The Collegiate Learning Assessment: facts and fantasies

The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) is a computer administered, open-ended (as opposed to multiple-choice) test of analytic reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving, and written communication skills. Because the CLA has been endorsed by several national higher education commissions, it has come under intense scrutiny by faculty members, college administrators, testing experts, legislators, and others. This article describes the CLA's measures and what they do and do not assess, how dependably they measure what they claim to measure, and how CLA scores differ from those on other direct and indirect measures of college student learning. For instance, analyses are conducted at the school rather than the student level and results are adjusted for input to assess whether the progress students are making at their school is better or worse than what would be expected given the progress of "similarly situated" students (in terms of incoming ability) at other colleges.     

From "Male Bonding Rituals" to "Suicide Tuesday": A qualitative study of issues faced by gay male ecstasy (MDMA) users

Use of MDMA and other club drugs has increased among gay men, but questions remain concerning the use, context, and popularity of these drugs; and views of their side effects. We interviewed in-depth 12 gay MDMA users in New York. MDMA had specific appeals to gay men, who often described isolation and stigmatization. Users underwent a period of initiation and social networks often became comprised of greater numbers of other users. Club environments fostered drug use and vice versa. Awareness of potential adverse effects varied and was minimized. Appropriate educational and prevention programs are needed to address these issues, and must take into account the specific contexts of these gay men's lives.     

Reassessing racial and socioeconomic disparities in environmental justice research

The number of studies examining racial and socioeconomic disparities in the geographic distribution of environmental hazards and locally unwanted land uses has grown considerably over the past decade. Most studies have found statistically significant racial and socioeconomic disparities associated with hazardous sites. However there is considerable variation in the magnitude of racial and socioeconomic disparities found; indeed, some studies have found none. Uncertainties also exist about the underlying causes of the disparities. Many of these uncertainties can be attributed to the failure of the most widely used method for assessing environmental disparities to adequately account for proximity between the hazard under investigation and nearby residential populations. In this article, we identify the reasons for and consequences of this failure and demonstrate ways of overcoming these shortcomings by using alternate, distance-based methods. Through the application of such methods, we show how assessments about the magnitude and causes of racial and socioeconomic disparities in the distribution of hazardous sites are changed. In addition to research on environmental inequality, we discuss how distance-based methods can be usefully applied to other areas of demographic research that explore the effects of neighborhood context on a range of social outcomes.     

西方学者眼中的马克思主义法社会学

在关于马克思主义法的理论的诸观点中,有一位杰出的保守批评家认为,“在过去10年中,欧洲大陆、英国、南美和澳大利亚理智的马克思主义正在复兴”。那么,人们不禁要问,这一“明显复兴”的起因是什么呢?贝尔尼和昆内伊两位学者介绍了马克思主义者近来有代表性的法学著作,其目的是力图从这些著作中寻找问题的答案。两位学者认为,当代理智的马克思主义法的起源主要存在于刑法     

我为什么要出版电子版学术专著?

在电子版的文献中 ,电子期刊看来发展最快 ,这可能是由于印刷版的学术刊物涨价太快的缘故。所以 ,电子期刊问题特别引起人们的关注。但是 ,对电子版学术专著的重要性也不该低估。从学术专著出版情况看 ,以英国为例 ,在过去 1 0年内(1 985～ 1 995 ) ,学术著作总量从 2 5 0 0 0种增长到45 0 0 0种 (含新版本 )。但目前关于电子版专著的情况在文献中尚未有所反映 ,为此笔者着重对英国学术著作电子版出版情况进行了调查 ,并且与北美进行了比较。在对 80种学术专著和教科书出版社的调查中 ,有 2 3家 (占总数 2 8.75 % )出版了电子版学术专著 ,5 …     

