University productivity and the organization of higher education in Turkey

This theoretical paper examines some of the potential impacts of different modes of university organization in Turkey (Faculty and Departmental) upon the scientific productivity of faculty members. A model of university organization is developed which distinguishes between the administrative and academic structures within the university. This model, derived largely from the literature on bureaucratic and professional organizations, provides the basis for a comparative analysis of the structural differences between the Faculty and Departmental mode of university organization in Turkey. Exploration of these structural differences leads to the hypothesis that the organizational structure of the Departmental university, in the Turkish setting, is more functional, on net balance, than the Faculty mode of university organization for the development of high levels of faculty productivity in the fields of science. Examination of some very limited data on the scientific activities of Turkish scientists in a sample of Turkish universities, though by no means conclusive, suggests that, within given social situations, this hypothesis may indeed be correct. Nevertheless, it is clear that there exists a need not only for more extensive research in this area, but also for more detailed information as to the social, political, and economic situations within which university organizations exist.

     

‘I think autism is like running on Windows while everyone else is a Mac’: using a participatory action research approach with students on the autistic spectrum to rearticulate autism and the lived experience of university

This co-authored article outlines the research process and key findings from the Stratus Writers Project, a participatory action research project with a group of seven students on the autistic spectrum at a university in the North of England. The project explores their experiences of university through critical autobiographies and offers unique insider perspectives into some of the key issues, challenges and successes. Building on a participatory action research approach, the data were collected by the participants themselves; however, this study departs from traditional research in that the participants also analysed the data, thus offering rich and potentially overlooked theoretical knowledge. The article concludes by demonstrating the strength of participatory action research approaches by identifying the impact that our project and its findings have had so far.     

Signal-food contingency and signal frequency in a continuous trials auto-shaping paradigm

Five groups of pigeons were studied in an auto-shaping procedure which programmed two types of trials represented by hues on the response key. Each signal was separated by a brief intertriai interval. Three groups were studied with a positive correlation between one of the signals and food (contingent groups). They differed with respect to the frequency with which the positive signal appeared. Two noncontingent groups were studied in which the correlation between the signals and food was eliminated by programming food with the same probability following either signal. One noncontingent group had a high density of reinforcement produced by adding reinforcement in the other signal, at the same rate as programmed in the positive signal for the contingent groups. The other noncontingent group experienced the same number of reinforcements in the session as the contingent group with the least frequent positive trial, but these reinforcements were distributed with equal probability across the signals. Birds in the contingent groups with intermediate or infrequent positive signals all acquired reliable pecking, with acquisition most rapid for the infrequent signal. Maintained responding covaried with the speed of acquisition. No birds in the noncontingent groups showed reliable responding. Birds in the contingent group with a frequent positive signal (approximately 3/4 of the session), also showed no reliable pecking. This result suggests that more than one noncontingent group is informative for assessing the role of differential reinforcement probability in the acquisition of auto-shaped keypecking. In particular, a noncontingent group which controls for the frequency of reinforced trials is an appropriate reference group.

     

Students’ perceptions of Plickers and crossword puzzles in undergraduate studies

In higher education, there are calls to incorporate active learning experiences that place the student at the center of learning, rather than encouraging students to be passive listeners. For students to have a deeper and more meaningful learning experience, educators can use an active learning approach. This approach attempts to engage students at higher levels of thinking so that they are more interested in, better engaged with, and understand the course material better. The aim of this study was to investigate students’ perceptions of Plickers and crossword puzzles as low‐cost pedagogical tools to foster active learning in an undergraduate course in food science and technology. A mixed‐method survey consisting of a 5‐point Likert scale and open‐ended qualitative questions was administered via Blackboard to elicit student responses. A total of 121 students were enrolled for the course and 70.2% (n = 85) completed the survey. Plickers were found to be easy to use (mean = 4.66), provided opportunities to answer to formative questions anonymously (mean = 4.60), and helped increase participation in class (mean 4.05). The majority of students felt that crossword puzzles required them to think critically (mean = 4.53) and provided them with the opportunity to assess how well they understood the course content (mean = 4.45). Moreover, a statistically positive relationship was found between student collaborative learning and crossword puzzle implementation scores (r = .506, p < .01). The findings demonstrated that when implemented effectively, Plickers and crossword puzzles contributed to greater enhanced student engagement. These pedagogical tools can be applied as formative assessment instruments and offer a low‐cost alternative to the limitations encapsulated by didactic pedagogy.     

