Design selection for strong orthogonal arrays

Strong orthogonal arrays (SOAs) were recently introduced and studied as a class of space‐filling designs for computer experiments. An important problem that has not been addressed in the literature is that of design selection for such arrays. In this article, we conduct a systematic investigation into this problem, and we focus on the most useful SOA(n,m,4,2 + )s and SOA(n,m,4,2)s. This article first addresses the problem of design selection for SOAs of strength 2+ by examining their three‐dimensional projections. Both theoretical and computational results are presented. When SOAs of strength 2+ do not exist, we formulate a general framework for the selection of SOAs of strength 2 by looking at their two‐dimensional projections. The approach is fruitful, as it is applicable when SOAs of strength 2+ do not exist and it gives rise to them when they do. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 47: 302–314; 2019 © 2019 Statistical Society of Canada     

Effects of urbanization on trust: Evidence from an experiment in the field

I conducted a trust game in the field within a natural experiment paradigm to test the effects of urbanization on both in- and out-group trust. I found that urbanization has a larger positive effect on out-group trust than on in-group trust. My findings provide new knowledge to the literature on the intricacy of the urbanization-trust relationship and contribute to the ongoing discourse on the different foundations underpinning in-group and out-group trust.     

A Boy’s Journey: Public Sociology for in and Out of the Classroom

This essay is a response to Stein (2019; 2020) and his use of lived experience to tell the story of violence and the Holocaust. I discuss these works’ contributions to public sociology and teaching.     

Teaching technologies for immigrant children: an exploratory study of elementary school teachers in Russia*

ABSTRACT

Educational institutions are an important setting where psychological, pedagogical, sociocultural, and language adaptation of immigrant children occurs. A number of teaching strategies, practices, approaches, and methods have been described in the literature. In the Russian context, such strategies have been called ‘technologies’. The purpose of the present exploratory study was to describe teaching technologies used by teachers in Russia when working with immigrant students in elementary schools. Responses of forty-five elementary school teachers to open-ended questions describing technologies they use when teaching children with migration backgrounds were analyzed using content analysis. Findings suggest that Russian elementary school teachers used ethno-cultural group, communicative technologies, games, individualized instruction, and differentiated teaching. Many approaches mentioned can be used inclusively with groups of immigrant and non-immigrant students. Importantly, while teachers supplemented classroom instruction with additional Russian language lessons, none mentioned specific techniques for teaching Russian as a non-native language. These findings are discussed in relation to teaching strategies described in the international literature focused on migrant students. Finally, implications for further research are discussed.     

地方高校推行教师学术休假制度的现实意义与实施策略

教师学术休假是促进教师专业发展的重要形式，是教师自我完善的需要，是提升教师理论水平、科研能力和教学技能的主要手段，是提高教学质量的有效途径。探讨地方高校推行学术休假制的必要性，提出地方高校推行学术休假的建议，对地方高校教师队伍建设具有重要的现实意义。在实施策略上，应注重4个方面：（1）明确参加学术休假的对象主要是教师和教学科研人员；（2）根据教师职业发展的阶段性确定学术休假的时间；（3）合理设置学术休假人员遴选条件，首先应考虑为工作满5年以上的青年教师提供学术休假，其次应考虑为高级职称教师提供学术休假；（4）明确学术休假期间的教师待遇，并加强对学术休假人员的管理。     

Eye-tracking methodology: exploring the processing of question formats in web surveys

In social research, the use of agree/disagree (A/D) questions is a popular method for measuring attitudes. Research has shown that A/D questions require complex cognitive processing and are susceptible to response bias. Thus, some researchers recommend the use of item-specific (IS) questions. This study examines the processing of A/D and IS questions, using eye-tracking methodology. By recording respondents’ eye movements, how respondents process survey questions can be evaluated. The results reveal that IS questions cause more and longer fixations. However, this only applies to the response categories. There are no differences regarding the question stems. Altogether, it seems that IS response categories trigger deeper cognitive processing than A/D response categories.     

信息技术背景下教育教学多维度创新体系研究

“互联网+”、3D打印技术为代表的信息化浪潮已经到来，创新创业教育的已经在全国展开，这既是高等教育教学的挑战，更是不可多得的机遇。为适应信息技术的需求，高等院校要未雨绸缪，及时应对，从创新体系构建信息技术要先行、教育教学创新体系构建要结合学科、专业特点进行、二级学院联动、对教师要求及激励等多个方面探讨信息技术背景下教育教学多维度创新体系。     

Language roulette – the effect of random placement on refugees’ labour market integration

Placement of refugees and subsequent labour market integration within a host country represents a key challenge for policymakers and has emerged as one of the most divisive topics in the public debate. Immigration policy in Switzerland adopts random placement of asylum seekers across its different language regions. Hence, this policy allows to estimate the causal effect of language skills on employment chances, as refugees are exogenously placed across regions where the spoken language could either match or deviate from individual language skills. The results of this ‘natural experiment’ indicate substantially higher probabilities of finding employment when asylum seekers are placed in regions with a lingua franca that matches their individual language skills. Additionally, the findings suggest that language course participation can offset the reduced likelihood of employment in cases of a language mismatch. While random placement of refugees may be desirable for political reasons, it is detrimental to the economic integration process. Thereby, the study draws relevant conclusions for a larger European immigration policy.     

新生代乡村教师的离职意向与政策改进

新生代乡村教师是乡村教育的新生力量和未来的中流砥柱，他们能否安心留在乡村学校从教，关系着乡村教育的可持续发展。为解决乡村教师"留不住"的问题，国务院办公厅于2015年6月发布《乡村教师支持计划（2015-2020年）》，从经济待遇、社会地位、专业发展等方面着手，提出了具体措施。但是通过实证研究发现：当前新生代乡村教师的离职意向仍然普遍存在，尤其是其中的男教师和工作在乡村小学的教师；新时代乡村教师的离职意向，受经济待遇、社会地位、专业发展、个人偏好、乡村文化适应性、家庭和学校支持度、教师教育满意度等多方面因素的影响，其中个人偏好和乡村文化适应性是最主要的影响因素。因此，为了更好地留住新生代乡村教师，仍需在"乡村教师支持计划"现有政策支持的基础上，进一步补充和完善相关的政策措施：（1）重视乡村教师招聘和管理过程中对个人偏好的考察与培育；（2）积极帮助新生代乡村教师适应乡村文化；（3）关心新生代乡村教师的家庭问题，提供帮助和支持；（4）重视乡村学校建设，给予新生代乡村教师更多的组织关怀；（5）出台针对乡村教师的教师教育标准。     

A Shiny Update to an Old Experiment Game

ABSTRACT

Games can be a powerful tool for learning about statistical methodology. Effective game design involves a fine balance between caricature and realism, to simultaneously illustrate salient concepts in a controlled setting and serve as a testament to real-world applicability. Striking that balance is particularly challenging in response surface and design domains, where real-world scenarios often play out over long time scales, during which theories are revised, model and inferential techniques are improved, and knowledge is updated. Here, I present a game, borrowing liberally from one first played over 40 years ago, which attempts to achieve that balance while reinforcing a cascade of topics in modern nonparametric response surfaces, sequential design, and optimization. The game embeds a blackbox simulation within a shiny app whose interface is designed to simulate a realistic information–availability setting, while offering a stimulating, competitive environment wherein students can try out new methodology, and ultimately appreciate its power and limitations. Interface, rules, timing with course material, and evaluation are described, along with a “case study” involving a cohort of students at Virginia Tech. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.