Evaluation of Student Performance through a Multidimensional Finite Mixture IRT Model

In the Italian academic system, a student can enroll for an exam immediately after the end of the teaching period or can postpone it; in this second case the exam result is missing. We propose an approach for the evaluation of a student performance throughout the course of study, accounting also for nonattempted exams. The approach is based on an item response theory model that includes two discrete latent variables representing student performance and priority in selecting the exams to take. We explicitly account for nonignorable missing observations as the indicators of attempted exams also contribute to measure the performance (within-item multidimensionality). The model also allows for individual covariates in its structural part.     

Describing Trajectories of Homeless Service Use in Hawai‘i Using Latent Class Growth Analysis

The State of Hawai‘i, like many other areas across the United States, has large numbers of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, many of whom seek support through statewide shelters and services. This study explored the diversity of ways in which individuals and families moved through Hawai‘i's homeless service system. Using administrative data, a cohort of new service users was tracked across time to trace the developmental trajectories of their homeless service use. The sample consisted of adults who had entered the service system for the first time in the fiscal year (FY) of 2010 (N = 4655). These individuals were then tracked through the end of FY 2014, as they used emergency shelter, transitional shelter, and outreach services. A latent class growth analysis was conducted and identified four distinct patterns of service use: low service use (n = 3966, 85.2%); typical transitional shelter use (n = 452, 9.7%); atypical transitional use (n = 127, 2.7%), and potential chronic service use (n = 110, 2.4%). Multinomial logistic regression models were then used to determine if select demographic, family, background experience (e.g., education, employment), or health variables were associated with class membership. The distinct profiles for class membership are discussed.     

社会公正对权威合法性的影响:社会阶层的调节作用

社会层面中的权威合法性研究是国内外学者和管理实践者近来关注的重要问题。而社会公正的两个维度——分配公正和程序公正对权威合法性的交互作用的结果并不一致。本研究基于解释水平理论,提出社会阶层能调节分配公正和程序公正对权威合法性感知的交互作用,并通过实验室研究和情境启动两种方法进行验证。结果发现对低阶层者来说,无论是否程序公正,分配公正能显著提高个体的权威合法性感知;在分配公正和多得不公条件下,程序公正显著降低权威合法性感知。对高阶层者来说,分配公正能显著提高程序公正时的权威合法性感知;程序公正能显著提高分配公正时的权威合法性感知。研究结果启示社会管理者在推行依法治国时应针对不同阶层民众的思维方式采取管理策略。     

Contrastive Constraints Guide Explanation‐Based Category Learning

This paper provides evidence for a contrastive account of explanation that is motivated by pragmatic theories that recognize the contribution that context makes to the interpretation of a prompt for explanation. This study replicates the primary findings of previous work in explanation‐based category learning (Williams & Lombrozo, 2010), extending that work by illustrating the critical role of the context in this type of learning. Participants interacted with items from two categories either by describing the items or explaining their category membership. We manipulated the feature overlap between the categories and examined both the explanations generated and acquired knowledge of the categories. Explanations for membership in a given category were influenced by the unprompted contrast category, indicating an important role for contrastive processing in the generation of explanations. The influence of the contrast category was similarly seen in the transfer performance of the participants.     

A first-principles study of the formation of θ′′ phase in Al–Cu alloys

The θ′′-Al₃Cu phase plays an important role in the precipitation process of Al–Cu alloys. This phase has a sandwich structure—every two {200}_Cu layers are separated by three {200}_Al layers. To analyse the formation mechanism of this structure, the elastic strain energy of the {200}_Cu and {200}_Al layers, and the chemical bonding energy that reflects the interaction between the electrons in Cu and neighbouring Al atoms are calculated and analysed by first-principles calculations, projected density of states and Bader analysis. Our computation results reveal that this sandwich structure is energetically preferred in the competition of elastic strain and chemical bonding energies. To minimise the elastic strain energy of {200}_Al and {200}_Cu layers, the {200}_Cu layers prefer being apart from each other, whereas the chemical bonding energy favours the opposite arrangement because the intermetallic bond between Al and Cu atoms may form through p-d hybridization.     

Why We Do What We Do When We Teach Pastoral Theology at United Theological College (UTC), Sydney

This paper seeks to reflect in a narrative way on the pedagogical processes involved in teaching pastoral theology at United Theological College, Sydney. The paper recognizes that the process of learning pastoral theology is a significant part of the content learned in pastoral theology. The learning process in pastoral theology also contributes to (trans)formational learning in those being formed for ministry. The paper seeks to contribute to the community of pastoral theologians by reflecting on the experience of teaching within a particular school.     

Higher-order latent trait models for cognitive diagnosis

Higher-order latent traits are proposed for specifying the joint distribution of binary attributes in models for cognitive diagnosis. This approach results in a parsimonious model for the joint distribution of a high-dimensional attribute vector that is natural in many situations when specific cognitive information is sought but a less informative item response model would be a reasonable alternative. This approach stems from viewing the attributes as the specific knowledge required for examination performance, and modeling these attributes as arising from a broadly-defined latent trait resembling theϑ of item response models. In this way a relatively simple model for the joint distribution of the attributes results, which is based on a plausible model for the relationship between general aptitude and specific knowledge. Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms for parameter estimation are given for selected response distributions, and simulation results are presented to examine the performance of the algorithm as well as the sensitivity of classification to model misspecification. An analysis of fraction subtraction data is provided as an example. This research was funded by National Institute of Health grant R01 CA81068. We would like to thank William Stout and Sarah Hartz for many useful discussions, three anonymous reviewers for helpful comments and suggestions, and Kikumi Tatsuoka and Curtis Tatsuoka for generously sharing data.     

Towards a Sociological turn in Contextualist Moral Philosophy

Contextualist moral philosophers criticise hands-off liberal theories of justice for abstracting from the cultural context in which people make choices. Will Kymlicka and Joseph Carens, for example, demonstrate that these theories are disadvantageous to cultural minorities who want to pursue their own way of life. I argue that Pierre Bourdieu's critique of moral reason radicalises contextualist moral philosophy by giving it a sociological turn. In Bourdieu's view it is not enough to provide marginalised groups or subgroups with equal access to public institutions and specific cultural rights—in some cases this may in fact be detrimental. He contends that scientists, politicians and other intellectuals have a duty to take seriously the social presuppositions of free deliberate choice and public opinion and to support cultural minorities with instruments to liberate themselves from their often precarious situation.     

班级集体效能对初中生学业自我效能与学习倦怠的调节作用

采用学习倦怠、学业自我效能、班级集体效能问卷,选取26个班级的1125名初中生作为被试,运用多层线性模型探讨班级集体效能对学业自我效能与学习倦怠的影响。在控制性别和年级的影响后,结果发现:(1)班级集体效能与学习倦怠具有直接的关联:班级正向联合力越高,则学生的学习成就感越高;班级负向联合力越高,则学生的情绪与生理的消耗越严重;班级优秀成员的效能越高,则其他学生学习的成就感越低,师生关系越疏远、生理消耗越严重;而班级成员的自我效能越高,学生的学习成就感越高、情绪的损耗越小;(2)班级集体效能对学业自我效能与学习倦怠之间的关系具有显著的调节作用:班级的正向和负向联合力越强,则学业自我效能对师生疏离的负向影响就越弱;班级的负向联合力越强,则学业自我效能对情绪耗竭的负向影响就越小;优秀成员效能越高,则学业自我效能对学习低成就感的负向影响就越大;而成员自我效能强,则学业自我效能对师生疏离的负向影响也强。