New Media,Micromobilization, and Political Agenda Setting: Crossover Effects in Political Mobilization and Media Usage

In November 2007, Dutch secondary school students revolted against a requirement known as the “1040-hour norm.” New Web technologies, like instant messaging, YouTube, and social networking sites, played an important role in the mobilization effort. In this article, the authors argue that these technologies facilitate a shift toward micromobilization by individuals and small groups. In this “1040-hour norm” case study, the authors analyze how the course of the political agenda-setting process is being transformed through the interplay between processes of meso- and micromobilization, and through new micro-to-mass media crossover effects. When supported by micromedia, the effects of micromobilization can create strategic surprises for traditional intermediary organizations and policymakers.     

A review on the basketball jump shot

The ability to shoot an effective jump shot in the sport of basketball is critical to a player's success. In an attempt to better understand the aspects related to expert performance, researchers have investigated successful free throws and jump shots of various basketball players and identified movement variables that contribute to their success. The purpose of this study was to complete a systematic review of the scientific literature on the basketball free throw and jump shot for the purpose of revealing the critical components of shooting that coaches, teachers, and players should focus on when teaching, learning, practising, and performing a jump shot. The results of this review are presented in three sections: (a) variables that affect ball trajectory, (b) phases of the jump shot, and (c) additional variables that influence shooting.     

Effects of independent word practice with segmented and whole-word sound feedback in disabled readers

Reading-disabled children seem to have considerable difficulties in acquiring phonological recoding skills, which are considered to be very important in becoming a proficient reader. It is hypothesized that speech feedback may support the development of phonological recoding skills. The aim of the present study is to investigate the use of speech feedback during independent word reading and its effects on the remediation of reading skill. Three different conditions for independent practice were employed. For 17 subjects high-quality digitized speech was available on call. When speech feedback was requested either whole-word sound was provided (n = 8) or segmented-word sound was presented (n = 9). A control group (n=14) did not receive speech feedback at all. In a posttest both practised and nonpractised words were presented. Both help call behaviour during practice and changes in reading rate and accuracy from pretest to posttest were analyzed. It was found that speech feedback requests were not dependent on word difficulty. More calls for whole-word sound were made than for segmented-word sound, while latency times for whole-word sound requests were shorter than for segmented-word sound requests. Both forms of speech feedback were equally effective in reading practice words which were initially read incorrectly. However, there was a tendency for the learning effect on nonpractised initially hard-to-read words to be largest when segmented-word sound had been available. It is concluded that, whenever the goal of reading instruction is to memorize particular words, whole-word sound as well as segmented-word sound can be used. However, when more productive skills are aimed at, the most promising way of giving support is to present segmented-word sound, although only a nonsignificant tendency for transfer was found in the present study.     

Prediction of attributional consequences in an actual achievement setting

One hundred ninety-six undergraduates who received feedback on a midterm examination participated in this study. A random subgroup formed a cross-validation sample. Through the use of regression analysis, it was found that both objective and subjective performance ratings did not predict subjects' expectancy ratings but did substantially predict their ratings of pride/shame. Inclusion of attributions enhanced prediction of expectancy but not pride/shame ratings of subjects. On the basis of the findings from this study, a partial reformulation of Weiner's attributional model was proposed. In addition, numerous methodological concerns associated with attributional research were examined.     

STUDENT ASSESSMENT IN MEDICAL EDUCATION: A CANADIAN CASE STUDY

The assessment system of a Canadian medical education program is described. The M.D. Program at McMaster University features the central use of clinical cases as the basis for learning, and the fostering of independence in learning by students. The assessment system, designed to match the objectives and methods of learning, is guided by several principles. These include a balanced emphasis on a range of objectives, the use of on‐going informal feedback, defined and shared responsibilities in assessment, and the design and use of measures which most appropriately match the objectives. More than ten years of experience has pointed out several lessons: if self‐directed learning is held as important, there is a trade‐off between excessively specific objectives, on the one hand, and too little guidance on the other. This attempt to create a balance between these extremes produces a degree of unevenness in the assessment system. External influences such as the national licensing examinations have some effect on the learning climate. It is predicted that the basic elements of the assessment system will remain in place, but some specific changes will occur. These include a clearer statement of objectives on which assessment can be based, the improvement of measurement tools, and an increased emphasis on the training of those who participate in the assessment system.     

Community participation in bureaucratic organizations: Principles and strategies

The present paper points out that there are tasks that primary groups perform better than bureaucracies and those that bureaucracies perform better than primary groups. Both types of tasks are very interdependent so that sometimes primary group tasks must be performed within the boundaries of the bureaucratic organization. The argument is made that when primary groups intervene in bureaucracies, they can do so directly in non-expert tasks without lowering the effectiveness of the bureaucratic organization. When they intervene in expert aspects, they should do so indirectly through an expert advocate. However, in all intervention the primary group must take into account that its structure is contradictory to that of the bureaucracy and, therefore, it must keep as much distance as possible—consistent with its ability to intervene. From this analysis we derive a series of hypotheses suggesting when the community might ideally use the bureaucracy's own experts, when the community must hire its own experts, when the community should use mass media, strikes, indigenous workers, etc. It is suggested that the multitudinous possibilities for linkages can all be derived from a few basic underlying dimensions of the situation.

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Résumé Cet article montre qu'il existe certaines tâches que les groupes primaires accomplissent mieux que les bureaucraties, et certaines autres qu'accomplissent mieux les bureaucraties. Les deux sortes de tâches sont interdépendentes; donc parfois les tâches des groupes primaires doivent s'accomplir parmi les organisations bureaucratiques. Les auteurs soutiennent que les groupes primaires peuvent intervenir dans les bureaucraties en complétant les tâches non-expertes sans réduire l'efficacité de l'organisation bureaucratique. Quands ils participent à certains sujets experts, ils devraient se munir d'un agent expert. Mais dans toute intervention le groupe primaire doit se rendre compte que sa structure contredit celle de la bureaucratie et que, par conséquent, il doit se tenir autant à distance que possible par rapport à sa compétence d'intervention. De cette analyse proviennent des hypothèses qui indiquent quand une communauté peut se servir le mieux du personnel expert d'une bureaucratie, quand la communauté doit engager des experts, quand la communauté doit se servir des mass média, des grèves, des ouvriers indigènes, etc. Les nombreuses possibilités de liaisons proviennent toutes de quelques dimensions fondamentales de la situation.