Measuring up: Academic performance of Canadian immigrant children in reading,mathematics, and science

Using the Canadian sample from the Programme for International Student Assessment, this study examined the effects of student and school characteristics on academic achievement of immigrant and non-immigrant students. No differences were found in mathematics achievement, but non-immigrant students outperformed immigrant students in both reading and science achievement. At the student level, there was more gender equity in academic achievement among immigrant than non-immigrant students. Socioeconomic inequity was related to fathers among immigrant students but to both mothers and fathers among non-immigrant students. Home language had weaker effects among immigrant than non-immigrant students. At the school level, teacher-student ratio, teacher morale, and academic pressure were predictors for immigrant students, whereas disciplinary climate for non-immigrant students. Non-immigrant students demonstrated tremendous regional differences that were absent among immigrant students.     

我国城市居民消费心理预期的结构及其影响因素研究

本研究采用自编《消费心理预期结构问卷》对1097名城市居民进行了研究,结果表明：1《消费心理预期结构问卷》具有较高的信度和效度;2．消费心理预期由预测经历、信息量、价格知觉水平、信息来源与渠道,以及预测依据等5个因素构成;3．现阶段,我国城市居民消费心理预期的一般特点是预期的准确性不高预期的理性化程度尚有待提高;影响消费心理预期结构的主要因素是消费者的性另、年龄、学历、职业和所在城市等变量。     

企业职工的工作价值观特征分析

企业管理者可以借助三种不同的力量来激励和影响职工的工作行为 ,一种是外在的经济力量 ,一种是与工作相关的内在激励 ,还有一种是以人的信念和价值观念为基础的影响力。前两种行为激励是组织行为学研究的传统领域 ,而工作价值观则是近来随着组织文化的兴起而提出的新课题。本研究以企业现场调查为基础 ,分析了企业职工的工作价值观的特点 ,指出工作价值观是由工作行为评价因素、组织集体观念因素和个人要求因素三个方面构成 ,它们与职工的工作动机有着显著的相关。职工的工作价值观还表现出年龄的差异 ,年轻职工 (3 0岁以下 )的工作价值观并不是与年长的职工 (3 0岁及以上 )完全不同 ,他们在工作行为评价因素、组织集体观念因素方面有着共同之处 ,但是他们在考虑问题和判断时 ,思想更复杂 ,更多地考虑个人要求因素。不同所有制企业中的职工 ,其工作价值观也存在着一定的差异 ,其中 ,国有 /集体企业职工的组织集体观念显著地高于外资 /合资企业职工。     

默读汉字词的脑功能偏侧化成像研究

采用读词名的方法 ,对 12名正常大学生 ,运用功能性磁共振成像技术 (fMRI) ,研究了汉字词及假词视觉识别时的脑功能偏侧化现象。实验结果表明 ,汉字词激活左下额区 (BA4 5 )以及右颞叶 (BA2 1、2 2 )、右枕叶 (BA18) ,而假词除额区外表现出广泛的激活。此结果显示除左脑半球与汉字词加工密切相关外 ,右脑半球在汉字词加工中有一定参与但其确切作用有待进一步研究     

一种基于Q矩阵理论朴素的认知诊断方法

现有的认知诊断方法均是在复杂的统计测量学知识基础上构建的, 需要经过大量的运算才可实现对被试的诊断分类。这使得相关研究者及一线教师在理解和运用某一认知诊断方法时困难重重。相比之下, 孙佳楠、张淑梅、辛涛和包钰(2011)提出的广义距离判别法(GDD)较其他认知诊断方法更简单易用且分类准确率高。本研究在改进的Q矩阵理论(丁树良, 祝玉芳, 林海菁, 蔡艳, 2009; 丁树良, 杨淑群, 汪文义, 2010)的基础上, 借鉴GDD的思路, 提出一种无需进行参数估计的朴素的认知诊断方法, 即海明距离判别法(HDD)。根据判别方式的不同将其分为R方法和B方法。采用Monte Carlo模拟的研究方法, 以模式判准率(PMR)和属性平均判准率(AAMR)作为衡量被试知识状态分类准确率的指标, 与GDD进行比较。结果表明, HDD具有更简便的操作步骤和更好的分类准确率。     

A diagnostic tree model for polytomous responses with multiple strategies

Constructed-response items have been shown to be appropriate for cognitively diagnostic assessments because students’ problem-solving procedures can be observed, providing direct evidence for making inferences about their proficiency. However, multiple strategies used by students make item scoring and psychometric analyses challenging. This study introduces the so-called two-digit scoring scheme into diagnostic assessments to record both students’ partial credits and their strategies. This study also proposes a diagnostic tree model (DTM) by integrating the cognitive diagnosis models with the tree model to analyse the items scored using the two-digit rubrics. Both convergent and divergent tree structures are considered to accommodate various scoring rules. The MMLE/EM algorithm is used for item parameter estimation of the DTM, and has been shown to provide good parameter recovery under varied conditions in a simulation study. A set of data from TIMSS 2007 mathematics assessment is analysed to illustrate the use of the two-digit scoring scheme and the DTM.     

Consume More,Work Longer,and Be Unhappy: Possible Social Roots of Economic Crisis?

Applied Research in Quality of Life - According to the Negative Endogenous Growth (NEG) model, economic systems are susceptible to economic crises because they produce wealth from the erosion of...     

Assessing potential effects of daily cross-domain usage of information and communication technologies

ABSTRACT

A within-person diary research design with 39 full-time workers was used to examine the effects of daily cross-domain usage of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on job-related performance and stress in both workplace and home domains. Segmentation preference effects on links between cross-domain ICT usage and both job performance and job stress were also analyzed. A positive association was found for the first relationship in mixed home-workplace contexts, and a negative association for the second in home contexts only. A stronger segmentation preference effect on the negative relationship between cross-domain ICT usage and job stress was found for integrators (employees who integrate work and home domains) compared to separators (employees who separate work/non-work activities). Our findings suggest that daily cross-domain ICT usage can enhance job performance and reduce job stress, with a moderating effect of segmentation preference on the link between cross-domain ICT usage and job stress.     

An empirical Q-matrix validation method for the sequential generalized DINA model

As a core component of most cognitive diagnosis models, the Q-matrix, or item and attribute association matrix, is typically developed by domain experts, and tends to be subjective. It is critical to validate the Q-matrix empirically because a misspecified Q-matrix could result in erroneous attribute estimation. Most existing Q-matrix validation procedures are developed for dichotomous responses. However, in this paper, we propose a method to empirically detect and correct the misspecifications in the Q-matrix for graded response data based on the sequential generalized deterministic inputs, noisy ‘and’ gate (G-DINA) model. The proposed Q-matrix validation procedure is implemented in a stepwise manner based on the Wald test and an effect size measure. The feasibility of the proposed method is examined using simulation studies. Also, a set of data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 mathematics assessment is analysed for illustration.