these international schools is the centrality of teaching and learning.     

Affective Outcomes of Cooperative Learning in Social Studies

This paper reports an experimental study involving the use of cooperative learning in a social studies classroom. The outcome variables discussed in the paper are pupil self-esteem and classroom climate. Over the period of the study, cooperative learning did not significantly improve the self-esteem of the pupils. However, pupils in the experimental group who were taught through the cooperative learning approach perceived classwork to be less difficult than the control pupils who worked individually. The control pupils also reported a decline in satisfaction with classwork and perceived more friction in their class. Interviews with the teacher and pupils showed favourable attitudes toward cooperative learning.     

Children's achievement moderates the effects of mothers' use of control and autonomy support

Two studies investigated the effects of parents' control and autonomy support on low- and high-achieving children. In Study 1, mothers' (N=110) involvement with children (7 to 10 years old) in the context of a challenging task was observed. During this interaction, mothers' control predicted diminished engagement and their autonomy support predicted enhanced performance for low-achieving children more than for high-achieving children. In Study 2, mothers' (N=121) responses to children's (9 to 12 years old) failure were assessed with a daily checklist. Children's grades were obtained at this time and 6 months later. Mothers' controlling responses predicted decreased performance and their autonomy-supportive responses predicted increased performance over time for low achievers more than for high achievers.     

Evaluating interactivity and learning in computer conferencing using content analysis techniques

This paper outlines the application of a particular model of content analysis to the evaluation of an online discussion group. A set of online discussion data from a group of students enrolled in an educational management course offered by the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) was examined. The provision of the online discussion facility for this group of students was mainly for enrichment purposes and their participation was completely voluntary. Overall, the analysis confirmed the usefulness of Henri’s model in examining the interaction and learning processes in an online forum. It also provided insights towards increased understanding of the complex processes and methodological considerations involved in analysing online conferences.     

PANdora’s box: distance learning technologies in Asia

This article provides an international perspective on learning technology developments, with emphasis on the special challenges of designing distance learning technologies (DLT) in the developing countries of Asia. A commentary on the current achievements and problems of DLT designers is provided, based on the authors’ recent study tour of distance education (DE) initiatives in 11 Asian countries: Bhutan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The authors compare these initiatives with others they observed in their previous visits to DE institutions in North America and Europe, China and Japan. The prospects for collaboration among DLT projects and research initiatives are discussed and the emergence of a ‘Pandora’s box’ of educational possibilities is described—innovative, economical, and occasionally troubling in the challenges it provides to accepted DE practice.     

Shifting the focus from motivated learners to motivating distributed environments: a review of 40 years of published motivation research in Distance Education

ABSTRACT

This article reviews motivation research published in Distance Education since 1980, highlighting the major foci of investigation and reflecting on past findings. A major trend was that past research has focused predominantly on learners’ motivational attributes using sociocognitive models of motivation. We therefore have developed a good understanding of motivating variables such as self-efficacy and their power in engaging learners. However, this can be problematic because sociocognitive research situates motivation within an individualistic paradigm with limited attention given to examining whether learning supports and instructional designs in open and distance learning mediate and motivate learning engagement. Building on the review, this article seeks to shift the research attention from whether learners are motivated to crafting an open and distance learning system that is motivating and engaging by tapping into multiple motivation sources available beyond the confines of an individualistic frame.