The University: An Agent of Social Change?

Can universities be agents of progressive social change? How would we know if a university was acting as an agent of social change? Drawing on four case studies, I raise a number of questions to problematize our understanding of the university as an agent of social change. I outline a number of contributing factors that appear to explain successful cases. I conclude by arguing the relevancy of these cases for larger, and more traditional, sociological projects.     

Challenges to Connecting Sociology and Service Learning

Service-learning programs are not free from challenges brought about by lack of financial support, lack of widespread commitment from professors, community agencies, and recipients of service, and lack of knowledge and insight in students directly involved in such programs. While service-learning initiatives and programs serve positive functions for organizations and individuals, rhetorical accolades for service learning can distort or omit the realities of program implementation and sustained delivery. This paper specifically explores the following challenges connected to service-learning programs: (1) pedagogical difficulties; (2) student limitations; (3) time constraints; and (4) community cooperation.     

Attracting Micro‐Enterprises To Learning

Micro‐enterprises, i.e. firms with less than 10 employees, are traditionally the hardest to engage in learning; they are also least likely to participate in such measures as business advice and guidance provision and initiatives to support information communication technology (ICT) adoption. Through a community‐based initiative initially targeting parents (unemployed or employed) to participate in ICT, 30 micro‐enterprises were attracted to learning for the first time. These companies had carefully avoided similar initiatives taking place locally, which emphasized business success and growth; they had only participated in this ICT skills training because of their children. The paper takes a case study approach to evaluate the reasons for participation, explores barriers and implications for those organizing similar activities, and calls for a more holistic view of owners and managers of small firms as fathers, mothers, etc. rather than just as ‘entrepreneurs’.     

Risk,trust and knowledge networks in farmers’ learning

This study reports on New Zealand dairy farmers’ access to and use of information as mediated through conditions of risk and trust within the context of their interpersonal social networks. We located participants’ reports of their information use within their perceived environments of trust and risk, following Giddens's [1990. The consequences of modernity. Polity Press, Stanford, CA] typology of trust and risk in pre-modernity and modernity. The research participants were constant users of interpersonal and print information from numerous sources, and monitored their incoming data in the light of strategic needs, reflecting their roles as both farming practitioners and business owners. Socio-spatial knowledge networks (SSKNs) combine individuals’ explanatory cognitive models of information acquisition and use with a micro-geographical analysis of their interpersonal networks. The participants showed characteristics of pre-modern, modern and even post-modern society in respect of their use of complex interactional forms, as well as a blending of individualistic and communitarian practices and concerns in their professional and personal lives.     

Can we rationally learn to coordinate?

In this paper we examine the issue whether individual rationality considerations are sufficient to guarantee that individuals will learn to coordinate. This question is central in any discussion of whether social phenomena (read: conventions) can be explained in terms of a purely individualistic approach. We argue that the positive answers to this general question that have been obtained in some recent work require assumptions which incorporate some convention. This conclusion may be seen as supporting the viewpoint of institutional individualism in contrast to psychological individualism.     

数字素养是乡村生活数字化转型的驱动力吗?——基于山东省1 037位农村居民的调研数据

从数字技术应用素养、数字内容社交素养、数字媒体创新素养和数字安全保护素养4个维度构建农村居民数字素养评价指标体系,探讨数字素养对农村居民数字生活参与的影响效应和作用机制。研究发现,农村居民数字素养总体偏低。数字素养显著正向影响农村居民数字消费、数字文娱、数字出行、数字教育、数字医疗和数字生活参与度。社会网络、社会学习和自我效能感在上述影响中发挥部分中介作用,并且对不同领域数字生活的影响有较显著差异。进一步研究发现,数字素养通过强弱社会关系网络对农村居民各领域数字生活影响存在差异,尤其是弱关系网络对参与复杂数字生活有显著影响。据此提出建立健全数字教育培育体系,提高农村居民自我效能感,统筹协调强、弱社会网络,提升社会学习能力等对策建议。     

