bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The resource‐based view and sustainable competitive advantage: the case of a financial services firm
Authors: Clulow Val , Gerstman Julie , Barry Carol
Published: May 2003

The resource‐based view (RBV) of the firm is a theory that has been explored in academic literature as a means of explaining competitive advantage and, in turn, superior performance amongst firms. In this paper it is argued that the model developed by Fahy offers a concise picture of the nature and role of key resources in strategic management but this picture needs further empirical development. A research approach based on a face‐to face interview is used to explore the process by which a high‐performing firm in the financial services industry in Australia identifies, develops, deploys and protects its key intangible assets and capabilities in sustaining competitive advantage.
Preparing expatriate managers of multinational organisations for the cultural and learning imperatives of their job in dynamic knowledge‐based environments
Authors: O’Keeffe Ted
Published: May 2003

The advent of the global economy has brought a realisation that the only lasting competitive advantage is an organisation’s ability to effectively exploit intellectual capital. Excellent companies build learning organisations systematically but in their haste many firms underestimate the importance of cultural, technological, executive and learning imperatives that permeate dynamic, knowledge‐based environments. Learning is a dynamic process between the needs of the individual, its leader, operational environment and the demands of the organisation.
The role of human resource management (HRM) in Australian‐Malaysian joint ventures
Authors: Cheah‐Liaw Gladys , Petzall Stanley , Selvarajah Chris
Published: May 2003

Examines human resource management (HRM) for successful Australian‐Malaysian joint ventures (JVs), on the basis of survey data and case studies. The findings suggest that each phase of JV development had its own pattern of HR practices. Three phases of development were distinguished – initiation, transitional, and maturational. The first phase involved selecting, recruiting and training a skilled workforce and formulating rudimentary human resource policies. Cultural differences were most marked in this phase. The second phase, after three years of operation, involved evolution of human resource policies better suited to local conditions, and more polycentric management staffing. The final phase, after six years of operation, saw the development of a distinctive human resources system, and the minimisation of cultural differences as an operational issue. In this phase there was also a move to more geocentric management staffing. Other HR issues discussed are changing roles and relationships between JV partners in the different phases of development, and factors for JV success in the context of Australian‐Malaysian JVs.
Art and dream
Authors: Guo Shesen
Published: May 2003

A computer‐assisted learning/teaching model is conceived with the implications of the constructivist theory and an analogy between the traditional art form Shuanghuang and the teaching/learning environment. The virtual character of the model interacts, in the form of human behavior and speech supported by recognition biometrics, text‐to‐speech and artificial intelligence, with the learner and simulates, to the full extent, the process and effects of the art form. Some issues of pedagogical dimensions, knowledge and the role of the human teacher related to the model are discussed.
Edutainment: is learning at risk?
Authors: Okan Zühal
Published: May 2003

Since the early 1990s interest has surged in developing edutainment software, namely applications that possess the allure of electronic games while achieving educational goals. In the rush to adopt this new seemingly harmless technological fad, both educators and parents overlooked its long‐term harmful effects. The aim of this article is to draw attention to these effects, particularly to the inflated expectation in the learners that the process of learning should always be colourful and fun, and that they can acquire information without work and serious study. It argues that what is essential is realizing that education is concerned with the development of cognitive structures and that educational technology is a medium, not a pedagogy that is useful in creating such learning environments. In this context, it may be time to examine critically the educational potential of edutainment software together with the advantages and disadvantages it might bring to the instructional process. The discussion begins, after a brief definition of edutainment, with an understanding of what technology and education entail. Then the discussion broadens to a critique of problems with edutainment drawing on the findings of educational psychology.
Interactivity and interactive functions in web‐based learning systems: a technical framework for designers
Authors: Chou Chien
Published: May 2003

The concept of interactivity and its implications for Web‐based learning system design is re‐examined. The author reviews the literature on the interactivity concept from the perspectives of communication, computer‐assisted instruction, distance education, and interactive dimensions and functions for Web systems. A proposal is then made for a technical framework for including such dimensions and functions in Web‐based learning systems. To enhance the framework's ease‐of‐use and overall effectiveness, each interactive function was submitted to two panels of experts for assessment and evaluation in terms of instructional necessity and programming difficulty. A discussion of the panels’ feedback and the potential for future research concludes the article.
Teaching improvement grants: what they tell us about professors’ instructional choices for the use of technology in higher education
Authors: McAlpine Lynn , Gandell Terry
Published: May 2003

To understand the creative possibilities for the instructional uses of technology, it is important to understand what professors’ are thinking about or imagining they could be doing. This article describes how an analysis of teaching improvement grants can inform us regarding professors’ instructional choices for the use of technology in higher education. An analysis over 6 years of award winning innovative technology proposals emphasized the positive practices that were being proposed, the importance of situating the analysis within an historical framework (eg, over time, culture, infrastructure) and the value of focusing on professor thinking that precedes teaching action and subsequent evaluation of its impact on learning.
Questioning, promoting and evaluating the use of streaming video to support student learning
Authors: Shephard Kerry
Published: May 2003