An evaluation of the impact of an inter‐agency intervention programme to promote social skills in primary school children

This paper describes a social skills programme run in one primary school designed to promote children's cooperative skills and anger management. The programme was staffed by Child and Adolescent Mental Health professionals with educational psychologist and school support. Eight children with severe emotional and behavioural problems participated and completed the 20‐week programme. Pre and post data were collected for the children, parents and teachers. Parents were supported by regular meetings and domiciliary visits from an assistant psychologist. Teaching staff met regularly with the team and had frequent supportive contact with the assistant psychologist. Two educational psychologists‐in‐training made an independent qualitative evaluation of the programme, interviewing the children, their parents and teachers, as well as members of the multi‐agency team. After attending the group, the children showed a significant reduction in their anxiety, parents reported a significant reduction in oppositional behaviour and teachers a significant reduction in attention‐deficit hyperactive difficulties type behaviour. All measures showed a significant or positive trend, although there was some disappointment in the level of parent participation in the school‐based parent meetings. Reasons for this are discussed and the case for multi‐agency social skills interventions is made, along with a broader discussion of the role of the educational psychologist.     

Strengths and limitations of the Education,Health and Care plan process from a range of professional and family perspectives

The introduction of a new Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice in 2015 marked one of the most significant reforms to the SEND statutory assessment process in England since its introduction over 30 years ago. This article presents the findings of a small‐scale study that aimed to identify the extent to which the reforms have successfully addressed some of the shortcomings of the former Statementing process. Interviews, questionnaires and a focus group were used to gain the perspectives of parents, young people and professionals from education, health and social care services in two local authorities in the English Midlands. The research found that the new Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessment and planning process has been effective in some areas, particularly in achieving greater parental involvement and a more person‐centred approach. However, important issues remain unresolved. The data suggest that greater consistency in interpreting and applying legislation, and in individual professional practices, are still needed to fully achieve the intentions of the new system. Some recommendations for practitioners are proposed.     

Does peer assessment promote student learning? A meta-analysis

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increasing use of peer assessment in classrooms and other learning settings. Despite the prevailing view that peer assessment has a positive effect on learning across empirical studies, the results reported are mixed. In this meta-analysis, we synthesised findings based on 134 effect sizes from 58 studies. Compared to students who do not participate in peer assessment, those who participate in peer assessment show a .291 standard deviation unit increase in their performance. Further, we performed a meta-regression analysis to examine the factors that are likely to influence the peer assessment effect. The most critical factor is rater training. When students receive rater training, the effect size of peer assessment is substantially larger than when students do not receive such training. Computer-mediated peer assessment is also associated with greater learning gains than the paper-based peer assessment. A few other variables (such as rating format, rating criteria and frequency of peer assessment) also show noticeable, although not statistically significant, effects. The results of the meta-analysis can be considered by researchers and teachers as a basis for determining how to make effective use of peer assessment as a learning tool.     

Prenatal Maternal Stress and Child IQ

The evidence for negative influences of maternal stress during pregnancy on child cognition remains inconclusive. This study tested the association between maternal prenatal stress and child intelligence in 4,251 mother–child dyads from a multiethnic population-based cohort in the Netherlands. A latent factor of prenatal stress was constructed, and child IQ was tested at age 6 years. In Dutch and Caribbean participants, prenatal stress was not associated with child IQ after adjustment for maternal IQ and socioeconomic status. In other ethnicities no association was found; only in the Moroccan/Turkish group a small negative association between prenatal stress and child IQ was observed. These results suggest that prenatal stress does not predict child IQ, except in children from less acculturated minority groups.     

A ‘Striking’ Demonstration of the Poisson Distribution

This article describes a simple classroom activity that helps students immediately visualize and understand the meaning and mathematical properties of the Poisson distribution.     

What does it take to achieve equality of opportunity in education?: An empirical investigation based on Brazilian data

Roemer's [Roemer, J. (1998). Equality of opportunity. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.] seminal work on equality of opportunity has contributed to the emergence of a theory of justice that is modern, conceptually clear and easy to mobilize in policy design. Inspired by Roemer's theory, this paper is fundamentally a policy-modeling exercise coupled to a micro data analysis. In a pure allocation setting, we first analyze the reallocations of educational expenditure required to equalize opportunities (taken to be test scores close to the end of compulsory education). Using Brazilian data, we find that implementing an equal-opportunity policy across pupils of different socio-economic background, by using per-pupil spending as the instrument requires multiplying by 6.8 on average the current level of spending on the lowest achieving pupils. This result is driven by the extremely low elasticity of scores to per-pupil spending. We then show that the simultaneous redistribution of monetary and non-monetary inputs, like peer group quality and school effectiveness, considerably reduces—by around 23%—the magnitude of financial redistribution needed.