‘This could be our reality in the next five to ten years’: a blogpost platform as an expectation generation device on the future of insurance markets

William James (1919) characterises hypotheses as either live or dead. A hypothesis is live when it is taken into account as a ‘real possibility’. We follow James’ suggestion to not attribute intrinsic properties to hypotheses, but rather investigate how they came into being and look at the effects they generate. Expectations of digital technologies are a topic of vivid debate in the insurance industry. Before these expectations can become ‘live’, they have, in the first place, to be generated by market devices. We investigate how the reinsurance blogpost platform Open Minds functions as an ‘expectation generation device’ on the future of insurance markets. Combining Beckert’s work on the role of fictional expectations with the pragmatist turn in sociology of markets, we propose to study ‘expectation generation devices’, provoking expectations on economic markets. In our empirical analysis, we demonstrate the explicit fictional character of the Open Minds contributions, and analyse how a contained space of openness is generated to provoke expectations. We demonstrate how Open Minds can become live through circulation to other expectation generation sites in the insurance industry and beyond. We conclude by reflecting on the importance of expectation generation devices as a particular type of market devices.     

Physician‐patient communication: Mutual role expectations

This study examined physician‐patient communication as it relates to expectations that patients and physicians hold for themselves and each other. Dimensions of mutual role expectation were determined to be physician as humanistic practitioner, physician authority, patient in the sick role, and patient as consumer. The study tested five hypotheses. Results showed patients had significantly higher expectations for patients in the sick role than had physicians. Other role expectations varied significantly by age within physician and patient groups. The implications of these differences for physician‐patient communication are discussed.     

Home advantage in soccer – A matter of expectations,goal setting and tactical decisions of coaches?

In soccer, home teams win about 67% of decided games. The causes for this home advantage are still unresolved. There is a shortage of research on the psychological states of actors involved. In this study, we examined soccer coaches’ expectations, goal setting and tactical decisions in relation to game location. Soccer coaches (N = 297) with different expertise levels participated in an experimental, online management game and were randomly assigned to one of two groups, “home game (HG)” or “away game.” Participants received information on the game for which they were asked to make decisions in multiple points. The only differing information between groups was game location. Regardless of expertise, HG coaches had higher expectations to win, set more challenging goals and decided for more offensive and courageous playing tactics. Possible consequences of these findings concerning home advantage in soccer are discussed.     

谈电影《海角七号》在台湾的热映——以接受美学为视角

台湾本土电影《海角七号》在台湾地区上映后引起广泛关注,而在内地则反响平平。运用接受美学的相关理论对造成两岸不同播出效果的原因进行了分析。《海角七号》具有独特的美学表现,其对受众期待视野的构建与超越、空白的合理运用与巧妙设置体现了接受美学在影视创作上的借鉴意义,亦为当今影视创作提供了另一种思考向度。     

英语课堂教学“有效提问”探微

英语课堂教学中的“有效提问”是指教师在课堂语言教学活动的各个环节为了引发学生意向、明释教学内容、调适教学形式、关注教学结果而设计的一种以英语问题为载体并能够使学生做出相关的、完整的答复的一种课堂教学组织管理策略。它不仅是一般意义上有效教学的逻辑必要条件,而且是专业视角下成功外语教学的必要逻辑前提,直接关乎有效教学目标的实现和外语学习的成效。它具有支撑和实现自身功能的系列标准、原则和策略,并在“后方法时代”获得与时俱进的新发展。     

低收入农民工家长对学前子女教育期待的研究

家长教育期待是影响子女学业成就的关键因素。相较于城市家长,农民工家长教育期待水平相对偏低。在实现教育期待上,他们表现出了明显的外控倾向。与城市居民有更多互动的从事越界型职业的家长,对子女获取更高学历的意愿更强烈。家长投入效能感、聚居区的独特文化、城乡二元和新二元社会结构的限制是影响农民工家长教育期待的主要原因。农民工家长教育期待对子女发展的影响是复杂的。短期内,家长教育期待可能提升子女教育期待,但长期来看,缺乏实现条件的家长教育期待对儿童的发展未必是正向的,家长教育期待的表达可能导致子女轻视本阶层。     

新概念智能控制门

在智能化的未来社会里,我们会越来越关注我们的生活健康。在这其中厕所是一个最重要的影响我们健康的环境,也是我们最容易忽略的影响我们健康的因素。即使为了健康,我们也不可能用手拉开厕所门进去再洗完手之后上厕所,因为这样不方便,也不能被接受,所以我们就要想一个万全之策。新概念智能控制门就具备这个功能,它不仅能给我们的生活带来方便,也能提高我们的生活质量和防范传染病的传播。     

An Australian Proposal for Doing Critical Literacy Assessment: The Case of Writing

In this article we present current thinking and practices in Queens land, Australia, about how to do critical literacy assessment in the English classroom. In taking this focus, we propose and discuss a framework that brings together interest in text analysis and social practices. Then, we apply the framework showing how it can be used to generate writing tasks and assessment criteria that are consistent with critical pedagogy. Finally, the challenges of moving to a socially critical, discourse‐oriented approach to assessment are considered.     

Youth,family and education: exploring the Greek case of parentocracy

Based on a qualitative study conducted in austerity-stricken Greece, the paper provides a micro-level exploration of the mechanics of intergenerational transmission of (dis)advantage. Utilising the Bourdieusian toolbox, the paper enquires into familial practices through the lens of young people’s perceptions, focusing on the mobilisation of capitals, the inculcation and transformation of habitus taking place in the Greek educational field. In-depth interview material unpacks the pedagogic efforts young people and their families make, indicating that these are contingent on the varied volume and composition of capitals and the distinct distances from necessity that in turn constrain or afford the exercise of agency and the investments in the academic market. Further, the analysis sheds light on young people’s accounts of educational and occupational expectations illustrating how these are tightly interweaved with familial legacies and parental wishes, and underpinned by the projects of distinction, mobility and respectability through education.     

我国研究型高校图书情报院系研究人员国际科研产出的影响因素研究

以三元交互决定论为基本理论指导框架,就个体层面的研究自我效能感、研究结果预期和组织环境层面的组织气氛等因素对我国研究型高校图书情报院系研究人员国际科研产出的影响作用进行理论分析与实证研究。结果表明：1）研究自我效能感和国际科研行为正向影响国际科研成果,研究自我效能感通过国际科研行为的部分中介作用正向影响国际科研成果;2）国际科研行为受研究自我效能感的正向影响;3）研究自我效能感受组织气氛的正向影响;研究结果预期受研究自我效能感和组织气氛的正向影响。