On a mixture vector autoregressive model

The authors show how to extend univariate mixture autoregressive models to a multivariate time series context. Similar to the univariate case, the multivariate model consists of a mixture of stationary or nonstationary autoregressive components. The authors give the first and second order stationarity conditions for a multivariate case up to order 2. They also derive the second order stationarity condition for the univariate mixture model up to arbitrary order. They describe an EM algorithm for estimation, as well as a diagnostic checking procedure. They study the performance of their method via simulations and include a real application.     

The Common Assessment Framework: does the reality match the rhetoric?

The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is an important part of the procedures envisaged in the government's Every Child Matters: Change for Children (ECM: CFC) programme. Implementation of CAF, in particular, raises many important questions, not least those arising from the inconsistencies apparent between government rhetoric around the development of multi‐agency services provided to all children with ‘additional’ needs and the actual experiences of children, young people, parents/carers and practitioners in ‘real world’ situations. This paper explores the extent to which the actions of practitioners and the experiences of service users with regard to CAF mirror or differ from those which would be expected in view of the content of government guidance and policy documents. The data used is taken from an evaluation of CAF processes in two locations in northern England over a period of 6 months. It concludes that very small numbers of children and young people actually received the service; that, despite genuine enthusiasm from practitioners for them to be so, the processes observed could not yet be described as fully ‘child centred’; that fathers were insufficiently involved; and that CAF was, in reality, another service ‘rationed’ according to resources available and according to agencies' priorities.     

新管理主义的评估问题剖析与“第四代评估”理论的借鉴--基于场域视角

高等教育作为一个场域有其自身的关系构型和惯习，本文依据布迪厄场域理论对我国新管理主义的教育评估问题进行了剖析，使我们清楚地认识到新管理主义的评估对高等教育场域的负面影响。“第四代评估”作为西方最新的评估理论，它与高等教育场域的可持续发展有着内在的联系，其全新的哲学范式与建构主义的方法论为我国教育评估问题的破解提供了路径。     

区域活动中师幼互动质量研究

为了深入了解幼儿园区域活动中师幼互动的情况，本研究以《课堂互动评估系统》为研究工具， 采取分层随机抽样的方法在广东省广州市、中山市的40所幼儿园中共选取112个班级为研究样本，对区域活动中师幼互动质量进行研究。研究发现：师幼互动质量在“情感支持（ES）”上得分最高，在“教育支持（IS）”上得分处于很低的水平。鉴于此，提出了提高区域活动中师幼互动质量的策略，即正确认识区域活动的价值，重新定位与集体教学活动的关系；教师做一个积极而敏感的观察者，适时介入；构建生态式区域活动，重视材料投放等，以此提高区域活动中师幼互动质量。     

Network assessment: Design of a framework and indicators for monitoring and self-assessment of a customized gender equality plan in the Mediterranean Engineering Education context

With more than 28 active members, the Mediterranean Engineering Schools Network (RMEI) is the most active network on gender equality in the Mediterranean area. Supported by the HORIZON2020 TARGET project ‘Taking a Reflexive Approach to Gender Equality for Institutional Transformation’, in conceptualizing gender equality learning and system change, the network took a context-specific approach based on a theory of change and other STEM organizational frameworks, to design a self-assessment framework and indicators, considering the systemic view of SDG5 horizontally connected to all SDGs, national context complexity, and transdisciplinary requirements. 95 simple, practical, user-friendly indicators were designed, fitting in the specificities of the Mediterranean-Engineering context. The analysis showed that the network realized its vision, made the ‘passage’ from theory to praxis on gender equality change, effectively developed meaningful processes/structures, formulated a policy statement, built a community of practice and inspired members. It also achieved trustful relationships and inspired outputs, effective communication, sharing of information and resources, and top management commitment. Critical aspects are a) the analysis in depth of issues linked to the existence of gender-based stereotypes and bias in engineering schools of the Mediterranean that entails tackling gender ideologies considering the whole national social system and existing structures; b) sustainability of gender equality structures created at the member institutions with the support of TARGET project which is depending on the willingness of institution’s leaders to continue/advance with gender-sensitive strategies in their institution.     

Views of a Structured Assessment Tool for Observing Practice

Assessment of learning in practice through observation is a key part of social work training in the UK. There is no evidence of systematic dissemination or evaluation of observation tools in social work training. The Assessment of Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS-CETL) programme developed observation tools intended to provide comprehensive assessment through the collection of analytic student reflection, alongside commentary from practice assessor, professional colleague and service user. These ALPS tools were further developed to include specific social work assessment criteria. The purpose of this study was to establish student and practice assessor views about how the tools had been used and to understand their effectiveness, or otherwise, in practice. Through analysis of student focus groups, practice assessor interviews and completed ALPS tools, this paper evaluates the use of the social work adapted ALPS tools on an undergraduate social work programme in an English university. The findings of this study support the view that the ALPS tools can be used to promote reflective writing and support students in obtaining formative and summative evidence of their progress. In addition the tools appear to promote a student-led process of observational assessment thereby potentially helping to address the issue of power in the student/assessor relationship.     

Validating the Psychosocial Weil-Being Scale (PSWS) with Community Clients

Abstract

Brief, reliable and valid multidimensional tools are needed for routine assessment and evaluation by case managers and other practitioners working in community support programs with clients who abuse alcohol and other drugs. The Psycho-Social Weil-Being Scale was developed as part of a survey of two hundred and ninety-seven community clients for whom case managers assigned psychosocial ratings based on multiple sources of clinical data. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated good initial construct validity for the two-factor scale (psychological and social well-being), good internal consistency ratings, and good evidence of concurrent validity with substance abuse indices and other psychiatric indicators. Implications for further development and application of the scale are discussed.     

An application of lomax distributions in receiver operating characteristic(roc)curve analysis

Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves are useful for studying the performance of diagnostic tests. ROC curves occur in many fields of applications including psychophysics, quality control and medical diagnostics. In practical situations, often the responses to a diagnostic test are classified into a number of ordered categories. Such data are referred to as ratings data. It is typically assumed that the underlying model is based on a continuous probability distribution. The ROC curve is then constructed from such data using this probability model. Properties of the ROC curve are inherited from the model. Therefore, understanding the role of different probability distributions in ROC modeling is an interesting and important area of research. In this paper the Lomax distribution is considered as a model for ratings data and the corresponding ROC curve is derived. The maximum likelihood estimation procedure for the related parameters is discussed. This procedure is then illustrated in the analysis of a neurological data example.