Student teachers’ knowledge about children with ADHD and depression and its relations to emotions

Student teachers’ knowledge about children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression and its relations to reporting experiencing emotions during teaching practice were studied. The participants were 186 teacher education students in Estonia. Student teachers’ general knowledge and confidence in knowledge varied a lot. Knowledge about children with ADHD was generally limited. Knowledge and confidence in knowledge were negatively related to reporting negative emotions (anxiety, anger, shame) experienced during teaching practice. Findings are discussed, taking into account recent changes in scientific knowledge about ADHD and depression and democratic changes in schools. As knowledge of special educational needs has become important due to applying inclusive education, the findings also refer to the need for modifications in teacher education curricula.     

Basic parameters of the static stability,loads and strength of the vital parts of a bucket wheel excavator’s slewing superstructure

Determining a bucket wheel excavator (BWE)’s slewing superstructure weight and its center of gravity (COG) is of extreme importance not only in the design phase, but also after the completion of the erection process and during the operation of the machine. This paper presents a critical comparative analysis of the basic parameters of the static stability of a BWE 1600 superstructure, with the parameters being obtained by both analytical and experimental procedures. The analysis shows that a relatively small difference in superstructure mass, obtained by calculation, leads to a relatively large unfavorable shifting of its COG, necessitating a significant increase in counterweight mass for balancing. A procedure for superstructure 3D model mass correction is presented based on results obtained by weighing after the completion of the erection process. The developed model provides enough accuracy to determine the superstructure’s COG in the entire domain of the bucket wheel boom inclination angle, and enables accurate load analysis of the superstructure’s vital parts. The importance of this analysis is reinforced by the finding that the procedure prescribed by standard DIN 22261-2 gives results which are not on the side of safety, as shown by an example of strength analysis of a bucket wheel boom stays’ end eyes.     

Promoting teaching,learning and informed decision-making through the lenses of international large-scale assessment: looking beyond numbers

Public discussion on the quality of education in different corners of the world very much relies on the data provided by the international large-scale assessment (ILSA) studies. While aware of different methodological keystones and technicalities embedded in these, the idea behind this special issue is to contribute to the understanding of how students solve ILSA items and the kinds of literacy skills they rely on. A shared element of reported studies is that they seek to document and analyse test-taking as a concrete practice using different theoretical and methodological perspectives. We find such scrutiny to be important and significant at this point in time as it offers some new lenses through which ILSA items could be inspected and further discussed.     

Using learning analytics to scale the provision of personalised feedback

There is little debate regarding the importance of student feedback for improving the learning process. However, there remain significant workload barriers for instructors that impede their capacity to provide timely and meaningful feedback. The increasing role technology is playing in the education space may provide novel solutions to this impediment. As students interact with the various learning technologies in their course of study, they create digital traces that can be captured and analysed. These digital traces form the new kind of data that are frequently used in learning analytics to develop actionable recommendations that can support student learning. This paper explores the use of such analytics to address the challenges impeding the capacity of instructors to provide personalised feedback at scale. The case study reported in the paper showed how the approach was associated with a positive impact on student perception of feedback quality and on academic achievement. The study was conducted with first year undergraduate engineering students enrolled in a computer systems course with a blended learning design across three consecutive years (N₂₀₁₃ = 290, N₂₀₁₄ = 316 and N₂₀₁₅ = 415).     

大型无粘性土渗透破坏试验系统及应用

研制了不同规格的大型无粘性土渗透试验系统,包括试验装置、供水和测量系统。针对积石峡面板堆石坝的垫层料、过渡料等坝料进行了30余组试验,为大坝的设计施工提供了重要的依据。实际应用表明,该系统操作方便,测量精度高,可靠性好。     

Does Work Harm Academic Performance of Students? Evidence Using Propensity Score Matching

In this article we analyze the effects of student work on academic performance for college students. In order to reduce the endogeneity bias due to selection into treatment, we use propensity score matching technique. This approach allows us to estimate the effects of student work separately for different years of study, which is not possible when inside instruments are used to deal with endogeneity of student work. We find predominantly negative effects of student work for all measures of academic performance (GPA, exam attempts, exams passed, and likelihood of passing a year), although many of these are economically and statistically insignificant. We supplement existing studies that do not estimate separate treatment effects for different years of study by showing that work while in college harms study outcomes mostly in the first year of study—by passing smaller number of exams and thereby increasing the likelihood of failing a year. Our results are consistent with evidence on difficulty with adjusting to college studies of first-year students, who face many uncertainties that affect finding the optimal allocation of time between studies, work and leisure.     

A Tutorial in Bayesian Potential Outcomes Mediation Analysis

Statistical mediation analysis is used to investigate intermediate variables in the relation between independent and dependent variables. Causal interpretation of mediation analyses is challenging because randomization of subjects to levels of the independent variable does not rule out the possibility of unmeasured confounders of the mediator to outcome relation. Furthermore, commonly used frequentist methods for mediation analysis compute the probability of the data given the null hypothesis, which is not the probability of a hypothesis given the data as in Bayesian analysis. Under certain assumptions, applying the potential outcomes framework to mediation analysis allows for the computation of causal effects, and statistical mediation in the Bayesian framework gives indirect effects probabilistic interpretations. This tutorial combines causal inference and Bayesian methods for mediation analysis so the indirect and direct effects have both causal and probabilistic interpretations. Steps in Bayesian causal mediation analysis are shown in the application to an empirical example.     

Stories From Intercultural Education in Serbia: Teacher Leadership and Parent Participation

This article explores the potential of teacher leadership as a strategy to promote intercultural education by empowering parents and members of ethnic minority groups to participate in the life of the school. It links the idea of participation for social justice with the goals of intercultural education within the context of the APREME (Advancing Participation and Representation of Ethnic Minority Groups in Education) project, which is located within a wider program of research, development, and advocacy designed to promote inclusion and social cohesion in the western Balkans. The outcomes of this action-based stage of the program are presented in the form of vignettes that portray teachers’ projects designed to enable parents and community members to participate more fully in the life of the school. Conclusions are drawn about the relationship between teacher leadership and a transformative approach to the intercultural education.