The challenges of internationalization from foreign and local students’ perspectives: The case of management school

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to discern the issues pertaining to different dimensions of internationalization from the perspectives of both foreign and local students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 foreign, and 13 local students. The results show that there is a dissonance between policy makers and implementers, and the students themselves on “what a truly international higher education organization” in fact is. Moreover, the results suggest that asymmetrical aims of local and foreign students endanger fulfillment of the academic, social, and cultural rationales behind internationalization. Fulfilling the rationales of internationalization depends not only the adaptability of foreign students to local conditions but also on the priorities, choices and level of commitment of local students, administrative staff, and faculty members to the imperatives of internationalization.     

Expanding doctoral education in South Africa: pipeline or pipedream?

The purpose of this paper is to discuss both the status of the PhD in South Africa and the feasibility of the country's aspiration to increase by fivefold the production of PhDs by 2025. Based on the first empirical studies on doctoral education in South Africa, it argues that in order to move towards this target, an expanded and coordinated effort is necessary. This includes the removal of barriers that hinder the expansion of the South African higher education system. In particular the paper highlights insufficient funding, policy that stands in the way of expansion, scarcity of students, limited supervisory capacity and lack of recognition of the value of the doctorate and higher learning, as well as limited and inadequate partnerships. The main question is whether South Africa can achieve the desired outcome by following international trends or whether the expansion target is merely a pipedream.     

The Professional Development Needs Analysis Questionnaire for Deputy Principals

This article reports on the design of the Professional Development Needs Analysis Questionnaire for Deputy Principals (PDNAQ) to measure the problems they experienced and the skills they needed. In the literature, no validated questionnaire to measure the problems experienced and skills needed by deputy principals in South African schools was found. One hundred and fifty-seven deputy principals in secondary schools in the North-West Province of South Africa participated in the study. Both confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were used to determine the construct validity of the PDNAQ. Fifteen problems and four skills constructs emerged. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were calculated to determine the reliability of the questionnaire. The article concludes that the PDNAQ may be used in similar contexts to determine the problems experienced and skills needed for the professional development of newly-appointed deputy principals.     

Five Methods to Score the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation Checklist and to Examine Group Differences

This study compared 5 scoring methods in terms of their statistical assumptions. They were then used to score the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation Checklist, a measure consisting of 3 subscales and 21 Likert-type items. The 5 methods used were (a) sum/average scores of items, (b) latent factor scores with continuous indicators, (c) latent factor scores with ordered categorical indicators using the mean- and variance-adjusted weighted least squares estimation method, (d) latent factor scores with ordered categorical indicators using the full information maximum likelihood estimation method, and (e) multidimensional graded response model using the Bock-Aitkin expectation-maximization estimation procedure. Measurement invariance between gender groups and between free/reduced-price lunch status groups was evaluated with the second, third, fourth, and fifth methods. Group mean differences based on the 5 methods were calculated and compared.     

Highly accurate deterministic lateral displacement device and its application to purification of fungal spores

We have designed, built, and evaluated a microfluidic device that uses deterministic lateral displacement for size-based separation. The device achieves almost 100% purity and recovery in continuously sorting two, four, and six micrometer microspheres. We have applied this highly efficient device to the purification of fungal (Aspergillus) spores that are spherical (∼4 μm diameter) with a narrow size distribution. Such separation directly from culture using unfiltered A. niger suspensions is difficult due to a high level of debris. The device produces a two to three increase in the ratio of spores to debris as measured by light scatter in a flow cytometer. The procedure is feasible at densities up to 4.4×10⁶ spores∕ml. This is one of the first studies to apply microfluidic techniques to spore separations and has demonstrated that a passive separation system could significantly reduce the amount of debris in a suspension of fungal spores with virtually no loss of spore material.     

Acalculous gallbladder distension in a young child due to HAV infection: Diagnostic dilemma

Gall bladder distension with acute viral acalculous cholecystitis is a rare event in pediatric cases with a high incidence of perforation, gallbladder necrosis and mortality. We report a two and a half year old female child presenting with fever, vomiting, pain abdomen, mild hepatosplenomegaly and tenderness in right hypochondrium. Laboratory investigations revealed hyperbilirubinemia and elevated alkaline phosphatase, but there was no evidence of bacterial or parasitic infection. Serology for viral hepatitis suggested acute Hepatitis A infection. Ultrasonographically, distended inflamed gallbladder without calculous was observed. Finally acute acalculous cholecystitis due to Hepatitis A virus was diagnosed and the child responded to the conservative management.     

Plasma lactate as prognostic marker of septic shock with acute respiratory distress syndrome

The present study was conducted to study the significance of lactate as a prognostic marker in patients of septic shock with acute respiratory distress syndrome. This study was conducted on 50 critically ill patients of septic shock with acute respiratory distress syndrome between the age group of 20–60 years and 50 controls. Plasma lactate and serum electrolytes were determined among controls and patients. Arterial blood gas analysis for pO₂, pCO₂ and pH was carried out among patients. Arterial base excess and anion gap were calculated and lactate was correlated with base excess, anion gap and pCO₂ at 5% level of significance. Higher lactate, negative arterial base excess, high anion gap, low pO₂ and high pCO₂ were observed among patients. Lactate was positively correlated pCO₂ and anion gap and negatively with pO₂ and base excess among patients. Hyperlactatemia increasing with progression of septic shock with acute respiratory distress syndrome may suggest that lactate may be used as noninvasive prognostic marker or guide to resuscitation.     

Coeducation and Gender Identity Formation: A comparative analysis of secondary schools in Belgium

Present analysis focuses on the way girls and boys perceive their gender identity in mixed or single-sex schools. Use was made of data concerning 6427 third-year pupils from 25 coeducational and 43 single-sex (21 girls and 22 boys schools) academically oriented secondary schools in Belgium. A multilevel analysis (Hierarchical Linear Modeling) was performed controlling for parental socioeconomic status (SES), academic performance, curriculum enrolment, parental support and school mean SES. It was mainly found that coeducational school girls not only tend to identify themselves more strongly in terms of feminine traits than single-sex school girls, but also in terms of masculine traits, even though their classroom behaviour appears to be much more inhibited.