THE LEGAL CONSTRUCTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION STRUCTURES

In focussing on the legal basis for the diversification of higher education, the authors argue that the main focus when analyzing education laws for diversity or coherence should be on maintaining the proper balance between the rights of individuals and the needs of society. Thus, the fundamental role of regulation is to guarantee a flexible adaptation to changing needs. The evolution of the legal basis of Belgian, specifically Flemish, higher education, from 1970 to the present is examined from this perspective. Ways of adapting lessons learned from the Belgian experience to the realities of eastern and central Europe are proposed.     

Dyslexia and hormone deficiences

From a group of 75 children, originally selected as dyslectic on the basis of their reading and/or spelling problems relative to a total group of 1000 4.th grade children in the city of Trondheim, blood tests were obtained on 35 children. A control group of 45 children was drawn among the 1000 children. Among the 12 different hormones measured, significant differences came out on cortisol, triiodothyronine (T. 3), prolactin, and human growth hormone (HGH, somatotrophin) in boys and girls separately. A follow-up study of 22 dyslectic children from the same cohort gave results consistent with those obtained in the original study. The higher values of the dyslectic group on cortisol and prolactin may suggest the dyslectics to be in a stressful situation, possibly due to their language problems in school. The most striking difference, however, was the very low levels of HGH in the dyslectic group—to the extent that there was little overlap in the two distributions. This result was totally unexpected and is, in fact, opposite of what to be expected on the basis of at least short — time stress events. The results holds up when age and pubery development are controlled for.     

The use of 2D and 3D information in a perceptual-cognitive judgement task

Abstract

We examined whether the use of three-dimensional (3D) simulations in an off-field offside decision-making task is beneficial compared to the more widely available two-dimensional (2D) simulations. Thirty-three assistant referees, who were all involved in professional football, participated in the experiment. They assessed 40 offside situations in both 2D and 3D formats using a counterbalanced design. A distinction was made between offside situations near (i.e., 15 m) and far (i.e., 30 m) from the touchline. Subsequently, a frame recognition task was performed in which assistant referees were asked to indicate which of the five pictures represented the previous video scene. A higher response accuracy score was observed under 3D (80.0%) compared to 2D (75.0%) conditions, in particular for the situations near the touchline (3D: 81.8%; 2D: 72.7%). No differences were reported between 2D and 3D in the frame recognition task. Findings suggest that in highly dynamic and complex situations, the visual system can benefit from the availability of 3D information, especially for relatively fine, metric position judgements. In the memory task, in which a mental abstraction had to be made from a dynamic situation to a static snapshot, 3D stereo disparities do not add anything over and beyond 2D simulations. The specific task demands should be taken into account when considering the most appropriate format for testing and training.     

The Implications of the Cognitive Sciences for the Relation Between Religion and Science Education: The Case of Evolutionary Theory

This paper discusses the relationship between religion and science education in the light of the cognitive sciences. We challenge the popular view that science and religion are compatible, a view that suggests that learning and understanding evolutionary theory has no effect on students?? religious beliefs and vice versa. We develop a cognitive perspective on how students manage to reconcile evolutionary theory with their religious beliefs. We underwrite the claim developed by cognitive scientists and anthropologists that religion is natural because it taps into people??s intuitive understanding of the natural world which is constrained by essentialist, teleological and intentional biases. After contrasting the naturalness of religion with the unnaturalness of science, we discuss the difficulties cognitive and developmental scientists have identified in learning and accepting evolutionary theory. We indicate how religious beliefs impede students?? understanding and acceptance of evolutionary theory. We explore a number of options available to students for reconciling an informed understanding of evolutionary theory with their religious beliefs. To conclude, we discuss the implications of our account for science and biology teachers.     

