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• Few perspectives in research on strategy have had as great an impact as Porter's (1980, 1985) framework for strategic positioning. The concepts of cost leadership and differentiation have been used both by practitioners in strategic planning and by scholars as the starting point for empirical studies. This widespread use has probably contributed to the high level of interest in the possibilities and limitations of the perspective. • In this paper, certain central aspects of strategic positioning are examined empirically. The study covers seven business units in two segments of the paper and pulp industry in the Nordic region over a 10-year period from 1991 to 2000. • Among the aspects discussed are the possibility of strategic change and the possibility of combining strategic position. Other aspects treated are the relationship of the intended strategic position, as declared in the annual reports, to the realized strategic position, as shown by the relative positions of the business units compared to their competitor. • The findings indicate that strategic positions are stable over time and that none of the business units was able to combine the positions of cost leadership and differentiation for a longer period of time. The results also suggest substantial congruence between the intended strategy and the realized strategy, at the units studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the knowledge and skills of Parisian police at the end of the 18th century based in the papers of Lieutenant General Jean-Charles-Pierre Lenoir. It states that the papers of senior police officer Lenoir, which was written between 1790 and 1806, constitute a detailed survey about Parisian police on the eve of the French Revolution. It discusses what the police could have revealed of their particular experiences, and of their organization.

Designing standardized exams for EFL undergraduates is a matter of great concern in pedagogical practices that assess learners' academic achievements. This case study was conducted at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia, to explore the significance of educational exam standardization and its impact on the process of implementation, leading to a balanced and equitable assessment of English language skills. During the study, 250 final English skill exam questions of two semesters were analyzed. A mixed-method approach using a questionnaire and Focused Group Discussion was adopted to collect relevant data. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 16, and the qualitative data was processed by thematic analysis. The quantitative data results showed that questions were balanced, valid, and reliable in language skill exam papers designed for undergraduate English students. The qualitative data revealed four major themes -- standardization of questions, the efficacy of Bloom's taxonomy, assessment/evaluation, and alignment of the question with learning outcomes. These emerging themes highlighted the effectivness of standardizing exam papers, identified problems, and suggested ways of improvement. The study indicates that exams must be scrutinized for the sake of standardization in terms of maximum course coverage; the variety in the question item; clear, concise, and precise instructions; validity and reliability of exam papers; and the alignment of questions with the course and program learning outcomes to ensure the implementation of the revised Bloom's taxonomy. The study suggests, to generalize the results, that further investigation should be done in another Saudi university for the sake of comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper extracts the characteristics of the view of ability in educational practices during the period of rapid growth in Japan, focusing on the influence of these perceptions on the Ministry of Education's educational policies. The analysis draws on the debate about "vocational aptitude tests" and "observation guidance." Teachers' critical perceptions of "vocational aptitude tests" and "observation guidance" depend on their views of desirable ability. The main findings obtained are as follows. Since the 1990s, attention has been focused on non-cognitive ability; a similar view of ability (expansion of the view of ability) can be seen in educational practices in the 1960s. However, this expansion of the view of ability does not only appear in educational practices. According to the analysis of "ability and aptitude, etc." included in a reference document on observation guidance (presented by MoE, based on the French observation curriculum), an expansion of the view of ability can also be confirmed to be present in educational policy. The view of ability in educational practices may even coincide with that in educational policies.

This paper investigates in-service intermediate phase mathematics teachers' metacognitive awareness based on their engagement in a professional development intervention in two rural and one township school in South Africa. Professional teacher development interventions should be structured and collaborative as teachers tend to revert to traditional modes of teaching when interventions are brief and sporadic. This research was scaffolded across the zone of proximal teacher development (ZPTD) as conceptualized by Warford (2011). The aim of the study was to investigate how metacognitive awareness facilitated intermediate phase mathematics teachers' ZPTD, i.e., from their actual knowledge to "proximal development". 10 intermediate phase mathematics teachers participated in the qualitative research (n=10). The professional development intervention was conducted on two consecutive Saturdays, infused with an adapted lesson study approach. The data was collected through (i) individual interviews, (ii) reflective prompts, (iii) observations, and (iv) reflective journals. The data from each data source were coded and categorized and were triangulated to answer the research question. Participants deemed the professional development intervention and the accompanying materials as supportive and showed increased metacognitive awareness of their personal teaching praxis during and after the intervention, hence growth along the ZPTD occurred.

