A quantitative and model-driven approach to assessing higher education in the United States of America

University ranking or higher education assessment in general has been attracting more and more public attention over the years. However, the subjectivity-based evaluation index and indicator selections and weights that are widely adopted in most existing ranking systems have been called into question. In other words, the objectivity and impartiality of those rankings has been worrisome. To address these concerns, this paper presents a quantitative and model-driven approach to acquiring the evaluation index and indicator weights in the US News & World Report ranking system. Structural equation modelling will be applied to mine non-subjective weights from collected data. The proposed approach will be validated using two groups of United States universities, National Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges, classified by the US News & World Report. Managerial and administrative implications will also be explored. This study shows a very promising future because it opens a new venue for the scholars and practitioners in the higher education assessment field to develop a real-time, scalable and model-driven higher education ranking system.     

情报学取向的“数据科学与大数据技术”专业人才培养

[目的/意义]情报学作为计算性较强的人文社科学科，具备数据科学的特点，大数据相关技术能为情报学提供有效手段，因此，设立情报学取向的"数据科学与大数据技术"专业，培养具有大数据思维和扎实的情报学专业基础、掌握大数据处理技术及分析理论、并能将其应用于情报学理论与实践的复合型人才，能够促进情报学学科发展。[方法/过程]对国内外大数据相关专业的培养目标和课程设置模式进行调研，总结学科教育发展特色，结合国内的教学资源情况，设计情报学取向的大数据专业人才培养计划。[结果/结论]情报学与大数据既有联系又有不同，情报学为大数据提供了基础研究方法，促进了多源数据融合，拓宽了大数据的应用领域；大数据为情报学研究提供了更多的可能性、丰富了研究方法，提升了研究效率、扩大了研究范围。情报学取向的大数据与数据科学专业人才的培养，既有其必要性，又有其不可替代性。学科体系需进一步改革创新，设立更多紧密结合大数据与情报学专业的新兴课程，如文献大数据分析、用户大数据研究等，系统地培养学生将情报学领域知识与计算机技术和大数据技术融合创新的能力。     

Aiming for autonomy: formative peer assessment in a final-year undergraduate course

This article takes a dual focus on the theme of student formative peer assessment. On the one hand it offers a thorough literature review in this field, while on the other it unpacks a case study of curriculum design where peer assessment has been adopted. The practical example draws on recent changes made to a third- and final-year undergraduate research dissertation course in a UK architectural school. Although peer assessment worked quite well in this small setting, similar findings might be uncovered when scaled up to larger cohorts, as well as other disciplines and year groups. The research findings are certainly relevant for other contexts. Qualitative research from a focus group with six students on the course informs the empirical body of the paper. Through engaging with students’ reflections, as well as the relevant literature, and reflexively looking at the curriculum changes, this paper discusses some of the benefits and drawbacks that can arise from peer assessment in this context. Peer assessment is not without its challenges and hiccups, but, despite these, the benefit to autonomous critical thinking cannot be understated. And arguably peer assessment is especially germane for final-year undergraduates as they embark on employment or more advanced studies.     

Do early care and education services improve language development for maltreated children? Evidence from a national child welfare sample

Young children under 6 years old are over-represented in the U.S. child welfare system (CWS). Due to their exposure to early deprivation and trauma, they are also highly vulnerable to developmental problems, including language delays. High quality early care and education (ECE) programs (e.g. preschool, Head Start) can improve children's development and so policymakers have begun calling for increased enrollment of CWS-supervised children in these programs. However, it is not a given that ECE will benefit all children who experience maltreatment. Some types of maltreatment may result in trauma-related learning and behavior challenges or developmental deficits that cause children to respond to ECE settings differently. The current study uses data from a nationally representative survey of children in the U.S. child welfare system, the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II, to assess whether young CWS-supervised children (N = 1,652) who were enrolled in ECE had better language development outcomes 18 months later than those not enrolled in ECE. We also explore whether the type of maltreatment that brought children to the CWS’ attention moderates the relationship between ECE and children's language development. After controlling for children's initial scores on the Preschool Language Scale (PLS-3), type(s) of maltreatment experienced, and child and caregiver demographics, we found that ECE participation predicted better PLS-3 scores at follow-up, with a positive interaction between ECE participation and supervisory neglect. ECE seems to be beneficial for CWS-involved children's early language development, especially for children referred to the CWS because they lack appropriate parent supervision at home.     

