Avoiding the perils and fulfilling the promises of microfinance: A closer examination of the educational outcomes of clients’ children in Nicaragua

Many microfinance advocates claim that micro-credit has a positive effect on the educational outcomes of the children of micro-credit borrowers, and that these educational improvements provide us with evidence that micro-credit institutions are serving the social function for which they have been designed. This paper draws attention to this area of microfinance-impact research, and explores the promises and perils associated with the impact of microfinance on children's educational outcomes. The goal of this discussion is to ensure that the pervasive spread of microfinance to all parts of the globe is accompanied by benefits to children's educational outcomes. Drawing on the research we conducted in Nicaragua in 2008, we, the joint authors of this paper share insights that we hope can help to upgrade the practices currently being employed by both microfinancers and children's educational institutions, and to thereby strengthen academic-credit linkages within client households.     

自主创新政策与机制——来自中国四个产业的实证

鉴于主流理论不能很好地解释中国产业规模大但创新能力低的现象,以及国内学术界对创新政策与机制缺乏整合研究的缺陷,本文基于产业创新系统视角,以建立理论为目标的案例研究方法,辅助以数理统计分析方法,建立自主创新政策与机制理论框架;选择中国汽车、家电、航天和计算机为案例研究产业,进行大样本数据调研,对所提出假设进行检验。研究发现:创新政策对创新有正向作用,其中政府采购政策的正向作用最大;创新政策对创新机制有正向作用,对激励机制的作用比对运行机制的作用更为显著;创新机制对创新有正向作用,且激励机制的作用大于运行机制,而物质激励大于非物质激励。     

Never Again: The Impact of Learning About the Holocaust on Civic Outcomes

Abstract

Preparing students to be effective citizens is a longstanding goal of public education. Historical content provides illustrative opportunities for civic learning. Teaching about the Holocaust exemplifies this approach. Employing an experimental research design with 865 secondary school students, we analyze effects on civic outcomes from learning about the Holocaust through a school-sponsored trip to a Holocaust museum. We find that lessons about the Holocaust increase students’ support for civil liberties and deepen historical content knowledge, but decrease religious tolerance. High school students and those from college-educated households drive increases in support for civil liberties, and these students are more likely to donate to human rights causes as a result of the intervention. Middle school students and those from less-educated households drive the negative religious tolerance effect. These findings suggest that history lessons can produce meaningful impacts on civic educational outcomes. However, a stronger educational foundation that comes with engaging with challenging political issues may be a vital prerequisite to avoid undesirable consequences.     

How Prepared Are Preservice Teachers to Teach Scientific Inquiry? Levels of Performance in Scientific Representation Practices

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Inconsistency of decision-making,the Achilles heel of referees

This study assessed whether decisions made by six qualified referees were consistent when watching the live 2016 televised Champions League Final. Referees were paired off into three separate rooms. Two referees watched the game with no supporters present. Two watched the game surrounded by Real Madrid supporters, and the remaining two watched the game surrounded by Athletic Madrid supporters. Referees were asked to decide whether each decision made by the on-field referee was either correct or incorrect. Results identified two types of refereeing inconsistency. The first type was a systematic tendency of the supporting crowds (both rooms) to influence the adjudicating referees to make fewer incorrect (disagree with the on-field referee) decisions (8 and 5) than referees in the “no supporters” room (19) (χ² = 11.22 [df = 2], P = 0.004). The second type of inconsistency was the home advantage “bias”, where the surrounding crowd influenced the adjudicating referees to favour their team, by disagreeing with the decision made by the on-field referee (χ² = 6.0 [df = 2], P = 0.0498). One explanation for these inconsistencies is that referees adopt a coping strategy of “avoidance”, i.e., when faced with difficult decisions, referees simply avoid making unpopular decisions by waving “play on”.     

An investigation of a novel three-dimensional activity monitor to predict free-living energy expenditure

The aim of this study was to assess the capability of the 3dNX accelerometer to predict energy expenditure in two separate, free-living cohorts. Twenty-three adolescents and 14 young adults took a single dose of doubly labelled water and wore a 3dNX activity monitor during waking hours for a 10-day period while carrying out their normal routines. Multiple linear regression with backward elimination was used to establish the strength of the associations between various indices of energy expenditure, physical activity counts, and anthropometric variables. 3dNX output accounted for 27% and 35% of the variance in the total energy expenditure of the adolescent and young adult cohort, respectively. The explained variance increased to 78%, with a standard error of estimate of 7%, when 3dNX output was combined with body composition variables. The 3dNX accelerometer can be used to predict free-living daily energy expenditure with a standard error of estimate of 1.65 MJ in adolescents and 1.52 MJ in young adults. The inclusion of anthropometric variables reduces the error to approximately 1 MJ. Although it remains to cross-validate these models in other populations, early indications suggest that the 3dNX provides a useful method of predicting energy expenditure in free-living individuals.     

Learning difficulties related to graphing: A hermeneutic phenomenological perspective

In this paper, we illustrate the use of auto/biographical materials as part of a research process concerned with problematic aspects of learning science. Drawing on an extended study of graphing among university students and research scientists, and on the auto/biographical of and interview data with one of the authors, we point out some of the sources of difficulties of coming to understand graphs and graphing.     

新媒体环境下短视频对大学生消费行为影响的实证研究

研究新媒体下短视频对大学生消费行为的影响机制,对大学生借助短视频平台理性购物具有一定的意义。以在校大学生为研究对象,通过“滚雪球”方式进行问卷调研,了解大学生消费行为的影响效应。结果表明:大学生的月消费支出、短视频的体验、商品属性对消费意愿呈显著正相关,消费意愿对消费行为呈显著正相关影响。因此,应在大学生中倡导加强自我管理、合理消费和理性消费,同时对短视频平台规范管理。     

Cultivating Native American scientists: an application of an Indigenous model to an undergraduate research experience

Cultural Studies of Science Education - With growing evidence demonstrating the impact of undergraduate research experiences on educational persistence, efforts are currently being made to expand...     

Up,close and personal: teachers' responses to an individualised professional learning opportunity

This paper provides an account of professional learning in action through documenting the experiences of three upper primary teachers as they engaged in reflection-on-action with the assistance of an academic mentor. Video-stimulated recall was used as a mechanism to encourage productive reflective practice, using video footage of each teacher's numeracy lessons. The results indicated that although it was a powerful medium for stimulating reflection, and the teachers indicated that it was a beneficial process, there was limited evidence to suggest that it resulted in substantial changes to their practices. Reasons for this are hypothesised and recommendations made for personalising professional learning to cater for the needs and context of individual teachers.