A significant ongoing initiative is to identify the conditions under which financial education is most effective, as it has been shown to work much better in some circumstances than others. One factor to consider is mathematical capability, as it has been linked to improved financial knowledge and financial outcomes. In this paper, we investigated one aspect of math capability: math confidence (that is, self-reported math ability). We examined how this factor interacts with financial education (measured by the number of financial education courses taken) with data from the 2018 National Financial Capability Survey (NFCS). We found that both mathematical confidence and financial education were positively associated with financial behaviors and, moreover, that the effects were largely independent rather than acting as substitutes -- suggesting that future intervention work should consider both factors.

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Giftedness is an increasingly important research topic in educational sciences and mathematics education in particular. In this paper, we contribute to further theorizing mathematical giftedness through illustrating how networking processes can be conducted and illustrating their potential benefits. The paper focuses on two theories: Renzulli's domain-general theory on giftedness as an interplay of creativity, above-average ability, and task commitment; and Krutetskii's mathematics-specific theory on gifted students' abilities. In a "proof of concept", we illustrate how the abilities offered in Krutetskii's theory can be mapped to the three traits described by Renzulli. This is realized through a mapping process in which two raters independently mapped the abilities offered by Krutetskii to Renzulli's traits. The results of this mapping give first insights into (1) possible mappings of Krutetskii's abilities to Renzulli's traits and, thus, (2) a possible domain-specific specification of Renzulli's theory. This mapping hints at interesting potential phenomena: in Krutetskii's theory, above-average ability appears to be the trait that predominantly is addressed, whereas creativity and especially task-commitment seem less represented. Our mapping demonstrates what a mathematics-specific specification of Renzulli's theory can look like. Finally, we elaborate on the consequences of our findings, restrictions of our methodology, and on possible future research.

When students receive the same score on a test, does that mean they know the same amount about the topic? The answer to this question is more complex than it may first appear. This paper compares classical and modern test theories in terms of how they estimate student ability. Crucial distinctions between the aims of Rasch Measurement and IRT are highlighted. By modeling a second parameter (item discrimination) and allowing item characteristic curves to cross, as IRT models do, more information is incorporated into the estimate of person ability, but the measurement scale is no longer guaranteed to have the same meaning for all test takers. We explicate the distinctions between approaches and using a simulation in R (code provided) demonstrate that IRT ability estimates for the same individual can vary substantially in ways that are heavily dependent upon the particular sample of people taking a test whereas Rasch person ability estimates are sample-free and test-free under varying conditions. These points are particularly relevant in the context of standards-based assessment and computer adaptive testing where the aim is to be able to say precisely what all individuals know and can do at each level of ability.

