Tackling Uncertainty for Journalism Graduates

As journalism struggles to adapt to technological disruption, journalism educators are searching for ways to prepare students for an industry in flux. Entrepreneurial journalism has been incorporated into university curricula as a solution, however the discourse and application lacks a theoretical basis. This article aims to address these gaps by clearly defining entrepreneurship, its theoretical principles relevant for journalism education and then outlining the trial of a Multidisciplinary Experiential Entrepreneurship Model (MEEM), designed to enhance graduates’ career aspirations through cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset. The MEEM trial was assessed using a sequential mixed-methods approach, consisting of survey data collected at the start and completion of the course and interview data collected two months later. The findings demonstrate that the theoretical principles underpinning MEEM not only enabled students to create a new media venture, but the skills acquired also provided a method for entrepreneurial problem-solving and innovating, which is valuable to students working inside or outside traditional news media. This paper contributes theoretically by outlining five principles of entrepreneurial problem-solving and providing a teachable method that can be deployed through an effectual entrepreneurship pedagogy.     

Development and validation of the environmental literacy instrument for adolescents

Environmental education (EE) practitioners struggle to consistently and rigorously evaluate their programs, particularly when little time is available for evaluation. Since environmental literacy (EL) is the goal of environmental education, a very short EL instrument – amenable to use when longer tests are not practical for practitioners – would address an important EE need. We describe the development and validation of the Environmental Literacy Instrument for Adolescents (ELI-A) that is short enough for use in field applications (i.e. 5–15 min) and measures four domains of environmental literacy (ecological knowledge, hope, cognitive skills, behaviour). Factor analysis, item response theory, and concurrent validity tests were used in the validation process. Structural equation modelling supported the fit between the ELI-A and prevailing EL frameworks. The results support a valid and reliable instrument that is short enough for practical use but comprehensive in measuring four primary components of EL. This instrument could help fulfil the call to evaluate EE programming in both formal and informal settings.     

Relation between Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test and WISC-III scores of children with RD

Concurrent validity of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT) with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) was evaluated, as well as the K-BIT's accuracy as a predictor of WISC-III scores, in a sample of young children with reading disabilities. The two measures were administered to 65 children from Atlanta, Boston, and Toronto who ranged from 6-5 to 7-11 years of age at testing. Correlations between the verbal, nonverbal, and composite scales of the K-BIT and WISC-III were .60, .48, and .63, respectively. Mean K-BIT scores ranged from 1.2 to 5.0 points higher than the corresponding WISC-III scores. Standard errors of estimation ranged from 10.0 to 12.3 points. In individual cases, K-BIT scores can underestimate or overestimate WISC-III scores by as much as 25 points. Results suggest caution against using the K-BIT exclusively for placement and diagnostic purposes with young children with reading disabilities if IQ scores are required.     

Vertical vibration of a large diameter pile embedded in inhomogeneous soil based on the Rayleigh-Love rod theory

The vertical vibration of a large diameter pile embedded in inhomogeneous soil with hysteretic type damping is investigated based on the 3D axisymmetric model. Firstly, the pile is assumed to be a Rayleigh-Love rod with the consideration of its transverse inertia effect. Following this assumption, the pile-soil system is divided into several segments according to the stratification of the surrounding soil, and the dynamic interactions of the adjacent soil layers are simulated using the distributed Voigt model. Meanwhile, the surrounding soil is discretized into finite annular vertical zones to consider its radial inhomogeneity, and the force equilibrium and displacement coordination are satisfied at the interfaces of the adjacent soil zones and the interface of the pile-soil. Then, the analytical solution in the frequency domain and the semi-analytical solution in the time domain are obtained by solving the vibration governing equations of pile-soil system. Based on the solutions, a parametric analysis is conducted to investigate the influence of the transverse inertia effect on the dynamic response of the large diameter pile and its relationship with the pile parameters and the radial inhomogeneity of the surrounding soil. Finally, a comparison with the measured result and two other calculated results is presented to verify the effectiveness of the present solution.     

Effects of Item Wording on Sex Bias

This study examined the effects of gender-related item-wording changes on the performance of male and female examinees. Mathematics word problems and English language items were created in neuter, male, and female versions. Items were administered to randomly equivalent samples of about 300 high school juniors and seniors. Loglinear analysis was used to assess the impact of item gender and its interaction with examinee sex on the difficulty and discrimination of each item in each context. No items were found to have sex bias in either context. Mathematics items did not have different difficulty or discrimination in the three gender versions. Neither mathematics nor English items had different discrimination levels in the three gender-related versions. Some English items, however, were found to have different difficulty levels in the three gender-related versions. These difficulty differences were not systematic." none of the three gender versions appeared consistently more or less difficult than the others.     

Revisiting “power in the classroom”: exploring online learning and motivation to study course content

Online learning is growing in popularity among students (Allen &; Seaman, 2015 Allen, I. E., &; Seaman, J. (2015). Grade level: Tracking online education in the United States. Newburyport, MA: Sloan Consortium. [Google Scholar]. Grade level: Tracking online education in the United States. Newburyport, MA: Sloan Consortium), and online course opportunities seem to be increasing. Thus, it is important to examine classroom management behaviors such as power and its impact on motivation to study and student learning outcomes. The purpose of this study is to partially replicate Richmond’s (1990) work in the online learning context. Based on the findings, practical implications are presented for online instructors.     

Cattell‐Horn‐Carroll broad cognitive ability profiles of low math achievers

This study extends previous research examining the relations between Cattell‐Horn‐Carroll cognitive abilities and math achievement. The cognitive profiles of children with normative weaknesses in Math Calculation Skills or Math Reasoning were compared to those of their average‐achieving peers. The cognitive profile of the low Math Calculation Skills group (n = 68) was similar to that of their average‐achieving peers. The low Math Reasoning group (n = 52) scored lower than their average‐achieving peers on the cognitive abilities as a set and on Fluid Reasoning and Comprehension–Knowledge. When individual profiles were considered, approximately half of the children with normative math weaknesses demonstrated commensurate weaknesses in one or more cognitive abilities, which may inform diagnostic models of learning disabilities. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 1–12, 2005.     

A Collaboration between ESL and Regular Classroom Teachers for ELL Students’ Literacy Development

This article presents a teacher‐research project on collaboration between an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and a fourth‐grade classroom teacher to enhance the literacy development of English language learners (ELLs). It illustrates how two teachers worked closely in helping their ELL students develop their writing skills and the benefits both the students and teachers gained from this collaboration.     

A holistic approach towards Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for addressing education challenges in Asia and the Pacific

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) offers opportunities for governments to address key education challenges of quality, equity, and efficiency. While governments and educational institutions in developed countries may have taken up these opportunities, many developing countries in Asia and the Pacific region have often missed them out. This may be due to countries’ socioeconomic settings, approaches towards design and implementation of the ICT in education plan, and investment on research and development of ICT in education. This paper explores the current challenges of education in Asia and the Pacific and explains how these challenges may be overcome by the strategic use of ICTs when a holistic approach towards ICT in education is adopted.