Should I stay or should I go? Predictors and effects of studying abroad during high school

In an increasingly globalized and culturally diverse world, extended stays abroad during high school are considered important opportunities for acquiring and improving a variety of skills, most importantly, language achievement. This study examines both predictors and effects of studying abroad in an English-speaking country during high school, using population data from the second largest city in Germany (N = 5361; 13% went abroad). In order to determine the most central predictors of studying abroad, we employed logistic regression models in which students’ socioeconomic background emerged as the strongest predictor of studying abroad. To test the effects of studying abroad, we applied propensity score matching. Studying abroad had positive effects on standardized achievement, grades, and course choice in English, whereas it had hardly any effects on outcomes in math. Implications for studying abroad during high school and future research directions are discussed.     

Discrete Choice Modeling in Education: An Innovative Method to Assess Teaching Practices

Self‐reported measures are an easy, time‐efficient, and low‐cost way to collect research data compared to other assessment methods. They are, however, characterized by several limitations regarding the quality and the clarity of the data they produce, especially when they are implemented in education. The main purpose of the current study was to use a method called discrete choice modeling (DCM) in education, in order to develop a self‐reported instrument that will reduce the bias for socially desirable responses and to assess teachers’ practices in physical activity. DCM method has the ability to overcome the respondents’ tendency to answer in a socially desirable way. A nationally representative sample of 531 Greek early educators participated in this study and were administered a self‐assessment questionnaire based on DCM. Results showed that the DCM based newly developed instrument manages to assess effectively educators’ practices and provided evidence of the applicability of the method in education. Further implications and future recommendations regarding the effective application of DCM in education are discussed.     

Digital Module 05: Diagnostic Measurement—The G‐DINA Framework https://ncme.elevate.commpartners.com

In this ITEMS module, we introduce the generalized deterministic inputs, noisy “and” gate (G‐DINA) model, which is a general framework for specifying, estimating, and evaluating a wide variety of cognitive diagnosis models. The module contains a nontechnical introduction to diagnostic measurement, an introductory overview of the G‐DINA model, as well as common special cases, and a review of model‐data fit evaluation practices within this framework. We use the flexible GDINA R package, which is available for free within the R environment and provides a user‐friendly graphical interface in addition to the code‐driven layer. The digital module also contains videos of worked examples, solutions to data activity questions, curated resources, a glossary, and quizzes with diagnostic feedback.     

奥运会的经济价值分析以及对北京举办奥运会的借鉴意义

2008年北京奥运会的举行将大大加快北京地区乃至我国的经济现代化建设的步伐。应用实证研究的方法，对历届奥运会的经济价值进行分析，指出举办奥运会对促进北京地区乃至全国的经济增长、改善劳动力就业，加快产业结构调整的积极作用。同时从资金筹措、场馆建设、产业可持续发展等方面对北京避免奥运会后可能出现的“经济低谷效应”，实现可持续发展提出了建议。     

不同文化背景下体育文化的共性与个性分析

体育文化作为文化的一个分支，不可避免地会受到各自不同国家、民族和地区的文化背景的影响，而深深地打上各自极具国家、民族和地区鲜明特点的烙印，但与此同时，体育文化作为全人类共同的文化财富，它们之间存在着共性。     

对我国宏观经济地带及综合经济区划分的思考

从科学发展观的内涵和全面建设小康社会的目标来看,我国“七五”确定的三大宏观经济地带和“九五”划分的7大综合经济区已难以适应新形势下统筹区域发展的要求。文章在介绍了“完整的区域经济体系”的基础上,提出了我国新三大宏观经济地带及10大综合经济区的划分方案,并给出了新三大宏观经济地带的发展对策。     

经济全球化与我国政府管理的创新

随着现代科学技术的迅速发展和人类文明的不断进步,各种资源跨越国界在全球范围内流动和配置,使得各国各地区之间的经济活动更加相互开放和融合。我国现阶段在政府管理上还存在一系列的问题。在经济全球化背景下,如何加快政府管理的创新,已成为我国政治体制改革的重要任务。     

竞技赛事产品的经济特性

就体育竞技赛事产品的内涵、分类和经济特征进行了阐述,旨在为加速竞技赛事市场的开发提供理论依据。     

Does the Model of Language in the National Literacy Strategy Create Failure for Pupils from Differing Language Backgrounds?

The National Literacy Strategy (NLS) was introduced by the government in the wake of the hotly debated issue of falling educational standards in the UK. All schools were required to adopt the NLS Literacy Hour unless they could show their preferred programme would result in raised levels of achievement. My experience of delivering the Literacy Hour has been a process of adaptation to the needs of my pupils, who are drawn mainly from groups whose language backgrounds differ from that which is dominant in school. I have found that the requirements of NLS, together with many of the commercial resources used to teach it, are not appropriate for pupils from these groups and a question arose: is it the pupils who are in some way deficient or is it the approach and the resources being used? This article takes a case study of the use of a commercially produced resource to explore the model of language implicit in NLS, the kinds of resources it generates and the ways in which this creates failure in pupils from different language backgrounds. It then considers the New Literacy Studies and their implications for an alteration in our approach.