Open feedback in gymnastic judging causes conformity bias based on informational influencing

The aims of this study were twofold: (1) to determine whether open feedback (i.e. the ability to hear or see the scores of colleague judges after each performance) would lead judges in gymnastics to conform with their colleagues, and (2) to identify the underlying process on which this conformity is based. Twenty-three certified Flemish judges in women's gymnastics were randomly divided into panels of a maximum of five judges. These panels had to rate the same 30 videotaped individual vaults: 15 in phase 1 and 15 in phase 2. Two independent variables were orthogonally manipulated: feedback (or no feedback) during phase 1 and feedback (or no feedback) during phase 2. The results of phase 1 revealed that the variation between the judges' scores was less within panels that had received feedback than within panels that had not received feedback. We therefore conclude that the availability of feedback elicits conformity among gymnastic judges. The results of phase 2 indicated that this conformity continued even when feedback was no longer provided, suggesting that the observed conformity was based on informational influencing (i.e. because of uncertainty about the correct responses) and not on normative influencing (i.e. out of fear of standing out in the group).     

Demand articulation in emerging technologies: Intermediary user organisations as co-producers?

User involvement is assumed to be beneficial to innovation processes. Intermediary user organisations contribute to articulating societal demands for innovations. However, the learning processes inside these organisations are still not understood well. Therefore, this paper empirically investigates intermediaries using an event history approach. It yields characteristic learning mechanisms, e.g. concerning the management of expectations or actively building a case. If intermediaries overcome challenges regarding positioning, representation and the level of proactivity, they can play a precarious role in demand articulation in the context of new technologies.     

Young Dutch commercially sponsored kite surfers: free as a bird?

Abstract

While coaches and organizational structures play a pivotal role in the disciplining of young athletes in traditional mainstream organized sports, young kite surfers seem to be free to develop their own skills and create their own identity and subcultures. However, the feeling of freedom of young commercially sponsored kite surfers may be more complex than the popular discourses within action sport cultures suggest. I use a Foucauldian framework to explore how disciplinary power, embedded in time and space, produces athletic skill and identity in adolescent kite surfers and informs their practices of freedom. In this paper, I show how young kite surfers negotiate constraints of space and time that are shaped by relationships with their parents, their kite surfing peers and their commercial sponsors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven commercially sponsored male kite surfers, between 11 and 17 years old. In so doing, I found that although the discourse of freedom associated with kite surfing acts on their experiences, these young athletes were also subjected to disciplinary power produced by temporal and spatial limitations and capabilities, their subculture, digital media and commercialization.     

Fixed Fields Coded Data for Geo-Related Information in the MARC21 Structure: A Discussion on the Possible Expansion of Coded Data Elements to Improve Machine Manipulation and User Discovery

Patrons of map collections often have specific, geographically-based, requests for maps and the information they provide. Map librarians can often meet these needs through personal knowledge of the scope of their collections. For larger collections, this method is unsustainable. This article, therefore, seeks to begin a discussion on how coding could be used to expand the ability of our patrons’ online information seeking methods to meet their information needs.     

Alternative Missing Data Techniques to Grade Point Average: Imputing Unavailable Grades

In this article, grade point average (GPA) is considered a missing data technique for unavailable grades in school grade records. In Study 1, theoretical and empirical differences between GPA and seven alternative missing grade techniques were considered. These seven techniques are subject mean substitution, corrected subject mean, subject correlation substitution, regression imputation, expectation maximization algorithm imputation and two multiple imputation methods-stochastic regression imputation and data augmentation., The missing grade techniques differ greatly. Data augmentation and stochastic regression imputation appear to be superior as missing grade techniques. In Study 2, the completed grade records (observed and imputed values) were used in two prediction analyses of academic achievement. One analysis was based on unweighed grades, the other on weighed grades. In both analyses, alternative missing grade methods produced better and more consistent predictions. It is concluded that some alternative missing grade methods are superior to GPA.     

Open feedback in gymnastic judging causes conformity bias based on informational influencing

Abstract

The aims of this study were twofold: (1) to determine whether open feedback (i.e. the ability to hear or see the scores of colleague judges after each performance) would lead judges in gymnastics to conform with their colleagues, and (2) to identify the underlying process on which this conformity is based. Twenty-three certified Flemish judges in women's gymnastics were randomly divided into panels of a maximum of five judges. These panels had to rate the same 30 videotaped individual vaults: 15 in phase 1 and 15 in phase 2. Two independent variables were orthogonally manipulated: feedback (or no feedback) during phase 1 and feedback (or no feedback) during phase 2. The results of phase 1 revealed that the variation between the judges' scores was less within panels that had received feedback than within panels that had not received feedback. We therefore conclude that the availability of feedback elicits conformity among gymnastic judges. The results of phase 2 indicated that this conformity continued even when feedback was no longer provided, suggesting that the observed conformity was based on informational influencing (i.e. because of uncertainty about the correct responses) and not on normative influencing (i.e. out of fear of standing out in the group).     

Distractor Similarity and Item-Stem Structure: Effects on Item Difficulty

Methods for detecting copying of multiple-choice test responses developed over a 60-year period are reviewed and compared with respect to their effectiveness and the practicality of their application for groups of varying size. Although effective detection methods are routinely used in large admissions and licensing testing programs, they are seldom applied in the areas of standardized testing or classroom testing in schools or colleges. Circumstances associated with this discrepancy are discussed.     

Content and timing of feedback in a web-based learning environment: effects on learning as a function of prior knowledge

This study investigated the effectiveness of different types of feedback content (elaborate versus global) and feedback timing (immediate versus delayed) for learning genetics in a web-based learning environment as a function of learners' prior knowledge. It was hypothesized that learning outcomes of students with low prior knowledge would be fostered by immediate elaborate feedback, whereas those of students with more prior knowledge would be enhanced by delayed global feedback. Students' perceptions of the feedback they received were explored. Results showed a significant positive effect of global feedback on learning outcomes for higher prior knowledge learners, although those who received elaborate feedback gave a higher appreciation rating. The findings are discussed in terms of implications for the design and delivery of feedback in web-based learning environments.     

The effects of a competency‐oriented learning environment and tutor feedback on students’ reflection skills

This study investigates the effects of a competency‐oriented course and the effects of feedback training on students’ reflection skills. Thirty‐one nursing students enrolled in a conventional course with lectures and assignments following a traditional test. Subsequently, they enrolled in a competency‐oriented course, which included more performance‐oriented tasks based on competencies and a performance‐based assessment. In both courses, half of the students received feedback on their assignments from tutors who were trained in feedback skills (experimental group), while the other half of the students received feedback from non‐trained tutors (control group). After each course, all students wrote a reflection report. Results show that students’ reflection reports after the competency‐oriented course were of a higher quality than the reports after the conventional course. Contrary to our expectations, the quality of the reflection reports of the control group (students supervised by non‐trained tutors) was significantly higher than the quality of reflection reports of the experimental group (students supervised by trained tutors). This study shows that a competency‐oriented design of courses enhances students’ reflection skills, but that the training in feedback skills needs to be reconsidered.