This paper uses case studies to describe how streaming video is currently used to support student learning in post compulsory education in the UK. It describes the current role of streaming video and identifies processes that could extend the application of streaming in education. It attempts to establish a case for more formal evaluation and communication of educa‐tional processes involving streaming and identifies elements of a research agenda that could further develop the application of streaming technology in education.
Flow experience and positive affect during hypermedia learning
Authors: Konradt Udo , Filip Regina , Hoffmann Svenja
Published: May 2003

In this study positive affective states, experienced by users of a one‐hour learning program, in a hypermedia learning environment were assessed. It was expected that a positive mood would occur during learning that would be correlated with high training/learning success. Furthermore, the experience of flow was used to indicate whether the challenges and skills were balanced. The results showed that the users of the training program were put into a positive mood. About a quarter of the users experienced flow. Positive moods were associated with higher training success and positive affect was correlated with total knowledge and content knowledge. An association between flow and training success was not observed. The perceived probability of success did not influence learning but a high perceived probability of success was considered as comparably more pleasant than a low perceived probability of success. The results are discussed in the context of self‐directed learning.
Touching the screen: issues related to the use of touchscreen technology in early childhood education
Authors: Romeo Geoff , Edwards Suzy , McNamara Sue , Walker Ian , Ziguras Christopher
Published: May 2003

This paper reports on a research project that investigated the use of touchscreens by children in early childhood and junior primary settings by introducing touchscreens in five classrooms in Melbourne. Several methods to obtain information about how children interacted with the touchscreens were used including observation, journals and field notes, and interviews. The research identified five key themes, relating to developmental issues, input device preference, technical issues, individual differences in children's use of the touchscreen and issues of collaboration.
SeeWord—a personal word processing environment for dyslexic computer users
Authors: Gregor Peter , Dickinson Anna , Macaffer Alison , Andreasen Peter
Published: May 2003

SeeWord is a highly configurable word processing environment, which assists dyslexic users when producing and reading text. The software was developed using a user‐centred development cycle where user feedback contributed to each revision. Evaluations showed that users were able to find individualised combinations of settings using the specialised software, which they used in preference to the black‐on‐white text that is usually displayed on computer monitors. Three separate prototypes of the software were developed and evaluated. The third prototype was used in an experimental study with 6 dyslexic school pupils. The research showed that 5 out of the 6 dyslexic users aged 14–16 years benefited from the use of specialised software when reading text from a computer screen. Participants were able to read standard texts from a screen significantly more accurately with the aid of SeeWord. All participants reported that they felt they could read text from the screen better using the software. The results suggest that a larger scale evaluation of the software would provide valuable information about problems associated with computer use by people with dyslexia. A further study into the visual processes involved in dyslexia would also be of great value.
Evaluation of the implementation, use and effects of a computerised management information system in English secondary schools
Authors: Visscher Adrie , Wild Phil , Smith Debbie , Newton Len
Published: May 2003

Very little empirical large‐scale research has been carried out on the use of IT in the management and administration of schools despite of the fact that schools all over the world have adopted such IT based systems. The move in many countries towards autonomous school management will further require the use of these systems. Sophisticated computerised school information systems (SISs) will have to provide school‐based information relevant to the development of policies in areas where schools used merely to follow governmental guidelines. If such systems are to be designed and used to full effect, knowledge is urgently needed on the implementation, use and effects of established computerised SISs. The large‐scale research project in England, reported here, goes some way towards filling this gap in our knowledge.
Reviews: 2
Authors: Mishra Sanjaya
Published: May 2003

Cornford, James & Pollock, Neil (2003) Putting the university online Open University Press (Buckingham UK & Philadelphia PA) ISBN 0‐335‐21005‐8 121 pp £19.99 (boards £60)

http://www.openup.co.uk
 
enquiries@openup.co.uk
Reviews: 7
Authors: Cowan John
Published: May 2003

Norris, Donald
et al (2003) Transforming e‐knowledge Society for College and University Planning (Ann Arbor MI) ISBN 1‐930708‐34‐3 270 pp £58.50 boards

http://www.transformingeknowledge.info
Conceptions of Moral, Social‐Conventional, and Personal Events Among Chinese Preschoolers in Hong Kong
Authors: Yau Jenny , Smetana Judith G.
Published: May 2003

