A Note on Local Influence Based on Normal Curvature

Object functions other than the likelihood displacement, such as a parameter estimate or a test statistic, can also be used in local influence analysis. The normal curvatures of these object functions have been studied in situations where the slopes were non-zero. In these situations, we show that the normal curvature is not scale invariant and thus ambiguous conclusions will be drawn. Comments on the application of the general normal curvature formula are presented.     

Exploring school ethos: an investigation of children’s human rights in two secondary institutions in Hong Kong

From 2009 to 2011, the authors launched the Basic Law Education Project: Education for Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Hong Kong. This article focuses on a subset of the overarching data-set and discusses the findings that resulted from a comparative analysis of two participating schools. A survey was deployed to assess the extent to which a human rights friendly ethos existed in several institutions. Randomly selected students and all teachers from both schools were invited to participate. The collected data revealed noteworthy trends in mean scores between teachers and students in areas such as equal and fair treatment; protection of and appeal for rights; and feelings of being loved, respected, and blessed. School mission and leadership style appeared to account for significant differences. Additionally, we offer recommendations for practices that may improve human rights ethos in schools.