In the global marketplace, the ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, is a skillset demanded by employers. Unfortunately, typical academic exercises that involve written and oral communication are often just that . . . academic exercises. To provide a more authentic and robust experience, a student conference activity has been developed for use in a second-level physics course entitled Physics for a New Millennium (PNM) at American University (AU). This activity involves writing a formal research paper using professional guidelines. In addition, students present their research paper during a class event modeled after an actual professional conference. A focus of this paper is to discuss the assessment strategies developed for the conference paper activity. A major goal of the assessment strategies designed for the conference paper and the associated presentation is to better capture (and then assess) what students are actually learning in the course. This paper will provide an overview of the student conference paper activity with emphasis on its value as an alternative assessment tool. To that end, a synopsis of how the conference paper activity has been designed will be shared. This synopsis will begin with a general discussion of assessment, assessment methods, and the "language of assessment." Following this synopsis a model of non-traditional assessment using the student conference paper will be highlighted. Subsequently a description of the course curriculum and the specific structure for the writing activity will be outlined as they relate to the learning outcomes for the course. Shadowing the presentation of the course-specific learning outcomes, a description of the strategies used to uncover student learning will be shared. These strategies provide an opportunity for multiple assessment "snapshots" to be made throughout various phases of the learning process. To illustrate these snapshots, examples from actual student work will be presented and discussed. The assessment strategies developed for the student conference paper can be used as an alternative, or as a supplement, to more traditional pencil and paper examinations, quizzes, and homework assignments. Whether used as a stand-alone assessment tool or coupled with more traditional measures, the model presented here can provide an enhanced and more authentic way to capture what students are actually learning while the learning is taking place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the use of short writing assignments in undergraduate international relations courses. It gives instructors ideas about thinking beyond traditional research papers and instead focuses on shorter assignments that demand critical thinking skills. The ability to write concisely is useful for students with future careers in government, business, nonprofits, journalism, electoral politics, or academia. By requiring application of theoretical frameworks (perhaps as policy recommendations in a memo), students can see how policymakers employ international relations theories, thereby simulating the work inside the National Security Council or US State Department. This highlights the connections between theory and policy. Short papers can also better showcase role playing and connect with active learning techniques. Research papers of 10 pages or more may not be as useful as shorter assignments that focus students' attention on analyzing an issue, presenting a case study, or writing a policy brief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore a cohort of mental health nurses' views and experiences in developing and applying critical appraisal of research skills to identify helping and hindering factors. In accordance with evidence-based practice principles, there is an expectation that student (mental health) nurses will become competent in understanding research to make judgements about its trustworthiness and applicability in the clinical setting. This process is termed the 'critical appraisal of research' and it is deemed important to healthcare professionals because it facilitates the use of evidence from research to underpin practice. The study incorporated qualitative secondary research using thematic analysis and a poststructural lens. Following undertaking a module including tuition on the critical appraisal of research, a cohort of student mental health nurses' submitted essay reflections focusing on critical appraisal experiences were thematically analysed. The thematic analysis included both deductive and inductive components in adjunct to a poststructuralist analysis to explore influencing factors of language, meaning and subjectivity. The study identified there are both pedagogical factors and wider societal considerations influencing the critical appraisal of research experiences. Psychological and emotional factors, incorporating anxiety components were identified as a key barrier to engagement and understanding which has not previously been identified in comparable research. Enablers to the understanding and application of critical appraisal skills were identified as peer learning, accessing academic supervision, gaining a satisfaction of personal learning and self-directed learning with library skills support. The findings indicate that there are specific pedagogic considerations which can be applied when supporting mental health student nurses in developing and gaining skills in the critical appraisal of research. It is recommended that these are applied universally for nursing students and considered for other populations of healthcare students. • A key barrier to critical appraisal comprehension included anxiety experiences. • Satisfaction with learning promoted growth in knowledge. • Accessing academic supervision was perceived to enable progression immediately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education policies in South Africa are aimed at redressing the legacies of under- and inequitable development, and at making learning opportunities available to all the citizens of this country. The "Amended Norms and Standards for School Funding Policy (2006)," which also outlines the no-fee policy, should be implemented in South African schools to promote the well-being of learners. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to shed light on capabilities needed for the implementation of the policy in South African schools. The paper proposed the implementation of Amartya Sen's "Capability Approach," which is a broad framework that can be used to evaluate various elements of well-being and in terms of the no-fee policy. A capability analysis was applied and key capabilities were identified in the no-fee policy of 2006. The paper suggests that capabilities such as autonomy, accountability and knowledge be implemented by principals of schools to cultivate a conducive school environment for the more effective implementation of the no-fee policy. The findings show that if principals apply the identified capabilities, learners' well-being might be enhanced. The results indicate that an application of a capability approach framework may be deemed desirable for the effective implementation of the no-fee policy.

This paper examines Karagiozis--Greek shadow puppet theatre for children--as a way to explore how the Arts might support socially just education in the early years. As authors from diverse cultural backgrounds with different experiences of arriving and residing in Australia, we consider themes of social justice identified in a Karagiozis play and an interview with a Greek-Australian Karagiozis puppeteer, drawing on Nussbaum's (2000) Capability Approach. Layered analysis of the data provides a basis for examining: (1) the potential of Karagiozis for exploring social justice themes with young children; and (2) intersections between social justice themes identified in Karagiozis and circumstances for multicultural groups in the Australian context. This paper builds awareness about the value of employing the Capability Approach as a framework for exploring matters of social justice and contributes to dialogue about the value of the Arts in opening possibilities for young children's learning and meaning-making about social justice matters in local and global contexts.

Three test administration procedures for making placement decisions in adult education were compared (paper-based, computer-based, and computerized-adaptive tests) with 90 adult-education students. Test performance was not differentially affected by the mode of administration, but the computerized adaptive test always yielded more precise ability estimates. (SLD)

Strengths-based coaching has emerged in past decades as an asset-based approach that can help individuals identify, harness, and leverage their strengths to achieve professional and personal goals. This paper shares the design and outcomes of a year-long strengths-based coaching program to support leadership development within the context of one university's women's leadership initiative. Program outcomes and changes in participants' perceived confidence in identifying and applying their strengths in different contexts were evaluated through an online survey using a Likert-based REDCap survey tool after participation in the program. Findings strongly suggest that most participants lacked the self-confidence and/or self-awareness to recognize their own strengths in a granular way prior to the program. Themes that emerged in the survey findings point to the following program outcomes: participants gained an increased ability to identify and value one's own leadership strengths, an increased ability to recognize and value the strengths of others, and a supportive community of women leaders to share experiences and reflect on the application of their strengths as part of their leadership journey. Further studies are needed to understand and measure how a program such as this can impact one's leader identity, self-awareness, and self-confidence. Given the critical need for women's leadership opportunities, this program shows promise as a means to strengthen women's leadership across career stages and disciplines.