Sixty‐one Chinese preschoolers from Hong Kong at 2 ages (Ms= 4.36 and 6.00 years) were interviewed about familiar moral, social‐conventional, and personal events. Children treated personal events as distinct from moral obligations and conventional regulations. Children judged the child as deciding personal issues, based on personal choice justifications, whereas children judged parents as deciding moral and conventional issues. With age, children granted increased decision‐making power to the child. In contrast, children viewed moral transgressions as more serious, generalizably wrong, and wrong independent of authority than other events, based on welfare and fairness. Punishment‐avoidance justifications for conventional events decreased with age, whereas conventional justifications increased. Young Chinese preschool children make increasingly differentiated judgments about their social world.
Overt and Covert Verbal Problem‐Solving Strategies: Developmental Trends in Use, Awareness, and Relations With Task Performance in Children Aged 5 to 17
Authors: Winsler Adam , Naglieri Jack
Published: May 2003

Age‐related changes in children's use, self report, and awareness of verbal problem‐solving strategies (private speech) and strategy effectiveness were explored with a large (N= 2,156) cross‐sectional sample of children aged 5 to 17. Children's verbal strategies moved from overt, to partially covert, to fully covert forms with age. Self‐reports of verbal strategy use were accurate yet incomplete. Awareness of children's use of verbal strategies was low and increased with age. Although verbal strategies were associated with competence among the youngest children, self‐talk was unrelated to task performance for older children, suggesting considerable persistence over time of a relatively ineffective strategy. Awareness was not a prerequisite for children's verbal strategy use but was positively associated with strategy effectiveness among those who talked.
Six‐Month‐Old Infants' Categorization of Containment Spatial Relations
Authors: Casasola Marianella , Cohen Leslie B. , Chiarello Elizabeth
Published: May 2003

Six‐month‐old infants' ability to form an abstract category of containment was examined using a standard infant categorization task. Infants were habituated to 4 pairs of objects in a containment relation. Following habituation, infants were tested with a novel example of the familiar containment relation and an example of an unfamiliar relation. Results indicate that infants look reliably longer at the unfamiliar versus familiar relation, indicating that they can form a categorical representation of containment. A second experiment demonstrated that infants do not rely on object occlusion to discriminate containment from a support or a behind spatial relation. Together, the results indicate that by 6 months, infants can recognize a containment relation from different angles and across different pairs of objects.
Continuity and Change in Levels of Externalizing Behavior in School of Children From Economically Disadvantaged Families
Authors: Ackerman Brian P. , Brown Eleanor , Izard Carroll E.
Published: May 2003

This study used a person‐centered approach to understand continuity and change in the externalizing behavior of children from economically disadvantaged families (N=134). Groups of children differed in showing high levels of externalizing behavior in first grade (7 years old) that persisted (persistent problem) or decreased (improver) in third grade (9 years old) and low levels in first grade that were stable (unproblematic) or increased (new problem) in third grade. The results showed that verbal ability, behavioral impulsivity, parent maladjustment, and harsh parenting distinguished the persistent problem and unproblematic groups. Family instability was associated with change for the improver and new problem groups. The results suggest the importance of examining changes in the early adjustment to school for children from economically disadvantaged families.
The Peer Group as a Context: Mediating and Moderating Effects on Relations Between Academic Achievement and Social Functioning in Chinese Children
Authors: Chen Xinyin , Chang Lei , He Yunfeng
Published: May 2003

The purpose of the study was to examine, in a large sample of Chinese children and adolescents at 9, 13, and 16 years of age, the contextual effects of the peer group on relations between academic achievement and social functioning. Data on informal peer groups, social functioning and academic achievement were collected from multiple sources. It was found that peer groups were highly homogenous on academic achievement. Hierarchical linear modeling analysis revealed that academic achievement and social adjustment were associated at both the within‐group individual level and the group level. Moreover, group academic performance moderated the relations between academic achievement and social adjustment such as peer acceptance, social competence, and leadership, suggesting that individual‐level relations might be enhanced or exacerbated by group academic norms.
Reducing Misinformation Effects in Children With Cognitive Interviews: Dissociating Recollection and Familiarity
Authors: Holliday Robyn E.
Published: May 2003

Two experiments examined the effect of a cognitive interview on 4‐ and 8‐year‐old children's correct recall and subsequent reporting of misinformation. Children viewed an event followed by misinformation that was read or self‐generated either before or after a cognitive interview. Children were then given a recognition test under inclusion and exclusion instructions. A cognitive interview elicited more correct details than a control interview. Age‐related changes were found such that the 8‐year‐old children's reports were more complete and they recalled more correct person, action, object, and location details than the 4‐year‐old children. A cognitive interview given after postevent misinformation reduced children's reporting of misinformation at interview and reduced reporting of self‐generated misinformation at test. Process dissociation analyses revealed that recollection increased but familiarity decreased with age.
Parents' Monitoring‐Relevant Knowledge and Adolescents' Delinquent Behavior: Evidence of Correlated Developmental Changes and Reciprocal Influences
Authors: Laird Robert D. , Pettit Gregory S. , Bates John E. , Dodge Kenneth A.
Published: May 2003

