Factor structure,stability, and congruence in the functional movement screen

The scoring scheme for the functional movement screen implicitly assumes that the factor structure is consistent, stable, and congruent across different populations. To determine if this is the case, we compared principal components analyses of three samples: a healthy, general population (n = 100), a group of varsity athletes (n = 101), and a group of firefighters (n = 397). The congruence of the principal components derived through these analyses were evaluated across all of the samples, using Tucker’s congruence coefficient. Factor extraction was guided by parallel analyses, and interpretation was facilitated by Varimax rotation. We observed factor instability, low factor congruence, and inconsistent factor structure. Additionally, we observed a two-factor structure of the functional movement screen in all of our sample groups. These analyses suggest that, although the independent elements of the functional movement screen may continue to be used, use of the composite score is not supported by the factor structure of the measure.     

Phonological awareness predicts activation patterns for print and speech

Using fMRI, we explored the relationship between phonological awareness (PA), a measure of metaphonological knowledge of the segmental structure of speech, and brain activation patterns during processing of print and speech in young readers from 6 to 10 years of age. Behavioral measures of PA were positively correlated with activation levels for print relative to speech tokens in superior temporal and occipito-temporal regions. Differences between print-elicited activation levels in superior temporal and inferior frontal sites were also correlated with PA measures with the direction of the correlation depending on stimulus type: positive for pronounceable pseudowords and negative for consonant strings. These results support and extend the many indications in the behavioral and neurocognitive literature that PA is a major component of skill in beginning readers and point to a developmental trajectory by which written language engages areas originally shaped by speech for learners on the path toward successful literacy acquisition.

芝加哥公立学校教师流失的影响因素及对策分析

优质、稳定的教师队伍是学生学习的保障,美国为应对教师流失付出了沉重的代价。以芝加哥公立学校为代表,从学校管理层面的研究发现:影响教师流失的因素可归为学校结构、教师自身特点、学生特点和工作氛围4个维度。学校要稳定教师队伍提供有质量的教师,需加强对新任教师引导项目的投入和关注;创建良好的工作氛围以吸引教师留下;协助教师提升课堂管理能力等。这对于目前我国学校如何保证优质、稳定的教师队伍有一定借鉴意义。     

Duopoly in the scientific instrument industry: the milk analyser case

The special and limited nature of the world market for non-chemical milk analysers appears to have led to a condition of duopoly, with a British firm, Grubb Parsons, competing with a Danish firm, Foss Electric, originally differing technologies, infra-red in the first case, light scatter in the second.Over the 15 years spanned by the two case histories the two firms competed in classical duopolistic style, making quite rapid technical progress spurred on by the competition of the one with the other, and aiming at the same potential customers. An important difference between the two, however, was that the infra-red Instrument was ‘technology push’, and failed at the outset to satisfy ‘user needs’, and needed extensive adaptation. The light scatter or turbimetric instrument was designed with the user in mind and was comparatively simple as a consequence, although it, too, needed adaptation as user needs changed over time, from a requirement to measure fat or total solids content in milk, to a need to measure protein as well.Because of the smaller size and independence of Foss as compared with Grubb Parsons, a subsidiary of a large engineering group, the former was able to adopt a more flexible organisation structure, decentralised and ‘organic’, in the Burns and Stalker terminology, and more marketing oriented - all plus factors according to previous research in this field. While both companies showed themselves strongly innovative, and therefore competitive, Foss took greater risks and won bigger returns. They collaborated closely with users and generally showed shorter ‘lead times’ than their rival.     

The Road Not Taken

黄树林里有两条路只可惜我不能都踏行我,单独的旅人,伫立良久极目眺望一条路的尽头看它隐没在丛林深处     

Understanding the reorganization of secondary schooling: a political games approach

This paper focuses on the reorganization of secondary education in a small town in England. It conceptualizes the six headteachers of the secondary schools in the town, and the Director of Education, as social actors, or players, engaged in transactional games situations during that reorganization, and shows that the political changes which transformed the public sector education provision also created the conditions in which such games can flourish. The theoretical underpinning of the research is outlined, and the reorganisation is interpreted as seven concurrent transactional games played within the boundaries of a limiting political framework. A detailed ethnographic explanation of one of the games is then used to illustrate and explain the social interactions of the players as they competed for professional and personal prizes on up to four different stages. Access to power, which derived from political structures at the national and local levels, was a key requirement in securing prizes. Power was differentially distributed between the players, and some of the changes which occurred during the timespan of the reorganization had the potential to alter each player's access to power. This offered the possibility of changing the games and altering the prizes.     

Starting Secondary School: The Parents' Perspective

A student led Iraq war protest in a Fresh Start school provides a case study for examining the relationship between political literacy and institutional change. Pragmatic and creative management of the protest encourages a democratic problem-solving process, which contributes to mutual respect and sustained trust between pupils, and staff and pupils. There is evidence to suggest that this democratic experience within the school has the potential to bring a democratic problem solving ethos into the classroom, where learning may increasingly become characterized by individuals achieving autonomy with and for each other.     

Teacher Leadership: Rationale,strategy and impact

This article presents arguments for teacher leadership. It challenges the current orthodoxy of school organisation and seeks to extend the current debate about distributed leadership. It offers a view of teacher leadership which is inclusive rather than limited to those with management responsibility or specific change agent roles. It focuses on learning-centred development work in which teachers act strategically to improve the quality of teaching and learning. The article includes illustrative cases and proposals for strategies to support teacher leadership. It also offers a framework for planning and evaluating the impact of teacher-led development work.     

Popular with whom? Usage demographics of popular science nonfiction at an academic library

Abstract

There is a large body of nonfiction written for a general audience which is infrequently promoted in popular reading collections at academic libraries. The aim of this research is to look at the usage of nonfiction science literature at a large university library in comparison to the science collection as a whole. This information can help librarians to not only determine how best to prioritize the collection of nonfiction science literature, but it can also be used to provide insight into how popular nonfiction science books can be most effectively promoted to library patrons.