In this paper, we analyze recently collected data that conducts a unique assessment of high school student performance for over two thousand students from five Chinese provinces. Across three domains of scientific intelligence tested, we document heterogeneous gender gaps in academic performance. These differences generally arise due to differential productivity of inputs to the education production process and not differential levels of inputs. At many quantiles of the achievement distribution, girls perform better than boys when identifying scientific issues, whereas the converse holds on the portion of the assessment that measures whether one can apply scientific evidence. These differences may partially explain the subsequent gap in decision to major in specific STEM disciplines in college. Further, our results imply caution from using a single summative gender achievement gap measure when gender gaps in subject knowledge are not constant across each domain of intelligence examined within the test.

This paper reports the findings on motivational factors influencing teaching as a career choice from a qualitative study carried out in Scotland. Ten students undertaking a PGDE (Professional Graduate Diploma in Education) programme at one Scottish university were interviewed. The results indicate that the choice of a teaching career derived from the students' internal needs for personal achievement and from an altruistic dimension pertaining to helping and influencing young people. For some students, negative educational experiences played an important part in shaping their altruistic sense of offering the next generation an enjoyable school experience. Perceived intrinsic rewards of teaching appeared to deter and counteract negative thoughts or remarks about teachers' workload, salary and status.

The advancement of inclusive education policies worldwide has given greater weight to social justice practices in educational settings. However, inclusion in preschools has received less attention from researchers. This article examines a 4-year-old child's participation in a mainstream preschool in Australia from a cultural-historical perspective. In particular, this study used the concept of secondary disability to analyse the data, and in this process identified a contradiction between the teacher's perceptions of the child's abilities and the teacher's reported understanding of the parent's perceptions of the child's abilities, which 'clouded' the child's position within the preschool setting. Eight hours of video data were gathered across eight months. The findings indicate that understanding the child's personality and potential can operate as a 'pedagogical password' for the teacher to enter on to the child's unique developmental trajectory. This paper argues that identifying the unique developmental pathway of the child is essential to reduce secondary disabilities.

It is estimated that approximately 97 million people in the world have complex communication needs and may benefit from alternative and augmentative communication (AAC). Although AAC is considered an evidenced-based intervention, device abandonment remains common, and researchers have attempted to analyze the causes of people abandoning devices. These devices have been prescribed following extensive assessment and often a protracted period of negotiation with a funding body. In this paper, we present the process of AAC prescription using a new model called the Communication Capability Approach by adding the Capability Approach from Amartya Sen to the widely used Participation Model. This allows clinicians to see individual daily decision-making as a valid choice of the individual. We propose reframing the concept of device abandonment as the person and their family making a choice to use a full range of multimodal communication to meet their own needs. This changes the tone of the narrative to viewing the person using AAC as competent and able to exercise self-determination and agency in this decision rather than as abandoning the device. AAC choices can be made on a day-to-day basis, according to the context of use so that people do not abandon devices but rather use whichever mode of communication is appropriate to the context.

Asset-based approaches to public service reform suggest a need for policymakers to shift attention from 'fixing' the perceived deficits of disadvantaged neighbourhoods, to recognising and building on the resources, or assets, they hold. However, these approaches have also been critiqued for interpreting assets so broadly that they effectively become meaningless, or so narrowly that they perpetuate deficit views. To counter these tendencies, a new conceptually and methodologically robust endogenous assets-mapping approach is proposed. This has been designed to enable nuanced insights into the assets young people living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods may draw upon to pursue positive educational and wider life outcomes. The approach's utility is illustrated through the case of Ayesha, a 14-year-old student with a difficult relationship with school. The paper concludes that an endogenous assets-mapping approach can help to generate more positive narratives for vulnerable learners living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods than schooling may typically enable.

