Use of systemic networks in the development of a questionnaire

The paper discusses the use of systemic networks as a basis for the construction of a questionnaire. The subject of the questionnaire was teachers' views of the philosophy of science. It is argued that systemic networks have potential value in questionnaire construction in such problematic areas, offering help in dealing with both construct and face validity.

The networks used, and the questionnaire based on them, were derived from an analysis of various philosophical positions. The analysis identified distinctions depicting the main philosophical differences, which were then represented in a network. The main systems described are inductivism, hypothetico‐deductivism (e.g., Popper, Lakatos), contextualism (e.g., Kuhn) and relativism (e.g., Feyerabend). Major distinctions turn on the issues of the unity of scientific method, criteria of demarcation, patterns of scientific change and the status of scientific knowledge.     

On the Effectiveness of Pop-Up English Language Glossary Accommodations for EL Students in Large-Scale Assessments

This study examined the effectiveness and influence on validity of a computer-based pop-up English glossary accommodation for English learners (ELs) in grades 3 and 7. In a randomized controlled trial, we administered pop-up English glossaries with audio to students taking a statewide accountability English language arts (ELA) and mathematics assessments. As is typically found, EL students exhibited lower achievement scores than non-EL students in all portions of the test. The pop-up glossaries provided inconsistent benefit for EL students. There was some evidence that the pop-up English glossaries had a minimal inhibitory effect for 3rd-grade students on both the ELA and mathematics assessment. Furthermore, 7th-grade ELs also showed slightly inhibited performance when using the pop-up glossary on the mathematics assessment. However, 7th-grade EL students had a performance benefit when using the pop-up glossary on the ELA assessment. We discuss how increased cognitive load placed on younger students may play a role in diminishing performance when using pop-up glossaries. We explore potential explanations for the difference outcomes between mathematics and ELA in grade 7.     

Relationships among school climate domains and school satisfaction

This study investigated the magnitude of the relationships between eight school climate domains and a measure of global school satisfaction among 2,049 middle and high school students. Tests of moderator effects were conducted to determine if the magnitude of the relationships between the school climate domains and school satisfaction differed as a function of students' gender, grade, age, GPA, or SES. Multiple regression analyses suggested that five school climate domains are significantly related to school satisfaction (p < .01): Academic Support (beta weight = 0.17), Positive Student‐Teacher Relationships (0.12), School Connectedness (0.11), Order and Discipline (0.13), and Academic Satisfaction (0.12). In addition, the importance of the school climate variables to students' school satisfaction appeared invariant across the demographic variables and academic performance levels. The inclusion of school climate and school satisfaction measures may form a foundation for more comprehensive assessments for understanding and monitoring the experiences of students in schools. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Improving students’ proportional thinking using schema-based instruction

This study investigated the effectiveness of an instructional program (schema-based instruction, SBI) designed to teach 7th graders how to comprehend and solve proportion problems involving ratios/rates, scale drawings, and percents. The SBI program emphasized the underlying mathematical structure of problems via schematic diagrams, focused on a 4-step procedure to support and monitor problem solving, and addressed the flexible use of alternative solution strategies based on the problem situation. Blocking by teacher at three middle schools, the authors randomly assigned the 21 classrooms to one of two conditions: SBI and control. Classroom teachers provided the instruction. Results of multilevel modeling used to test for treatment effects after accounting for pretests and other characteristics (gender, ethnicity) revealed the direct effects of SBI on mathematical problem solving at posttest. However, the improved problem solving skills were not maintained a month later when SBI was no longer in effect nor did the skills transfer to solving problems in new domain-level content.     

An institutional North Star: the role of values in presidential communication and decision-making

Mission statements have been a staple of higher education institutions for decades, but little is known of how they are used as a tool for institutional decision-making. Using three distinct data sources, this study relies on framing theory to analyse the perceptions of university presidents in the United States on the role of mission statements in deciding when and how to communicate. Further, we compare the espoused values of university mission statements to the statements university presidents made following the 2016 US presidential election. Findings indicate presidents view mission statements as central to their decision to communicate and our analysis reveals some congruence between mission statements and public statements.     

Empowering satisfaction: analyzing the relationship between empowerment,work conditions,and job satisfaction for international center managers

Tertiary Education and Management - The rising cost of higher education has driven researchers and practitioners alike to identify areas of waste and search for practices associated with increasing...     

Revisiting the vocational school fallacy: a tribute to Philip Foster

More than four decades ago, Philip J. Foster (1927–2008) published an essay on the The vocational school fallacy in development planning, drawing on research on schools in Ghana. That essay has been reprinted in numerous texts and remains frequently quoted in recent research literature. What were his main general insights about vocational education and how have these stood the test of time?     

The satirical value of virtual worlds

Imaginary worlds have been devised by artists and commentators for centuries to focus satirical attention on society’s problems. The increasing sophistication of three‐dimensional graphics software is generating comparable ‘virtual worlds’ for educational usage. Can such worlds play a satirical role suggesting developments in distance education practice and policy? The article examines the emergence of Hinterlife, a cartoon world run by a disarmingly despotic academic known to the real world only by his virtual name, Professor Horace. This article suggests that a healthy dose of satire can help distance education to overcome the problems generated in difficult economic times.     

远程开放教育生存所需的管理能力再建设

经济衰退时期,教育系统有赖于创新者产生转型的意见。远程开放教育（ODE）通过在全球范围内提供教育,能够重新定义教育系统,并产生新的收入,开发新的能力。但是,并非所有ODE都同样具有创意,其国际运作也不尽有效。如果ODE管理者不能确保其教育方式和媒介在全球范围内能得到统一,ODE在经济危机中就很可能失败,而不能成为一种解决方案。要防止这种情况发生,ODE管理者可能需要全新的参照系,并学会摒弃那些不再有价值的参照系。因此,他们面临的是能力再开发的挑战。ODE管理者需要结成国际合作伙伴,以克服由文化、语言和适用技术引起的地域差异,并真正实现远程开放教育的本质。ODE领域出现了很多有关教学、技术和哲学的解决方案,ODE管理者必须找出哪些方案是在组织内部和国际范围内互有关联且前后一致的。否则,由于方式和理念不兼容,教育机构就很难抓住机会进行国际合作。例如,当前西方ODE大量使用的网络教育,放在缺乏网络接入的地区就毫无价值;在发展中国家复制西方式在线教育并宣传此类项目,其实和这些发展中国家也基本没什么关系,起码没有直接关系。因此,在经济衰退时期,管理者管理能力发展中的一个关键要点,就是要认识到需要对ODE政策和实践进行改变,并学会在全球和地方进行改变的概念。如果学会向决定ODE生存的决策者推荐新的方法,ODE管理者们将会获益非浅。