Links between parental knowledge and adolescent delinquent behavior were tested for correlated rates of developmental change and reciprocal associations. For 4 years beginning at age 14, adolescents (N= 396) reported on their delinquent behavior and on their parents' knowledge of their whereabouts and activities. Parents completed measures of their adolescents' delinquent behavior. Knowledge was negatively correlated with delinquent behaviors at baseline, and increases over time in knowledge were negatively correlated with increases in parent‐reported delinquent behavior. Reciprocal associations indicate that low levels of parental knowledge predict increases in delinquent behavior and that high levels of delinquent behavior predict decreases in knowledge. Discussion considers both youth‐driven and parent‐driven processes that may account for the correlated developmental changes and reciprocal associations.
Role of Affective Self‐Regulatory Efficacy in Diverse Spheres of Psychosocial Functioning
Authors: Bandura Albert , Caprara Gian Vittorio , Barbaranelli Claudio , Gerbino Maria , Pastorelli Concetta
Published: May 2003

This prospective study with 464 older adolescents (14 to 19 years at Time 1; 16 to 21 years at Time 2) tested the structural paths of influence through which perceived self‐efficacy for affect regulation operates in concert with perceived behavioral efficacy in governing diverse spheres of psychosocial functioning. Self‐efficacy to regulate positive and negative affect is accompanied by high efficacy to manage one's academic development, to resist social pressures for antisocial activities, and to engage oneself with empathy in others' emotional experiences. Perceived self‐efficacy for affect regulation essentially operated mediationally through the latter behavioral forms of self‐efficacy rather than directly on prosocial behavior, delinquent conduct, and depression. Perceived empathic self‐efficacy functioned as a generalized contributor to psychosocial functioning. It was accompanied by prosocial behavior and low involvement in delinquency but increased vulnerability to depression in adolescent females.
Chinese Adolescents' Reasoning About Democratic and Authority‐Based Decision Making in Peer, Family, and School Contexts
Authors: Helwig Charles C. , Arnold Mary Louise , Tan Dingliang , Boyd Dwight
Published: May 2003

This study explored the judgments and reasoning of Chinese adolescents (13–18 years of age) from 3 regions of mainland China (N=574) regarding procedures for making decisions involving children in peer, family, and school contexts. Participants evaluated 2 democratic decision‐making procedures (majority rule and consensus) and decision making by adult authorities for 2 decisions embedded in each social context. Judgments and reasoning about decision‐making procedures varied by social context and by the decision under consideration, and evaluations of procedures became more differentiated with increasing age. The findings reveal that concepts of rights, individual autonomy, and democratic norms (majority rule) are salient aspects of Chinese adolescents' social reasoning and are used to evaluate critically existing social practices.
Does Father Absence Place Daughters at Special Risk for Early Sexual Activity and Teenage Pregnancy?
Authors: Ellis Bruce J. , Bates John E. , Dodge Kenneth A. , Fergusson David M. , John Horwood L. , Pettit Gregory S. , Woodward Lianne
Published: May 2003

The impact of father absence on early sexual activity and teenage pregnancy was investigated in longitudinal studies in the United States (N= 242) and New Zealand (N= 520), in which community samples of girls were followed prospectively from early in life (5 years) to approximately age 18. Greater exposure to father absence was strongly associated with elevated risk for early sexual activity and adolescent pregnancy. This elevated risk was either not explained (in the U.S. study) or only partly explained (in the New Zealand study) by familial, ecological, and personal disadvantages associated with father absence. After controlling for covariates, there was stronger and more consistent evidence of effects of father absence on early sexual activity and teenage pregnancy than on other behavioral or mental health problems or academic achievement. Effects of father absence are discussed in terms of life‐course adversity, evolutionary psychology, social learning, and behavior genetic models.
Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? Preference for Auditory Modality in Young Children
Authors: Sloutsky Vladimir M. , Napolitano Amanda C.
Published: May 2003

Linguistic labels play an important role in young children's conceptual organization: When 2 entities share a label, people expect these entities to share many other properties. Two classes of explanations of the importance of labels seem plausible: a language‐specific and a general auditory explanation. The general auditory explanation argues that the importance of labels stems from a privileged processing status of auditory input (as compared with visual input) for young children. This hypothesis was tested and supported in 4 experiments. When auditory and visual stimuli were presented separately, 4‐year‐olds were likely to process both kinds of stimuli, whereas when auditory and visual stimuli were presented simultaneously, 4‐year‐olds were more likely to process auditory stimuli than visual stimuli.
A Longitudinal Study of Mathematical Competencies in Children With Specific Mathematics Difficulties Versus Children With Comorbid Mathematics and Reading Difficulties
Authors: Jordan Nancy C. , Hanich Laurie B. , Kaplan David
Published: May 2003