在动态认知逻辑中融合观察与内省

一直以来,我们使用逻辑系统来描述数学的证明、结构的计算以及语言的意义.近年来,逻辑系统却越来越多地被用来研究理性行动者的很多方面.例如,如何接受单一的信息,多主体间的交流行为,以及更为一般的受目标驱动的主体间的互动.特别是,对观察和交流中的信息流的研究,大家使用所谓的知识更新、信念修正和偏好改变的动态认知逻辑.当新信息进来时,这些逻辑使用信息的"语义意义"作为被更新状态的选择范围.然而,同样重要的是,理性主体的行动也会基于其他信息,譬如,由推理和反省得剑的信息.对这些问题的研究实际上是对信息在更为语法的意义上进行理解的,即,把信息看作是可以由主体阐明的东西.也许有些奇怪,尽管在这一领域已经存在不少的研究方案,但是火家对什么是信息,信息的关键机制是什么等问题更少有一致的意见.可以看出,对"信息"的意义在逻辑中确实有很多不同的理解.本文基于可能世界的语义,给出一个一致的信息模型,同时也赋予可能世界语法的"可及通路".这样,我们就能把外部的"更新信息"和内部的"阐明信息"放在同一个动态逻辑系统中.特别是,我们提出了两个基本的信息行动:纯粹的基于观察的更新("单纯的看")和把不明显的知识变为明显知识的"知觉实现".我们阐明为什么这些行动是自然的,同时我们也提出了一些新的研究问题.其中,很多问题探讨如何使其他的逻辑传统,包括信念修正理论、情景语义学和弗协调逻辑等适用于信息一驱使的理性行动者的图景.     

Why Should States Fund Denominational Schools?

It is generally accepted that liberal states should fund public schools for compulsory education. But whether states should also finance denominational schools is controversial. Does such funding not compromise the principle of liberal neutrality? In this article we evaluate two opposing views on this question. Both views give different interpretations of liberal neutrality and both have contrasting views on the relation between education and conceptions of the good. Arguing that neither view is convincing, we defend an alternative view, which holds that the liberal state under certain conditions should fund denominational schools.     

The antithesis of inclusion? The emergence and functioning of ADHD special education classes in the Swedish school system

The neuropsychiatric paradigm has substantial impact on schools. The increase in the number of pupils being diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an expression of the medicalisation of deviance. There is also an increase in educational classes specially designed to meet the needs of children with ADHD. This is contrary to the notion of inclusion and in conflict with the Swedish school law. Thus, it is important to obtain knowledge about Swedish ADHD classes. A questionnaire was sent to all Swedish municipalities (290, response rate 76%) regarding schooling for pupils with ADHD. As many as 40 Swedish municipalities have classes specifically designed for pupils with ADHD. Although the classes are said to be specifically designed for ADHD problems, they are not properly evaluated. Municipalities with ADHD classes also exhibit ambivalence towards these classes. The emergence, prevalence and functioning of the ADHD classes are discussed in light of the notion of inclusive education.     

Adding community and dynamic to topic models

The detection of communities in large social networks is receiving increasing attention in a variety of research areas. Most existing community detection approaches focus on the topology of social connections (e.g., coauthor, citation, and social conversation) without considering their topic and dynamic features. In this paper, we propose two models to detect communities by considering both topic and dynamic features. First, the Community Topic Model (CTM) can identify communities sharing similar topics. Second, the Dynamic CTM (DCTM) can capture the dynamic features of communities and topics based on the Bernoulli distribution that leverages the temporal continuity between consecutive timestamps. Both models were tested on two datasets: ArnetMiner and Twitter. Experiments show that communities with similar topics can be detected and the co-evolution of communities and topics can be observed by these two models, which allow us to better understand the dynamic features of social networks and make improved personalized recommendations.     

Challenging science teachers' beliefs and practices through a video-case-based intervention in China's primary schools

The present study aims to challenge primary school science teachers' beliefs about education and teaching efficacy, as well as their teaching practices, through a video-case-based intervention programme in a Chinese educational setting. A total of 46 in-service teachers were involved in this study (experimental group = 23, control group = 23). Pre- and post-intervention surveys were administered to examine possible changes in the participants' beliefs about education and science teaching efficacy. Video data were gathered through classroom observations of 9 participants from the experimental group and 9 participants from the control group. The results of one-way analysis of covariance indicate that the reported post-intervention beliefs of teachers who participated in the programme differed significantly from their pre-intervention beliefs. More specifically, teachers in the experimental groups reported fewer traditional and more constructivist beliefs after the intervention, as well as stronger personal science teaching efficacy beliefs. One exception included beliefs about science teaching outcome expectancy. The video data showed that teaching practices became more constructivist in terms of both practical activities and student ICT use.