Bundled or unbundled? A multi-text corpus-assisted discourse analysis of the relationship between teaching and research in UK universities

Creating and disseminating knowledge through research and teaching has long been regarded as the hallmark of the modern university. However, new university business models have called into question the ‘bundling’ of teaching and research, and sustained research on the relationship between teaching and research has found little evidence of an insoluble connection between the two activities. In this article, we explore the relationship between teaching and research from the perspective of universities’ institutional discourse. We use corpus-assisted discourse analysis to examine the relationship between research and teaching as presented in two sets of institutional texts currently influential in UK Higher Education: Research Excellence Framework environment statements and Teaching Excellence Framework provider submissions (a total of 2143 documents and 12,492,071 words). Our findings show that, while universities emphasise the value of research to their teaching, they do not always emphasise (or sometimes even decry) the influence of teaching on their research. We empirically evidence that, according to what universities themselves write in institutional texts, teaching and research are not always in a mutually beneficial entanglement, but often rather a one-way relationship in which research expertise and institutional prestige are used to bolster claims of teaching excellence. This has implications for the communication of both the vision and the purpose of a university in regulatory exercises and wider policy, but also speaks to the broader idea and practice of being a university in the twenty-first century.     

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.     

指向武术核心素养的中小学武术有效教学策略与方法设计

为了有效促进学生武术核心素养的培育,针对我国武术教学中存在套路内容“繁难”、教法单一、重“形”轻“击”、重知识灌输,轻自主性培养、重教师的“教”,轻学生的“学”“学生不喜欢武术课”等一系列问题,提出了有效促进武术认知、武术运动能力、武术人格培育的原则,基于此原则,对“化难为易”策略、“化浅为深”策略、“化无趣为有趣”策略、“化技术为实践”策略、“知新温故”等策略进行了具体探索性设计,并对上述策略的具体实施方法进行了阐述,为中小学武术教学改革提供现实指导。     

Where do you come from,where do you go? Assessing skills gaps and labour market outcomes for young adults with different immigration backgrounds

Using PISA and PIAAC data from twelve OECD countries, we examine the gap in cognitive skills among immigrants and natives and evaluate how those differences have evolved over time. We also consider how demographics, family background and school quality explain the development of cognitive skills of young people with immigrant backgrounds. The results show, first, that some convergence in skills occurs between second-generation immigrants and natives over time. Second, demographics, family background and school quality variables all contribute to the achievement gaps across different groups.     

图书馆情报学主要研究方法:了解、选择及使用

[目的/意义]研究方法在学术研究中发挥着至关重要的作用。确认图书馆情报学领域主要的研究方法，并对它们进行了解熟悉，以在开展研究时能合理选择、灵活使用，确保研究质量。[方法/过程]对近2 000篇图书馆情报学领域的研究文献以及相关研究方法论文进行内容分析，在此基础上对研究方法的类分命名、图书馆情报学界主要的研究方法的确定、特点和使用注意事项进行介绍和讨论。[结果/结论]研究方法应以数据收集法而不是数据分析法命名。图书馆情报学领域常用的研究方法包括实验法、问卷法、理论研讨法、内容分析法、访谈法和书目计量法，每种方法都有各自的特点。因而在选择使用时，既应根据具体研究课题及研究方法之特性，也要考虑使用注意事项，并尽量在同一研究中采用两种或更多的方法，以扬长避短，更有效地展开研究。     

Individual and cultural factors in teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion: A meta-analysis

The success of inclusive education is dependent upon classroom teachers implementing adaptations for children with disabilities. Given that willingness to make such adaptations is influenced by teacher attitudes, the current study examined teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education through a meta-analysis of 64 samples that were found via a systematic literature search. The results indicated that teachers hold a positive attitude towards inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream schools and that these attitudes are moderated by an interplay of cultural and demographical factors. The findings offer a renewed basis for intervention research into improving educational opportunities for children around the world.     

Syllable-based reading improvement: Effects on word reading and reading comprehension in Grade 2

This study examined the effects of a syllable-based reading intervention for German second graders who demonstrated difficulties in the recognition of written words. The intervention focused on fostering word reading via syllable segmentation. The materials consisted of the 500 most frequent syllables typically read by 6- to 8-year-old children. The aims were to practice phonological recoding, consolidate orthographic representations of syllables, and routinize the access to these representations. Compared to children randomly assigned to a wait-list group, poor readers in the treatment condition showed significant improvements in standardized measures of phonological recoding, direct word recognition, and text-based reading comprehension after the 24-session intervention. Poor readers in the treatment condition also showed greater improvements in development of word recognition compared to children with efficient word recognition skills. The results provide evidence that a syllable-based reading intervention is a promising approach to increase struggling readers’ word recognition skills, which in turn will improve their reading comprehension.     

‘I would say nine times out of 10 they come to the LSA rather than the teacher’. The role of teaching assistants in supporting children's mental health

This research explored how seven primary school teaching assistants (TAs) experienced their role in supporting children's mental health. Interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The participants believed that they supported children's mental health and particularly referenced the close relationships that they formed with children. Throughout their accounts of supporting children, the TAs referenced helpful factors (e.g. support from other staff) and challenges (e.g. hierarchy) within the school system. Supporting children’s mental health was an emotional experience for the TAs; they discussed the rewarding element, however, the topic also elicited fear. The findings provide several implications for school staff and external professionals about how TAs can be supported in their role. These include involving TAs in training opportunities, providing TAs with supervision, considering communication systems in schools, and introducing a mental health policy.     

巧用概念图开展小学数学教学研究

概念图是小学课堂中重要的教学手段,它可以通过图片的形式,将数学知识点之间的联系表达出来,有利于培养学生的数学学科综合素养。本次研究根据小学生的特点,帮助学生培养运用概念图的习惯,以期获得良好的小学数学教学效果。     

Quality flaw prediction in Spanish Wikipedia: A case of study with verifiability flaws

In this work, we present the first quality flaw prediction study for articles containing the two most frequent verifiability flaws in Spanish Wikipedia: articles which do not cite any references or sources at all (denominated Unreferenced) and articles that need additional citations for verification (so-called Refimprove). Based on the underlying characteristics of each flaw, different state-of-the-art approaches were evaluated. For articles not citing any references, a well-established rule-based approach was evaluated and interesting findings show that some of them suffer from Refimprove flaw instead. Likewise, for articles that need additional citations for verification, the well-known PU learning and one-class classification approaches were evaluated. Besides, new methods were compared and a new feature was also proposed to model this latter flaw. The results showed that new methods such as under-bagged decision trees with sum or majority voting rules, biased-SVM, and centroid-based balanced SVM, perform best in comparison with the ones previously published.