基于VARK学习风格的远程社会情感学习课程研究

基于VARK学习风格模型,以对应分析方法对IY、第二步、CKCC和积极行动四门远程社会情感学习课程的研究发现：课程学习风格偏好具有差异,其教学活动体现出不同的风格搭配且混合式学习是实现不同学习风格的主要方式。其中,IY偏好视觉和动觉的学习风格,教学活动主要包括观看视频,然后根据指示进行有道具的情境模拟活动,主要以视频课作为远程教学方式;第二步偏好读写的学习风格,教学活动主要包括阅读图片文字材料,然后完成书写类的作业,主要以数字课程作为实现方式;CKCC同样偏好读写的学习风格,教学活动主要包括教材阅读,同时伴随讨论和讲述,主要以直播课为远程教学方式;积极行动偏好听觉的学习风格,更加注重同伴间的讨论和互动,同样以在线直播课程为远程教学方式。这四门课程为其它远程社会情感学习课程开发提供了借鉴,包括课程特色和教学目标与学习风格需匹配,以及混合式学习促进不同学习风格活动效果。     

美国联邦政府社区“一老一小”代际间互助项目的价值取向与运行机制——美国代理祖父母志愿者项目的经验

美国代理祖父母志愿者项目是借助代际间服务型学习方法,以满足社区需求为导向,利用各类资源实施的一种社区教育和服务活动,旨在改善老年人生活质量,促进老年人和儿童青少年共同发展,构建互利共生社区服务型学习生态。其运行机制包括涵盖招募选拔、志愿者培训、服务实践和绩效评估四个环节及分工明确的协同合作。其项目实践以循证服务模式为依托,项目设计与运行保持了一定的自主性,效果评估体现了综合多维性。美国代理祖父母志愿者项目可以为我国发挥社区作用,推动社区教育发展,促进养老托幼一体化服务建设,构建互利共生的服务型学习生态提供参考借鉴。     

家庭环境对幼儿学习品质发展的影响——基于34项实证研究的元分析

学习品质是帮助幼儿获得积极学业成就的内在机制,家庭环境是影响幼儿学习品质发展的重要因素。为了深入探究幼儿学习品质与家庭因素之间的关系,本研究运用CMA3.7软件对34项实证研究的相关文献进行元分析。研究结果显示,幼儿学习品质与家庭因素呈现显著正相关。不同学习品质纬度与家庭因素的相关程度存在差异。从高到低排序为：想象与创造、坚持与专注、反思与解释、主动性、好奇心与兴趣。具体而言,家庭经济条件、父母参与程度以及家庭投入与支持对幼儿学习品质发展有显著影响。此外,性别与年龄对幼儿学习品质不同纬度的发展水平具有显著调节效应。主要教育建议：家长应在幼儿学习品质发展的关键时期给予关注,重视与幼儿的亲子互动,提高家庭支持和投入力度,并根据幼儿的个性特点有针对性地培养,从而促进其学习品质均衡发展。     

能源价格波动对中国物价水平的潜在与实际影响

目的/意义原油作为重要的工业原料、大宗商品和战略储备物资,其价格波动对全球经济发展具有重大影响,对原油价格进行预测是能源经济领域的热点研究课题。对国际原油价格预测的主要方法进行系统梳理并展望未来研究方向,有助于该研究领域的纵深发展。设计/方法基于295篇国际期刊文献,对国际油价预测的发展阶段、发表期刊、研究机构等进行归纳总结,然后对近二十年油价预测领域的主要研究方法进行系统梳理和分析,最后对油价预测工作进行评述和趋势展望。结论/发现自2008年金融危机后,油价预测研究快速发展,相关文章主要发表于能源经济领域的权威期刊《Energy Economic》。现有油价预测方法主要包括计量模型、机器学习和混合预测模型。展望未来,利用高频日内交易数据,融合计量和机器学习前沿方法,对原油价格进行区间预测或概率密度预测是值得探索的方向,此外还应深化油价预测结果的实际应用价值。