To what extent do frameworks of reading development and the phonics screening check support the assessment of reading development in England?

The purpose of this article is to question the suitability of the phonics screening check in relation to models and theories of reading development. The article questions the appropriateness of the check by drawing on theoretical frameworks which underpin typical reading development. I examine the Simple View of Reading developed by Gough and Tunmer and Ehri's model of reading development. The article argues that the assessment of children's development in reading should be underpinned and informed by a developmental framework which identifies the sequential skills in reading development.     

Does working during higher education affect students’ academic progression?

This paper examines the effect of working during higher education on academic progression, in terms of number of credits acquired by first-year university students in Italy. We discuss different contrasting hypotheses on the role of employment during university on academic outcomes: the zero-sum perspective, the reconciliation thesis, the positive and the negative selection to work hypotheses. In the empirical part we analyze data from the Eurostudent survey, which collected data on a representative sample of university students who were enrolled in the academic year 2002/03, after the implementation of the ‘Bologna Process’. We use a negative binomial regression model considering work experience as an endogenous multinomial treatment. Results indicate that, conditional on observed covariates (socio-demographic variables, school-related and university-related variables), there is a positive self-selection into employment, especially for low-intensity work. Traditional multivariate regressions show a penalty in academic progression only for high-intensity workers, but once accounted for unobserved heterogeneity also the low-intensity work experience appears to negatively affect academic progression.     

天然灵动的韵致——石定小说创作论

论文通过分析石定1980年-1990年之间的文学创作,认为石定的小说描摹出了上世纪末黔北农村变化的历程,刻画出黔北农民心灵变迁的轨迹。石定的作品雅致纯净、天然灵动,是一幅幅打下时代印迹的水墨丹青。     

Becoming Fathers: Initial Exploration of a Support Program for New Fathers

Emerging fathers experience a variety of stressors, including identity and role transitions, changes in their relationships, and challenges in developing caregiving skills. Increasing expectations for father involvement in childcare are emphasizing the importance of the father role, but social supports for new fathers remain scarce. Nineteen expectant and new fathers participated in a pilot 5-week group intervention aimed at improving stress coping and involvement attitudes using a combination of mindfulness practices and skill-building for parenting and partner communication. We administered surveys pre- and postintervention to assess efficacy in the areas of stress, depressive symptoms, father involvement attitudes, and mindfulness. Within-participant differences were compared across participants as well as examining individual reliable change. Results indicated initial reductions in stress and depressive symptoms and increases in the mindfulness constructs of nonjudgment and nonreactivity. No significant changes were found in father involvement attitudes. Perinatal intervention specific to fathers holds promise as an underexplored avenue for supporting families across the transition to parenthood.     

Are we using Friedman's roadmap? A comparative analysis of stimuli of private school enrolments in post-Soviet countries

There have been extensive scholarly debates on the role the private sector in the provision of schooling across the world. The former Soviet states have been largely excluded from these debates. This exploratory study examines the role the private sector in the formal provision of primary and secondary education in post-Soviet countries to demonstrate comparative trends and to provide a framework for the analysis of stimuli for private enrolments in the region. On the basis of the analysis of secondary data, documentary evidence and relevant literature, this paper shows that across the former Soviet countries, neoliberal ideas of education marketisation have not found fertile soil for development.     

Community sport and social inclusion: international perspectives

Abstract

This opening article examines the relationship between community sport and social inclusion in research and practice. We discuss the notion of community sport, its multifarious meanings and diverse applications in different parts of the world. We further explore the conceptual and practical links between community sport and different conceptions of social inclusion. In doing so, the article draws together key themes, issues and debates addressed in the collection of articles in this special issue. We conclude by formulating implications and directions for future research and practice.