Mathematical competencies of 180 children were examined at 4 points between 2nd and 3rd grades (age range between 7 and 9 years). Children were initially classified into one of 4 groups: math difficulties but normal reading (MD only), math and reading difficulties (MD–RD), reading difficulties but normal math (RD only), and normal achievement in math and reading (NA). The groups did not differ significantly in rate of development. However, at the end of 3rd grade the MD only group performed better than the MD–RD group in problem solving but not in calculation. The NA and RD only groups performed better than the MD–RD group in most areas. Deficiencies in fact mastery and calculation fluency, in particular, are defining features of MD, with or without RD.
The Effects of a Time‐Limited Welfare Program on Children: The Moderating Role of Parents' Risk of Welfare Dependency
Authors: Morris Pamela , Bloom Dan , Kemple James , Hendra Richard
Published: May 2003

This study examined the effect of a time‐limited welfare program on school‐age children using data on almost 3,000 children (ages 5–17 at the four year follow up‐point) from the random assignment evaluation of Florida's Family Transition Program (FTP). FTP was one of the first welfare reform initiatives to impose a time limit on the receipt of cash assistance, and it combined the time limit with a rich array of mandatory services. The effects of FTP on children were moderated by families' risk of long‐term welfare dependency. Contrary to predictions laid out at the outset, there were few effects of FTP on middle childhood and adolescent children for children of parents most likely to be long‐term welfare dependent (those most likely to hit the time limit). However, consistent negative effects on this same age group of children were found for children of parents least likely to be long‐term welfare dependent—parents who had the largest employment gains—and effects of FTP were most strongly negative for the oldest adolescent children. The findings suggest a different theoretical model for movements into employment than the one suggested in the previous literature for job loss. The findings are discussed in terms of their contribution to research and policy.
The Relations of Parenting, Effortful Control, and Ego Control to Children's Emotional Expressivity
Authors: Eisenberg Nancy , Zhou Qing , Losoya Sandra H. , Fabes Richard A. , Shepard Stephanie A. , Murphy Bridget C. , Reiser Mark , Guthrie Ivanna K. , Cumberland Amanda
Published: May 2003

The relations of observed parental warmth and positive expressivity and children's effortful control and ego control with children's high versus low emotional expressivity were examined in a 2‐wave study of 180 children (M age = 112.8 months). There were quadratic relations between adults' reports of children's emotional expressivity and effortful control; moderate expressivity was associated with high effortful control. Structural equation models supported the hypothesis that children's ego overcontrol (versus undercontrol) mediated the relation between parental warmth or positive expressivity and children's emotional expressivity, although parenting at the follow‐up did not uniquely predict in children's expressivity after controlling for the relations in these constructs over time. The alternative hypothesis that children's ego overcontrol elicited positive parenting and expressivity also was supported.
Early Representational Insight: Twenty‐Four‐Month‐Olds Can Use a Photo to Find an Object in the World
Authors: Suddendorf Thomas
Published: May 2003

The research reported here shows that under certain circumstances even 24‐month‐old children can display representational insight. Seventy‐nine children participated in 3 studies in which a photo or video presentation could be used to guide their search for a hidden object. Studies 1 and 2 replicated earlier findings of chance performance levels across 4 trials. However, on their first trial, 24‐month‐olds performed above chance in 3 of 4 conditions in these experiments. Study 3 therefore presented children not with the typical 4 trials in 1 room, but with 1 trial each in 4 different rooms. This manipulation ruled out perseveration errors and resulted in above‐chance performance in average mean retrieval rates. These results call for first‐trial reanalyses of earlier studies.
A Longitudinal Investigation of the Dynamics of Mental State Talk in Families
Authors: Jenkins Jennifer M. , Turrell Sheri L. , Kogushi Yuiko , Lollis Susan , Ross Hildy S.
Published: May 2003

Thirty‐seven mothers and fathers were observed in their homes interacting with their 2‐ and 4‐year‐old‐children at Time 1 and 2 years later. Parental mental state talk to children varied as a function of children's age, the context in which talk occurred, and the gender of the parent. Four‐year‐old children, with an older sibling, produced and heard more cognitive talk and less desire talk than children without an older sibling. Cognitive and feeling talk by family members at Time 1 predicted change in younger children's cognitive and feeling talk (respectively) 2 years later, after controlling for initial levels of younger children's talk and general language ability. Findings are discussed in the context of theory of mind understanding and family talk about the mind.
Young Children's Play Qualities in Same‐, Other‐, and Mixed‐Sex Peer Groups
Authors: Fabes Richard A. , Martin Carol Lynn , Hanish Laura D.
Published: May 2003

