Correction to: The influence of SES,cognitive, and non-cognitive abilities on grades: cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence from two Swedish cohorts

It is well established that socioeconomic status, cognitive ability, and non-cognitive abilities such as self-efficacy are substantially associated with academic achievement. However, the specific relationships of these variables remain a relatively unexplored topic in regard to more recent and representative samples. The current study examined such relations by taking advantage of two cohorts (total N = 12,315) of Swedish students at the elementary (Grade 6) and lower-secondary school levels (Grade 8) in the compulsory school. The regression models showed that all three variables explained a substantial portion of grade variance, with cognitive ability having the strongest relationship, followed by non-cognitive abilities, and SES. Longitudinal associations, which accounted for previous academic achievement, showed that the three variables did still explain a substantial amount of grade variance.

     

Religious education,communal identity and national politics in the Muslim world

This article discusses models for religious education in school in (parts of) the Muslim world and the implied relation between self and other, confessional and national identity. The question of how current models and discussions respond to globalized issues in education is also discussed. The last part of the article identifies triggering factors behind some recent attempts at establishing more inclusive ways of teaching about religion and ethics in school.     

Challenges of adopting constructive alignment in action learning education

This paper will critically examine how the two influential pedagogical approaches of action-based learning and constructive alignment relate to each other, and how they may differ in focus and basic assumptions. From the outset, they are based on similar underpinnings, with the student and the learning outcomes in the center. Drawing from experiences of developing an action-based master program in management with the integration of constructive alignment in its curriculum, the purpose is to reflect on what difficulties emerge when adopting both perspectives simultaneously. Constructive alignment works under the premises that the learning goals can and should be decided beforehand in order to align them with learning activities and examination forms. This view brings a challenge for programs where the means of the learning process is provided, while it is much up to the students’ own responsibilities to drive the learning toward some self-governing and internalized learning outcomes.     

Foreign direct investment in industrial research and development: A study of German MNCs

This paper reports on the international research and development (R&D) investments of German multinational corporations (MNCs). Based on a detailed empirical survey of laboratory sites established by 49 German MNCs, we examine (i) the level and pace of R&D internationalization, (ii) the motivations and mandates of overseas R&D laboratories, as well as (iii) the strength of the laboratories’ internal and external ties. Participating firms account for about 46% of all German enterprises with international R&D activities and approximately 66% of the nation's privately funded R&D expenditures in 1999. The findings indicate that the timing and organization of German owned overseas R&D investments more closely resemble Japanese or French than US or Swedish firms. Furthermore, in line with prior studies, German MNCs increasingly invest in international R&D for resource as opposed to market-seeking motives. The paper also finds significant differences with regard to the laboratory's mission and its geographical location on one hand, and its internal and external embeddedness, on the other.     

Projects as communicating systems: Creating a culture of innovation and performance

Although often downplayed and instrumental, there is evidence that communication in projects is essential in achieving value creation. Our main interest in this paper is on temporary continuity, a situation where the temporary becomes a permanent condition in social systems. The question that we have address is: What characterizes project communication in a situation with temporary continuity?We argue for the need to transform communication processes into communication capabilities. In a situation with temporary continuity, there is a need to connect to a large number of value-creating processes, and communicating capabilities need to be a part of a communication system, where the aim is to bind together value-creating processes and communication capabilities. We construct a viable system consisting of five sub-systems. To become a viable system, projects in the form of temporary continuity, must handle the potential conflict between a culture of performance and a culture of innovation. This involves developing social mechanisms for coordination and interaction, with a focus on developing communication capabilities, in parallel with focusing on all of the five value-creation processes.     

Die Beweisentwicklungsumgebung W\Omega -Mkrp

Zusammenfassung. Die Beweisentwicklungsumgebung -Mkrpsoll Mathematiker bei einer ihrer Hauptt?tigkeiten, n?mlich dem Beweisen mathematischer Theoreme unterstützen. Diese Unterstützung mu? so komfortabel sein, da? die rechnergestützte Suche nach formalen Beweisen leichter und insbesondere weniger aufwendig ist, als ohne das System. Dazu mu? die verwendete Objektsprache ausdrucksstark sein, man mu? die M?glichkeit haben, abstrakt über Beweispl?ne zu reden, die gefundenen Beweise müssen in einer am Menschen orientierte Form pr?sentiert werden und vor allem mu? eine effiziente Unterstützung beim Füllen von Beweislücken zur Verfügung stehen. Das im folgenden vorgestellte $\Omega$-Mkrp-System ist der Versuch einer Synthese der Ans?tze des vollautomatischen, des interaktiven und des planbasierten Beweisens. Dieser Artikel soll eine übersicht über unsere Arbeit an diesem System geben. Eingegangen am 24. Juni 1994 / Angenommen am 3. November 1995     

An analysis of visual oddity concept learning in a California sea lion (Zalophus californianus)

We tested a California sea lion for visual oddity learning by presenting problems composed of three two-dimensional black-and-white stimuli, two identical (S−) and one different (S+). In the first experimental stage, a single problem per session was presented until learning criterion was reached. In the second experimental stage, all problems were presented only five times in succession; then a new problem was introduced (six problems/session). In the third experimental stage, each problem was presented only once. The sea lion mastered all stages of oddity learning. A final transfer test with oddity problems composed of completely new stimuli yielded performance significantly above chance. Data analyses suggested learning of specific stimulus properties in the first stage, learning set formation in the second stage, but oddity conceptualization in the third stage.     

Changes in organising and managing research in universities: Reconstruction or rediscovery

Abstract

The ways in which research production is organised in contemporary universities are different both from the often commonly expressed view of the individual researcher discovering new knowledge working alone, and from the traditional professor‐assistants organisation as the basic research production unit. This article presents ‐ on the basis of an empirical study of social science research organising in four different universities ‐ a number of characteristics of how basic research organisation takes place. The most are described common features of such organisation models described. The factors constructing new more dynamic and integrated models in practice are analysed. And the demands for efficient university governance structures, to ensure the development of basic organisations which can produce short‐ and long‐term high quality and successful research, are discussed.