Semantic Models of Host-Immigrant Relations in Norwegian Education Policies

Education has continuously been regarded as a vital tool in Norwegian policymakers' immigrant integration agendas. This study analyzes semantic structures substantiating the policy language of historical Norwegian immigrant education policies from their inception in 1973 until today (2013). The analysis is framed by Kronenfeld's linguistic anthropological theory “semantic extensionism”. Four distinct semantic models are identified through the historical period. Each model comprises specific overall policy programs, education system characters, teaching methods, and parameters for equality output evaluations. We show how the core semantic structures of each model, and the changes between them, derive from three interacting factor domains: (1) semantic inclusion and contrast relations, (2) pragmatic characteristics of practice fields, and (3) broader welfare state policy histories.     

Relative Age Effect and Gender Differences in Physical Education Attainment in Norwegian Schoolchildren

The relative age effect (RAE) refers to that children born early in their year of birth show higher performance compared to children born late in the same cohort. The present study evaluated whether RAE exists within non-competitive physical education (PE) attainments, change in RAE magnitude with age, and possible gender differences. The results show a drop in PE attainment and a difference in number of high and low marks between the first and second half-year. Of the pupils who attained the highest mark, 73% were born in the first 6 months. In lower-secondary school, RAEs were larger in girls compared with boys. A possible explanation for the results is that the PE-teachers might be inspired by product-oriented criteria.     

International comparisons of R&D effort: The case of the Canadian pharmaceutical industry

The Canadian federal government, anxious to stimulate innovation, announced recently a policy objective for the economy: the attainment of industrial research expenditures reaching 1.5 percent of the gross national product. The proposed substantial increase over the current level is rationalized by comparison with economy-wide research intensities (GERD/GNP) in other OECD countries.This paper questions the economic validity and policy relevance of international aggregate comparisons. It argues that inter-country comparisons should take place at individual industry levels where technologies are similar and proposes a methodology for formulating R&D spending targets of this kind. The procedure is to estimate a model of the determinants of R&D intensity with data from several “criterion countries” and employ the results to “predict” a specific industry's research intensity in another country.In this paper such a model is formulated for the pharmaceutical industry of seven OECD countries. Plausible parameter estimates are derived and used to “forecast” the research intensity of the Canadian pharmaceutical industry. It is found that given the predominance of foreign ownership, the nature of patent protection and the level of other relevant variables in Canada, the performance of this sector is much above the OECD-derived standard; this Canadian industry presumably does not require governmental attention to its R&D activities.     

Towards a Participatory Multimedia Learning Model

The purpose of this paper is to present a participatory multimedia learning model that can be used in designing multimedia learning environments that support an active learning process and creative participation. Participatory multimedia learning can be defined as learning with systems that enable learners to produce part of the learning materials themselves. The aim of the model is to represent the human information processing system and to support the transformation of free cognitive resources into a germane cognitive load needed for knowledge construction. The paper also elaborates on the results of an empirical study examining the effectiveness of student-generated illustrations. Finnish elementary school students (N = 187) learned about the human immune system by interacting with multimedia learning materials. Students performed better on a retention test when they generated their own illustrations by drawing and when explanations were presented as animations, compared to students who received only textual material or generated illustrations from images offered.     

The meaning of mathematics instruction in multilingual classrooms: analyzing the importance of responsibility for learning

In the multilingual mathematics classroom, the assignment for teachers to scaffold students by means of instruction and guidance in order to facilitate language progress and learning for all is often emphasized. In Sweden, where mathematics education is characterized by a low level of teacher responsibility for students’ performance, this responsibility is in part passed on to students. However, research investigating the complexity of relations between mathematics teaching and learning in multilingual classrooms, as well as effect studies of mathematics teaching, often take the existence of teachers’ responsibility for offering specific content activities for granted. This study investigates the relations between different aspects of responsibility in mathematics teaching and students’ performance in the multilingual mathematics classroom. The relationship between different group compositions and how the responsibility is expressed is also investigated. Multilevel structural equation models using TIMSS 2003 data identified a substantial positive influence on mathematics achievement of teachers taking responsibility for students’ learning processes by organizing and offering a learning environment where the teacher actively and openly supports the students in their mathematics learning, and where the students also are active and learn mathematics themselves. A correlation was also revealed between group composition, in terms of students’ social and linguistic background, and how mathematics teaching was performed. This relationship indicates pedagogical segregation in Swedish mathematics education by teachers taking less responsibility for students’ learning processes in classes with a high proportion of students born abroad or a high proportion of students with low socio-economic status.