This research examined how children's play varied as a function of the sex of the child, the sex of the play partner, and whether they played in dyads or groups. Children (mean age = 52 months) were observed during their free play. Data revealed that boys' same‐sex play was more active‐forceful, further from adults, and more stereotyped than girls' play, and that this pattern was generally exaggerated in groups versus dyads. Children rarely played only with children of the other sex (other‐sex peers), but about one fourth of their interactions involved children of both sexes (mixed‐sex peers). Compared with same‐ or dyadic other‐sex play, mixed‐sex play was more likely to occur near adults, and was intermediate in active‐forceful and stereotyped activity choices. Findings confirmed that children's experiences in peer groups vary depending on the sex of the child and sex of play partners.
Nonshared Environmental Influences on Individual Differences in Early Behavioral Development: A Monozygotic Twin Differences Study
Authors: Asbury Kathryn , Dunn Judith F. , Pike Alison , Plomin Robert
Published: May 2003

The monozygotic (MZ) twin differences method was used to investigate nonshared environmental (NSE) influences independent of genetics. Four‐year‐old MZ twin pairs (N= 2,353) were assessed by their parents on 2 parenting measures (harsh parental discipline and negative parental feelings) and 4 behavioral measures (anxiety, prosocial behavior, hyperactivity, and conduct problems). Within‐pair differences in parenting correlated significantly with MZ differences in behavior, with an average effect size of 3%. For the extreme 10% of the parenting‐discordant and behavior‐discordant distributions, the average NSE effect size was substantially greater (11%), suggesting a stronger NSE relationship for more discordant twins. NSE relationships were also stronger in higher risk environments, that is, families with lower socioeconomic status, greater family chaos, or greater maternal depression.
Children's Perseverative Appearance–Reality Errors Are Related to Emerging Language Skills
Authors: Deák Gedeon O. , Ray Shanna D. , Brenneman Kimberly
Published: May 2003

Two experiments explored the communicative bases of preschoolers' object appearance–reality (AR) errors. In Experiment 1, 3‐, 4‐, and 5‐year‐olds (N= 36) completed the AR test (with high‐ and low‐deceptive objects), a control test with the same discourse structure but nondeceptive stimuli, and stimulus naming and memory tests. AR performance correlated positively with control (discourse) and naming test performance. Object deceptiveness had little effect. In Experiment 2, 3‐ and 4‐year‐olds (N= 64) completed AR tests that experimentally varied question phrasing and use of exemplar objects. Children also completed memory, vocabulary, and control tests (of verbal perseveration). AR performance variance was predicted by a composite perseveration score from three non‐AR tasks, vocabulary, and exemplars. The results indicate that the discourse structure of the AR test elicits a perseverative tendency that is mediated by children's verbal knowledge.
Party Politics and the Common Good in Swedish Local Government
Authors: Bäck Henry
Published: May 2003

Local government in Sweden is usually classified as the northwest European type of local government, together with the local government systems of the other Nordic countries and Britain. In the 1990s and the early years of the new millennium, Swedish local government has been especially susceptible to the ideas of ‘new public management’ (NPM). At the same time there has been a long‐ongoing trend of increasing party‐politicisation of local councils. In this paper a selection of five local authorities are examined in order to see how party politics and party‐politicisation are confronted by the new organisational doctrines. It is concluded that in this respect the doctrines guiding local government organisation can be characterised by three common traits: the legitimacy of particular interests is denied in favour of the common good of the locality; it is denied that conflict and competition between political parties perform any democratic function; finally, when it comes to the relation between politics and administration there is a common confession of the management‐by‐objectives doctrine. Somewhat surprisingly, these three principles guide organisation and politics not only in those authorities most enthusiastically adopting NPM but also in the authorities implementing organisational reforms based on more communitarian principles and even organisationally conservative municipalities not even considering any organisational change. One interpretation of this contradictory observation may be that NPM concepts and ideas have also found their way into local doctrines that are based on quite different principles. Another interpretation is that there is a consensus tradition in Swedish political culture that can also account for similar results in municipalities not explicitly introducing an apolitical organisation doctrine.
Nested multiple imputation of NMES via partially incompatible MCMC
Authors: Rubin Donald B.
Published: May 2003

The multiple imputation of the National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES) involved the use of two new techniques, both having potentially broad applicability. The first is to use distributionally incompatible MCMC (Markov Chain Monte Carlo), but to apply it only partially, to impute the missing values that destroy a monotone pattern, thereby limiting the extent of incompatibility. The second technique is to split the missing data into two parts, one that is much more computationally expensive to impute than the other, and create several imputations of the second part for each of the first part, thereby creating nested multiple imputations with their increased inferential efficiency.
Multiple Imputation in Multivariate Problems When the Imputation and Analysis Models Differ
Authors: Schafer Joseph L.
Published: May 2003

