Response bias in follow-up studies of college students

The problems of response bias in longitudinal studies of college students are examined. An extensive follow-up questionnaire was sent to 1,253 college seniors who had participated in a similar survey as freshman four years earlier. Careful measure of student responsiveness in relation to various techniques designed to increase the proportion of responders (e.g., postcard, telephone contact) were kept.The less responsive groups were significantly different from their more responsive counterparts on nearly a dozen variables representing a wide variety of content areas, including academic achievement, self-concept, alcohol consumption, social deviance, and major choice preferences. Controlling for sex and socioeconomic status served to reduce, but not eliminate, these biases. Overall, the results indicate that researchers cannot account for follow-up nonresponse bias by making statistical adjustments according to data available at initial testing. The results are discussed in light of identifying the reasons for nonresponse, and attempting to develop categories of nonresponders who may be motivated to cooperate by different types of follow-up techniques.     

PUBLICATION BIAS: THE ACHILLES' HEEL OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS?

ABSTRACT:  The term 'publication bias' usually refers to the tendency for a greater proportion of statistically significant positive results of experiments to be published and, conversely, a greater proportion of statistically significant negative or null results not to be published. It is widely accepted in the fields of healthcare and psychological research to be a major threat to the validity of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Some methodological work has previously been undertaken, by the author and others, in the field of educational research to investigate the extent of the problem. This paper describes the problem of publication bias with reference to its history in a number of fields, with special reference to the area of educational research. Informal methods for detecting publication bias in systematic reviews and meta-analyses of controlled trials are outlined and retrospective and prospective methods for dealing with the problem are suggested.     

论科学课程的社会建构观--国外科学课程研究的最新发展及启示

本文从科学哲学、科学知识社会学以及实在论的建构主义等的研究出发,阐述了科学知识是由社会建构的;并通过对科学课程形成的主体分析论述了科学课程也是由社会建构的,并指出了树立科学课程的社会建构观所具有的教育意义.     

Evaluating Model Fit and Structural Coefficient Bias: A Bayesian Approach to Multilevel Bifactor Model Misspecification

Appropriate model specification is fundamental to unbiased parameter estimates and accurate model interpretations in structural equation modeling. Thus detecting potential model misspecification has drawn the attention of many researchers. This simulation study evaluates the efficacy of the Bayesian approach (the posterior predictive checking, or PPC procedure) under multilevel bifactor model misspecification (i.e., ignoring a specific factor at the within level). The impact of model misspecification on structural coefficients was also examined in terms of bias and power. Results showed that the PPC procedure performed better in detecting multilevel bifactor model misspecification, when the misspecification became more severe and sample size was larger. Structural coefficients were increasingly negatively biased at the within level, as model misspecification became more severe. Model misspecification at the within level affected the between-level structural coefficient estimates more when data dependency was lower and the number of clusters was smaller. Implications for researchers are discussed.     

西方语言文化中的“性别歧视”

由于客观历史原因 ,性别差异在人类历史上是普遍存在的社会现象。西方社会和中国一样也不例外。通过对英语语言和文化的研究可以发现 ,在男人和女人的社会地位问题上 ,“性别歧视” ,特别是“男尊女卑”这种观念和现象在英语词汇、男女姓名、女性用语特征及文学作品等西方语言和文化中都多有表现。研究了解这些语言文化及其在使用上诸多方面的特征 ,对于我国的英语教学和研究以及先进文化的建设均有现实的意义     

Creating Respectful Classroom Environments

Creating respectful classroom environments Respect is a critical variable in education. It is critical to each individual child in the classroom environment as well as to the teaching and learning that takes place in the classroom. Children learn by example. Where do they get their examples? This article explores the parameters of teaching and encouraging respect in classrooms for young children. Emphasis is placed on the creation of respectful classroom environments taught by teachers who have themselves been prepared to nurture this kind of environment.     

“双一流”背景下地方高校学科建设困境及突围

学科建设是高校的基础性工作,为高校人才培养和专业建设提供着知识和智力支撑。我国"双一流"建设为入选高校学科发展提供着多方面的有力支持。该研究通过对地方高校学科建设特征的梳理分析,发现地方高校学科建设有着自身的独特性,具体包括:系统性、长期性、地方性和特色化等。研究发现:未入选"双一流"建设行列的地方高校处于财力不济,师资实力不强,学科平台少且层次低,知名度及社会认可度低,以及学校管理质态有待提高等困境。为了深入推进地方高校学科建设,需要学校决策者的大智慧和大手笔,为学科建设定好方向;更需要加强制度建设,营造利于学科发展的氛围;第三,需要积极彰显学科特色,实现错位竞争;实施协同发展战略,强化学科基地建设也是现实选择;最后,实施地方化与国际化策略,实现学科建设的顶天立地。     

Moving Beyond the Lecture: Inspiring Social Justice Engagement through Counter-Story Using Case Study Pedagogy

Abstract

The paper examines participant perceptions of the effectiveness of using case studies with college students (undergraduate – doctoral) to teach social justice and educational equity. Findings indicate that participants who identified with the characters in the cases were able to draw connections between the case and their own personal experiences. They felt the cases broadened their understanding of the topics and increased their sense of empathy and their commitment to principles of social justice.     

Bias hypotheses under scrutiny: investigating the validity of student assessment of university teaching by means of external observer ratings

To advance the discussion on the validity of student evaluations of university teaching, student ratings of two teaching dimensions – student involvement and rapport – were compared with corresponding observer ratings. Seven potential bias variables were tested with regard to their impact on the students’ teaching assessment: three teacher characteristics (first impression, enthusiasm, humour) and four student characteristics (prior interest, expected grades, study experience, class attendance). Bias was defined as an impediment of the students’ assessment of teaching on course level. By means of bivariate correlations with course averages and two-level latent moderated structural equations, data of 1,716 students in 80 courses were analysed. Results showed that all three teacher characteristics were genuinely connected to rapport, and even explained variance of the student-rated variable when controlling for observer-rated rapport. The assessment of student involvement was not modified by the teacher characteristics except for teacher enthusiasm, which affected the student evaluation when controlling for observed involvement and, moreover, moderated the relation between the observed and the student-rated variable. For the examined student characteristics, no biasing effects were found – neither on rapport nor on student involvement.     

教育男生和女生:对性别平等教育的启示

性别平等教育长期被视作教育中的次要问题,教育学界对此也存在不少误解。“零和式”的教育使性别平等问题走向了极端。性别平等教育的目标不仅使女生享有平等的教育的机会,同时也使男生受益。打破教育体制中固有的性别成见才是实现平等教育的根本途径。