丹托、历史与人类生存的悲剧

历史哲学是当代哲学的灰姑娘,哲学家们从不认为历史哲学家处理的主题关乎任何重大的理论旨趣和紧迫性。在他们眼里,历史哲学关心的问题无非就是哲学家们在别处取得的成果如何能够或者应该怎样运用到历史写作领域中,而且当代历史哲学家在改变其同事所给予的较低评价方面也少有作为。本文将论证丹托在持此种观点的历史哲学家中是一个例外,因为他关于表现的哲学可以帮助我们理解文本是如何与其对象相联系的。(20世纪)语言哲学的主要缺点无疑就是,它从不费心去探究文本的哲学奥秘。历史写作是一座哲学金矿,在这点上我们必须感谢丹托的提醒。     

Time to listen: strategies to improve hospital-based postnatal care

BACKGROUND: In Australia and internationally, women report high levels of dissatisfaction with hospital-based postnatal care. AIM: To design and implement strategies to improve hospital-based postnatal care at a Sydney metropolitan hospital. METHOD: This was an Action Research study. In Phase One, midwives considered the literature and participated in group discussions and interviews to determine their perceptions of postnatal care and the factors that facilitate or hinder the provision of quality care. In Phase Two, midwives participated in 12 working group meetings to design strategies to improve care. RESULTS: Several important principles of postnatal care were described, including building a relationship with women, meeting their individual needs, being flexible in approach and providing continuity of care. 'Listening to women', 'being there,' and 'normalising experiences and expectations' were believed to be critical to achieving these principles. A key strategy 'One to One Time' was designed to provide women with an uninterrupted period of time each day with a midwife who was available to listen to their needs and concerns and discuss issues related to their health and that of their baby. CONCLUSION: Midwives designed and implemented strategies that they believed would improve in-hospital postnatal care.     

A model of substance abuse risk: adapting to the Sri Lankan context

This study translated and validated the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) among 13 to 18 year old Sri Lankan adolescents attending school. A standard systematic translation procedure was followed to translate the original SURPS into Sinhala language. A Delphi process was conducted to determine judgmental validity of Sinhala SURPS. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the translated version against the original theoretical model of the SURPS. Test-retest and internal consistency were used to ensure reliability. A few terms in one of the items posed some difficulty in translating into Sinhala. Adequate judgmental validity was determined except for one item, which was modified to suit the Sri Lankan setting. The four subscales introversion/ hopelessness, impulsivity, sensation seeking and anxiety sensitivity showed satisfactory test-retest reliability estimates of .74, .68, .76, and .88, respectively. The Sinhala SURPS is applicable in Sri Lankan context. Several implications based on the results are discussed.     

即将应用的汽车智能技术

汽车已经过了100多年的发展历史,从诞生的那一天起,它就从未停止过智能化发展的步伐.当前的信息技术革命正在推动汽车设计翻开新的一页,自动化、智能化、多功能将成为未来汽车发展的新趋势.特别是电脑技术、自动控制技术以及现代信息融合技术和通信等高科技与汽车的结合,使未来汽车成为更安全、更方便、更舒适的交通工具.汽车改变了20世纪人类的生活方式,推动了人类社会的进步.如今,即将应用全新智能技术的汽车在21世纪将以更高的速度和效率将人类带入智能信息时代.     

Citizenship rights for immigrants: national political processes and cross-national convergence in western Europe, 1980-2008

Immigrant citizenship rights in the nation-state reference both theories of cross-national convergence and the resilience of national political processes. This article investigates European countries' attribution of rights to immigrants: Have these rights become more inclusive and more similar across countries? Are they affected by EU membership, the role of the judiciary, the party in power, the size of the immigrant electorate, or pressure exerted by anti-immigrant parties? Original data on 10 European countries, 1980-2008, reveal no evidence for cross-national convergence. Rights tended to become more inclusive until 2002, but stagnated afterward. Electoral changes drive these trends: growth of the immigrant electorate led to expansion, but countermobilization by right-wing parties slowed or reversed liberalizations. These electoral mechanisms are in turn shaped by long-standing policy traditions, leading to strong path dependence and the reproduction of preexisting cross-national differences.