Stability of three‐wave simplex estimates of reliability

In this article 2 major problems of using the three‐wave quasi simplex model to obtain reliability estimates are illustrated. The 1st problem is that the sampling variance of the reliability estimates can be very large, especially if the stability through time is low. The 2nd problem is that, for the reliability parameter to be identified, the model assumes a particular change process, namely a Markov process. We show that minor violations of this assumption can lead to a large bias in the reliability estimates. The problems are evaluated using both real and Monte Carlo data. A model with repeated measurements in 1 of the waves is also discussed.     

Enacting policy: the capacity of school leaders to support early career teachers through policy work

Early career teachers often feel overwhelmed by the complex, intense and unpredictable nature of their work. Recently, policy initiatives have been introduced to provide new teachers with extra release-time from face-to-face classroom teaching duties to assist them in their transition to the workforce. This paper reports on a critical policy study that investigated the enactment of this policy initiative. A data set was created from a larger qualitative study which investigated early career teacher resilience. Drawing on a policy enactment theoretical ‘toolbox’, the findings indicate that school leaders can empower early career teachers to move beyond being ‘receivers’ of policy to assume a more active policy role. This paper argues that school leaders are very powerful in their capacity to enact policy to ensure strategic access to appropriate on-going learning opportunities to support early career teachers.     

Top contributors to the school psychology literature: 1996–2005

An erratum has been published for this article in Psychology in the Schools 43(7) 2006, iii‐vi. [ ]. S.G. Little (1997) reported the top contributors to the school psychology literature from 1987 to 1995. The present study represents a follow‐up by examining the top contributors from 1996 to 2005. Similar to Little, a list of the top 50 contributors was developed using a point system that assigned more credit based on fewer coauthors and higher authorship placement. Expanding upon the Little study, we also computed a list of the top 50 contributors in terms of number of articles authored, thus facilitating a comparison of the two methods. Melissa Bray ranked first on both lists. The top 10 authors in terms of articles also were ranked in the top 13 in terms of points. Thus, for the most productive authors, choice of criteria for ranking does not appear important; however, in terms of encouraging versus discouraging collaboration among researchers, criteria choice may be important. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 737–743, 2006.     

Perceptions of Learning: Interviews with First and Second Graders in a Hungarian Primary School

The paper discusses children’ attitudes towards school and learning soon after entering primary school in Hungary. First and second grade primary school students (N?=?33) were interviewed. The interviews explored the following questions: What are the teachers’ and the children’s roles in the classroom? What is learning? Where do children learn? What kind of learning strategies do students use in arithmetic and reading? How are students evaluated in the school? What do students like best about school? The data suggest that the children quickly adapt to the school environment and, on the whole, have a positive attitude towards school and learning but—with a few exceptions—their views on the role of schooling in life reflect traditional, school subject centred goals and values and little awareness of the learning process.     

Spelling errors as a window on variations in phonological deficits among students with dyslexia

Characteristics of spelling development and spelling error patterns were examined in 100 schoolchildren (aged 7 to 15 years) previously identified as dyslexic with specific phonological weaknesses. Within a severely restricted range, spelling development generally followed a normal course despite wide individual variation. The group was divided using two different spelling criteria: (1) global spelling stage, and (2) a split based on the number of spelling confusions involving phonetically similar consonants. Comparisons using either criterion led to the conclusion that better spellers are also better readers and are more skilled in phoneme manipulation. Regression analyses suggested that measures of phonemic segmenting and manipulation make independent contributions to the acquisition of word reading. Phoneme segmenting explained significant variance only when students were subdivided according to errors in coding confusable consonants. Implications for instruction are considered.     

Novel method of generating water-in-oil(W∕O) droplets in a microchannel with grooved walls

We present a novel method of generating and retrieving droplets stored in microfluidic grooves or cavity structures. First we designed and fabricated polydimethylsiloxane microchannels with grooves on the walls and then produced a two-phase flow of oil and aqueous phases to form aqueous phase droplets in an oil state. We propose the following three mechanisms of droplet generation: the contact line on the groove wall continues moving along the wall and descends to the bottom of the cavity, confining the aqueous phase in the cavity; once the interface between the oil and aqueous phases moves into the cavity, the interface contacts the top of the neighboring groove; and a spherical droplet forms at the corner in the cavity due to surface tension. The viscosity of the oil phase and the surface tension of the interface determine whether a droplet can be generated. Then, we could adjust the velocity of the interface and the aspect ratio of the cavity to achieve the optimal conditions for generating the single droplet. We observed that the largest droplet is stably generated without a daughter droplet at typical values of free-stream velocity (10 μl∕min) and groove pitch 110 μm for all three cases with different oil phases (20, 50, and 84 cP). This technique is expected to serve as a platform for droplet-based reaction systems, particularly with regard to monitoring cell behavior, in vitro expression, and possibly even micropolymerase chain reaction chambers.     

Adverse Consequences of School Mobility for Children in Foster Care: A Prospective Longitudinal Study

Few prospective studies have examined school mobility in children in foster care. This study described the school moves of 86 such children and 55 community comparison children (primarily Caucasian), living in a medium‐sized metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest who were approximately 3 to 6 years old at the study start. Additionally, the effects of moves from kindergarten through Grade 2 on academic and socioemotional competence in Grades 3 through 5 were examined. A greater number of early school moves was associated with poorer later socoemotional competence and partially mediated the effects of maltreatment and out‐of‐home placement on socioemotional competence. This was the case only for children with poorer early learning skills in kindergarten. Implications for preventive intervention are discussed.     

A mixed methods approach to electronic word-of-mouth in the open-market context

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) has been identified as a key factor affecting online sales. However, the factors leading to eWOM in the open-market context are not fully understood. Since many Internet vendors have adopted the open-market business model, it is essential to understand the factors for eWOM leading to the success of open-market business. This study investigates factors affecting eWOM in the open-market context based on a sequential combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The exploratory findings in the qualitative study form the basis for the quantitative study survey research. The findings from this mixed methods study indicate the significance of three new factors (information-sharing desire, self-presentation desire, and open-market reward) and two established factors (open-market satisfaction and open-market loyalty) affecting eWOM directly and indirectly. This study makes a useful contribution to the broader literature on eWOM. These findings also inform open-market providers as to how to promote and manage eWOM for online business success.     

Innovation,growth and the transition to net-zero emissions

The climate crisis and the global economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis occur against a background of slowing growth and widening inequalities, which together imply an urgent need for a new environmentally sustainable and inclusive approach to growth. Investments in “clean” innovation and its diffusion are key to shaping this, accompanied by investments in complementary assets including sustainable infrastructure, and human, natural and social capital which will not only help achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, but will also improve productivity, living standards and the prospects of individuals. In this article, we draw on the theoretical and empirical evidence on the opportunities, drivers and policies for innovation-led sustainable growth. We highlight the importance of a coordinated set of long-term policies and institutions that can enable and foster private sector investments in clean innovation and assets quickly and at scale. In doing so, we draw inspiration from Chris Freeman's work on the system-wide drivers of innovation, and his early vision of achieving environmental sustainability by reorienting growth.