Affirmative action in education is once again in the media and cultural spotlight. The Trump administration, along with a decidedly rightward shift on the Supreme Court, signal a bleak outlook for affirmative action policies in higher education. However, as educators, we can also use this historical moment to have robust and critical conversations in our classrooms centered on advancing justice and interrogating the polemics of meritocracy--a concept that undergirds much of the affirmative action narrative. This paper seeks to provide social justice-oriented educators with the critical tools necessary to have meaningful classroom conversations about the historical and contemporary narrative of the affirmative action debate.

Objectives In line with the aims of this special issue, the purpose of this paper is to forward a position on the concept of sport parenting expertise through the presentation of six key postulates. Design Literature review and position statement. Method By adopting methods associated with an academic position paper, a statement is presented that we believe encapsulates sport parenting expertise. Six key postulates of parenting expertise, formulated from critically reviewing and interpreting relevant literature, are then presented. Results We propose that sport parenting expertise is dependent on the degree to which parents demonstrate a range of competencies; namely that parents, (a) select appropriate sporting opportunities and provide necessary types of support, (b) understand and apply appropriate parenting styles, (c) manage the emotional demands of competitions, (d) foster healthy relationships with significant others, (e) manage organizational and developmental demands associated with sport participation, and, (f) adapt their involvement to different stages of their child's athletic career. Conclusion Expertise in sport parenting requires parents to develop knowledge and utilize a range of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational skills in order to support their child, manage themselves, and operate effectively in the wider youth sport environment. Recommendations for applied researchers to further investigate these postulates and substantiate the components of sport parenting expertise are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current selection test procedures for any higher-learning program rely on evidence of attainment in a specific domain (Gagné, 1995; Boyle & Radocy, 1987; Subotnik, & Jarvin, 2005). Pertinent to the assessment and selection of gifted young musicians for elite programs is the notion of obvious talent being due to all or a combination of factors of ability, practice, opportunity, personality, and/or passion and as such presents complex issues around the question of skill maintenance and/or skill loss (Simonton, 2005). This paper outlines the issues surrounding testing for the selection of musically-gifted primary graduates to elite secondary school music programs. A single case study of initial findings of a multi-phase research project where past and present music teachers reflect on entry test experiences is presented. The data collected through an online questionnaire and a semi-structured interview offers a representative framework for the investigation. The main purpose in gathering this narrative data is to track and gain understanding of entry test processes from 1980 to 2014 at a specialist music high school in Sydney, Australia. Results to date demonstrate an evolving test design model characterized by pedagogic influences, shifts in student recruitment emphasis, and innovative curriculum change. Strategies for further refinement of a process for high stakes selection and placement that are both fair and reliable are at the core of the subsequent phases of research and will be explored in this paper.

Are you keen to get a paper published in Nurse Researcher? I often get enquiries from prospective authors asking for advice and am always happy to respond. What follows are some useful tips to explore when planning a paper for publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One strength of network analysis is its ability to encapsulate social heterogeneity. Here, we leverage that strength to examine another dimension of individual heterogeneity: heterogeneity of skills, knowledge and experience. This skill heterogeneity is difficult to quantify, but is vitally important to outcomes for both individuals and teams. Complicating the matter, skill diversity can be present on multiple levels. Individuals have different kinds of skills, but they also have different degrees of specialization. Skill diversity on a team level may come from individual skill diversity or focused researchers in different areas. Here, we illustrate our network-based method for characterizing skill sets in a context of increasing importance: scientific collaboration. Using data from the field of economics, we create network-based measures of paper scope, individual specialization, coauthor alignment and team skill diversity. We then use those measures to examine the relationship between skill diversity and publication outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education institutions are uniquely placed to introduce emotional coping skills to promote resilience in pre-registration nurses in order to reduce anxiety and increase confidence before they enter clinical placement for the first time. In this qualitative study, we will explore the use of a 360-degree video in developing skills for coping. The participants will be mental health nursing students. We will develop a 360-degree video in collaboration with a mental health service user. All participants will watch the video. A sub-group will receive a supportive clinical supervision discussion within a cognitive reappraisal/solution-focused/VERA framework. We will record the experiences of the participant to explore: (1) how students felt about the use of 360-degree video, as an education tool to build skills of resilience; (2) whether the students involved felt more confident and less anxious about the situation in the video as a result of participating in the cognitive reappraisal/solution-focused/VERA supervision discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication infuses all dimensions and stages of life, influencing one's self-determination and quality of life. A number of empirical studies have demonstrated that people with severe disabilities continue to develop communication and language skills well into their adult years and make measurable gains when provided with appropriate communication services and supports. Several myths about age, ability, and experiences limit opportunities for persons with severe disabilities. In this paper, we confront and address these myths.