Political preferences and public funding of tertiary education during the economic crisis

This article analyses how political preferences, which are co-determined by the beliefs of decision-makers and influences of interest groups and the general public, affect the decisions to maintain or cut public funding for tertiary education during the economic crisis. Our sample included 29 European countries which we divided into two groups depending on the level of public funding for tertiary education before the crisis, which we used as a measure of revealed political preferences. We then observed the differences in changes in public tertiary education funding during the crisis between these two groups of countries using five different indicators. Three of the five indicators show that countries with a stronger political preference for tertiary education public funding cut their spending on tertiary education to a lesser extent (or even increased spending) during the economic crisis.     

非英语专业大学本科生英语学习特点及启示

从感知的视角,采用定量研究方法揭示了非英语专业大学本科生的英语学习风格偏好。研究表明:(1)非英语专业大学本科生的整体学习风格倾向于多元化,相对而言,他们更喜爱体验型风格和听觉型风格;(2)专业对学习者的英语学习风格的影响不大。英语学习风格偏好因学年的不同而有所差异。本研究结果对外语教学方案的科学设计具有一定的启示意义。     

Elementary school teachers’ preferences for school‐based interventions for students with emotional and behavioral problems

Teachers’ adoption and implementation of evidence‐based programs is often limited. Program characteristics may be important facilitators or barriers of use, yet little is known about which attributes influence teacher decisions. Using a discrete choice experiment with a sample of general education elementary teachers (N = 230), we examined (a) preference for attributes of school‐based interventions, (b) relative preference for three intervention packages with experimentally manipulated characteristics, and (c) teacher characteristics related to the above preference profiles. Intervention outcomes were the most important characteristics in teachers’ intervention decisions. Most teachers’ responses suggested preference for a social and emotional learning program (57.9%) or school‐based consultation for behavioral interventions (35.8%); a small group of teachers preferred a general support intervention (5.8%). Teachers preferring the general support intervention reported greater mental health symptoms, lower mental health literacy and lower confidence in program effectiveness than peers preferring other interventions. Implications for intervention development and future directions are discussed.     

What do students want most from written feedback information? Distinguishing necessities from luxuries using a budgeting methodology

Feedback is a key concern for higher education practitioners, yet there is little evidence concerning the aspects of assessment feedback information that higher education students prioritise when their lecturers’ time and resources are stretched. One recent study found that, in such circumstances, students actually perceive feedback information itself as a luxury rather than a necessity. We first re-examined that finding by asking undergraduates to ‘purchase’ characteristics to create the ideal lecturer, using budgets of differing sizes to distinguish necessities from luxuries. Contrary to the earlier research, students in fact considered good feedback information the single biggest necessity for lecturers to demonstrate. In a second study, we used the same method to examine the characteristics of feedback information that students value most. Here, the most important perceived necessity was guidance on improvement of skills. In both studies, students’ priorities were influenced by their individual approaches to learning. These findings permit a more pragmatic approach to building student satisfaction in spite of growing expectations and demands.     

当前环境下图书馆多元文化服务活动的设计

文章围绕着图书馆多元文化服务活动(或项目)设计的原则、步骤、调查、方案、评估等工作而展开,为国内图书馆有效地开展多元文化服务提供具体建议和实践方法。     

基础教育应全面取消建重点中小学和按学生学习成绩分班的做法

《国家中长期教育改革和发展规划纲要（2010—2020年）》把促进教育公平作为国家基本教育政策,基础教育是重点保障对象。在基础教育阶段全面取消建重点中学和按学生学习成绩分班的做法,对于贯彻和落实《国家中长期教育改革和发展规划纲要（2010—2020年）》,坚持教育的公益性和普惠性,保障公民依法享有平等受教育的机会,推进我国基础教育均衡健康发展,实现社会公平正义具有重要意义。     

在杭高校大学生休闲需求偏好及引导教育研究

运用休闲动机理论,通过问卷调查和实地访谈,分析大学生休闲需求偏好。结果显示：在杭高校大学生有较强烈的、积极的休闲需求,尤其对放松身心、寻求快乐和开拓眼界需求有较强的偏好。大学生的休闲需求存在很多内部差异,性别是影响休闲需求的首要因素,其次是年级,再次是专业和生活费,但不存在城乡区别,本科和专科生之间也不存在明显区别。在充分了解学生休闲偏好的基础上,学校要倡导积极的休闲价值观,引导高校大学生更多从事深度休闲活动;将休闲教育纳入学校管理范围,与学生良好互动;提供休闲活动和设施场所时充分考虑性别和专业差异。     

Depression and Its Treatments

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to gather information within a specific college population about the general prevalence of anti-depressant use and psychotherapy for depression, which treatments people tend to prefer, people's perceptions of the helpfulness of treatments, and if this information was consistent with the research and the current status of the managed health care system. The results demonstrate a high prevalence rate, that people tend to prefer psychotherapy, and that the managed health care system is not providing the best or equal coverage of treatments for depression.     

The Perfect Storm: A Review of the Literature on Increased Noise Levels in Academic Libraries

The combination of new technologies, changing librarian roles, and a generation of “digital native” students has led to an increase in noise levels in academic libraries. The authors present a review of the literature on increased noise levels in academic libraries in an attempt to identify best practices for adapting libraries to noise and to assist reference librarians who must confront disruptive patrons. They discuss such practices as zoning libraries, furniture arrangement, written policies, signage, and peer policing for noise.     

At the End of the Day,I Want to Be Close to Home: Adult Students' Preferences for College Proximity to Work and Home

ABSTRACT

Using 10 distinct samples, analyses were conducted to determine whether empirical support could be garnered for the proposition that working adults selecting a college for part-time studies tend to consider the proximity of the school to their home to be more important than the school's proximity to where they work. On a hypothetical task (first 5 samples), a clear preference for home proximity was evident. However, when real-life choices were studied (last 5 samples), the evidence for a preference for proximity to home was much weaker, perhaps because the research was conducted in a metropolitan region with numerous college choices, so that the perceived proximity to home and work were identical in most instances.