Bayesian multiple imputation (MI) has become a highly useful paradigm for handling missing values in many settings. In this paper, I compare Bayesian MI with other methods – maximum likelihood, in particular—and point out some of its unique features. One key aspect of MI, the separation of the imputation phase from the analysis phase, can be advantageous in settings where the models underlying the two phases do not agree.
A toolkit in SAS for the evaluation of multiple imputation methods
Authors: Brand Jaap P.L. , van Buuren Stef , Groothuis‐Oudshoorn Karin , Gelsema Edzard S.
Published: May 2003

This paper outlines a strategy to validate multiple imputation methods. Rubin's criteria for proper multiple imputation are the point of departure. We describe a simulation method that yields insight into various aspects of bias and efficiency of the imputation process. We propose a new method for creating incomplete data under a general Missing At Random (MAR) mechanism. Software implementing the validation strategy is available as a SAS/IML module. The method is applied to investigate the behavior of polytomous regression imputation for categorical data.
List augmentation with model based multiple imputation: a case study using a mixed‐outcome factor model
Authors: Kamakura Wagner A. , Wedel Michel
Published: May 2003

This study concerns list augmentation in direct marketing. List augmentation is a special case of missing data imputation. We review previous work on the mixed outcome factor model and apply it for the purpose of list augmentation. The model deals with both discrete and continuous variables and allows us to augment the data for all subjects in a company's transaction database with soft data collected in a survey among a sample of those subjects. We propose a bootstrap‐based imputation approach, which is appealing to use in combination with the factor model, since it allows one to include estimation uncertainty in the imputation procedure in a simple, yet adequate manner. We provide an empirical case study of the performance of the approach to a transaction data base of a bank.
A Non‐Iterative Bayesian Approach to Statistical Matching
Authors: Rässler Susanne
Published: May 2003

Data fusion or statistical matching techniques merge datasets from different survey samples to achieve a complete but artificial data file which contains all variables of interest. The merging of datasets is usually done on the basis of variables common to all files, but traditional methods implicitly assume conditional independence between the variables never jointly observed given the common variables. Therefore we suggest using model based approaches tackling the data fusion task by more flexible procedures. By means of suitable multiple imputation techniques, the identification problem which is inherent in statistical matching is reflected. Here a non‐iterative Bayesian version of Rubin's implicit regression model is presented and compared in a simulation study with imputations from a data augmentation algorithm as well as an iterative approach using chained equations.
Methods for Handling Dropouts in Longitudinal Clinical Trials
Authors: Fitzmaurice Garrett M.
Published: May 2003

This paper focuses on the monotone missing data patterns produced by dropouts and presents a review of the statistical literature on approaches for handling dropouts in longitudinal clinical trials. A variety of ad hoc procedures for handling dropouts are widely used. The rationale for many of these procedures is not well‐founded and they can result in biased estimates of treatment comparisons. A fundamentally difficult problem arises when the probability of dropout is thought to be related to the specific value that in principle should have been obtained; this is often referred to asinformativeornon‐ignorabledropout. Joint models for the longitudinal outcomes and the dropout times have been proposed in order to make corrections for non‐ignorable dropouts. Two broad classes of joint models are reviewed:selectionmodels andpattern‐mixturemodels. Finally, when there are dropouts in a longitudinal clinical trial the goals of the analysis need to be clearly specified. In this paper we review the main distinctions between a ‘‘pragmatic’’ and an ‘‘explanatory’’ analysis. We note that many of the procedures for handling dropouts that are widely used in practice come closest to producing an explanatory rather than a pragmatic analysis.
A Random Effects Transition Model For Longitudinal Binary Data With Informative Missingness
Authors: Albert Paul S. , Follmann Dean A.
Published: May 2003

Understanding the transitions between disease states is often the goal in studying chronic disease. These studies, however, are typically subject to a large amount of missingness either due to patient dropout or intermittent missed visits. The missing data is often informative since missingness and dropout are usually related to either an individual's underlying disease process or the actual value of the missed observation. Our motivating example is a study of opiate addiction that examined the effect of a new treatment on thrice‐weekly binary urine tests to assess opiate use over follow‐up. The interest in this opiate addiction clinical trial was to characterize the transition pattern of opiate use (in each treatment arm) as well as to compare both the marginal probability of a positive urine test over follow‐up and the time until the first positive urine test between the treatment arms. We develop a shared random effects model that links together the propensity of transition between states and the probability of either an intermittent missed observation or dropout. This approach allows for heterogeneous transition and missing data patterns between individuals as well as incorporating informative intermittent missing data and dropout. We compare this new approach with other approaches proposed for the analysis of longitudinal binary data with informative missingness.
Sensitivity Analysis of Continuous Incomplete Longitudinal Outcomes
Authors: Molenberghs Geert , Thijs Herbert , Kenward Michael G. , Verbeke Geert
Published: May 2003

Even though models for incomplete longitudinal data are in common use, they are surrounded with problems, largely due to the untestable nature of the assumptions one has to make regarding the missingness mechanism. Two extreme views on how to deal with this problem are (1) to avoid incomplete data altogether and (2) to construct ever more complicated joint models for the measurement and missingness processes. In this paper, it is argued that a more versatile approach is to embed the treatment of incomplete data within a sensitivity analysis. Several such sensitivity analysis routes are presented and applied to a case study, the milk protein trial analyzed before byDiggle and Kenward (1994). Apart from the use of local influence methods, some emphasis is put on pattern‐mixture modeling. In the latter case, it is shown how multiple‐imputation ideas can be used to define a practically feasible modeling strategy.
Density estimation in the uniform deconvolution model
Authors: Groeneboom P. , Jongbloed G.
Published: May 2003

We consider the problem of estimating a probability density function based on data that are corrupted by noise from a uniform distribution. The (nonparametric) maximum likelihood estimator for the corresponding distribution function is well defined. For the density function this is not the case. We study two nonparametric estimators for this density. The first is a type of kernel density estimate based on the empirical distribution function of the observable data. The second is a kernel density estimate based on the MLE of the distribution function of the unobservable (uncorrupted) data.
Educating the pupil voice
Authors: Quicke John
Published: May 2003

In this article John Quicke shares his concern to promote the active participation of pupils in their schools and communities. Here he argues strongly that an inclusive philosophy requires an interactionist view of learning. However, he considers that we have much yet to learn about how to identify pupils' views of learning and how these views may be encouraged to become ‘broader, more reflective and more compatible with an inclusive view of learning.’
Citizenship and special educational needs: what are you going to do about teaching them to vote?
Authors: Pavey Barbara
Published: May 2003

In the light of current Citizenship initiatives, Barbara Pavey explores post‐16 Citizenship teaching and learning with particular reference to helping young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to use their democratic right to vote. She concludes that these potential voters could be effectively disenfranchised by the lack of attention paid to this area.
‘It's really hard, this dictation business’: observations on the use of an amanuensis in examinations
Authors: Collins Elizabeth
Published: May 2003

Ensuring that their students have appropriate ‘special arrangements’ for their public examinations can be a very rewarding aspect of the SENCO role. Elizabeth Collins' illuminating study based on her own experience with two A level students will be read with great interest by all those who have ever had to plan and oversee the work of an amanuensis and pondered, as she does here, on their observations.
The National Literacy Strategy: teacher knowledge, skills and beliefs, and impact on progress
Authors: Crawford Janet
Published: May 2003

In this article Janet Crawford explores teachers' views of the National Literacy Strategy as they have developed over the first three years of its implementation. She concludes that, while attitudes towards the NLS have become more positive, the need for strong support and high quality training for teachers continues.
Early intervention in the home for children at risk of reading failure
Authors: Fielding‐Barnsley Ruth , Purdie Nola
Published: May 2003

In this study, Ruth Fielding‐Barnsley and Nola Purdie evaluate the effects of an eight‐week dialogic reading intervention with an experimental group of 26 at‐risk children in the year prior to formal schooling. The results on measures of literacy taken during the first year of formal schooling, compared with results of a control group of 23 children, will encourage all those working to involve families in early intervention.
Video material as a support to developing effective collaboration between teachers and teaching assistants
Authors: Pearson Sue , Chambers Gary , Hall Ken
Published: May 2003

At a time of rapid development in the role of teaching assistants and of corresponding increase in their numbers, studies of how TAs and teachers collaborate are particularly welcome. In this article, Sue Pearson, Gary Chambers and Ken Hall explore the potential of video recordings as a tool in joint professional development.
Power and territoriality: a study of Moroccan women in Antwerp
Authors: Peleman Katleen
Published: May 2003

Muslim women's participation in Western society is hampered by specific restrictions. This paper, based on qualitative interviews in an ethnic neighbourhood in Antwerp, Belgium, focuses on Moroccan women's participation in leisure activities and their noncommittal use of public space. The paper demonstrates that the difficulties Moroccan women experience in undertaking activities out of the house result from the territorial behaviour of dominant groups wishing to maintain existing power relations. Collins’ matrix of domination is used, into which is integrated Islam, to conceptualise the dominance relations involved. Spatial strategies in the neighbourhood are analysed by means of Sack's human territoriality theory. The author concludes that Sack's theory is well suited to the analysis of territoriality at a neighbourhood level, if his centralised power concept is replaced by a more fragmented one, accounting for both dominance and resistance. In this development of resistance, borders and geographical scale, both neglected by Sack, play a crucial role.