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Development and Validation of a Rating Scale for Academic Writing Assessment: Collaborative Agency
No full text© 2025 Bayan AlKhathlanThe aim of formative assessment is multi-faceted as it informs both language teaching and learning in the L2 academic writing classroom. Research on formative classroom-based assessment, which emphasizes the active involvement of learners in their language acquisition and learning processes and nurtures student agency, has not received as much attention as summative assessment and large-scale testing. More specifically, the study of second language learners’ agency in language education is relatively new, and only a few studies explored student agency in the development of rating scales for classroom-based writing assessment in the L2 context.
To contribute to the existing knowledge of student agency in rating scale development, this dissertation documents the development and validation of a rating scale for the assessment of L2 academic writing in a formative assessment context. The research employed an exploratory sequential mixed-methods research design to collect procedural, quantitative and qualitative evidence which was analyzed and evaluated to support the inferences in the validity argument for the rating scale.
The study was conducted in two phases: the scale development phase and the scale validation phase. The scale development phase aimed to develop a rating scale for academic writing assessment in the L2 classroom, adopting a collaborative agency model through which writing teachers and college-level undergraduate students collaborated to produce the rating scale. Four scale development focus groups, comprising both teachers and students, were held to elicit qualitative data relating to the construct, properties and level descriptors of the rating scale, following a multiple source approach to scale development. The qualitative data was analyzed using the qualitative content analysis (QCA) method to inform scale development. The scale validation phase sought to validate the interpretations and uses of the scale-based scores, drawing on the argument-based validity framework. In this phase, the scale was first operationally implemented by the participant teachers to rate essays of different types following an incomplete yet connected rating design. Many-facets Rasch measurement (MFRM) and classical test theory (CTT) analyses were employed to analyze the rating data. In addition to the measurement-based evidence, scale post-implementation teacher and student focus groups were conducted to explore the perceptions of teachers and students about the functionality of the scale as well as its potential washback effect on teaching and learning. The appraisal of the scale’s validity argument involved the triangulation of the evidence gathered at different stages of the study to establish that the operationalized scale served its intended purposes from both psychometric and scale user perspectives.
The study findings indicate that the validity evidence observed and collected throughout the study provided adequate support for the overarching validity argument, and that the scale has the potential to positively support teaching and learning in the current educational context. Additionally, the findings show that collaborative agency has a positive washback effect on the teaching and learning of academic writing, and that both teachers and students reflected overall positively on the experience. The collaboration between writing teachers and students revealed some differences in the assessment preferences among the two groups, which can illuminate teaching and learning in L2 writing classrooms. The study offers implications for collaborative agency in scale development, scale development in L2 writing classroom contexts, and validation research in classroom contexts. Future research can adapt the current model of collaborative agency in scale development for formative assessment to explore further differences between teachers and students in their assessment preferences and to determine whether the findings of this study hold in other classroom contexts
Numerical analysis of suction caissons in sand under cyclic loading: transition from compression to tension
No full textThe response of suction caisson foundations in sand is influenced by the direction and magnitude of cyclic loading. In a multi-caisson foundation system, transitioning from compressive to tensile cyclic loading influences the load-displacement behaviour and the settlement accumulation. To investigate such a scenario, a numerical analysis has been conducted in this study using the SANISAND-MS constitutive model, which has been calibrated against a set of triaxial tests. A finite element (FE) model of a suction caisson foundation was developed and validated using centrifuge test data reported in the literature. Following the validation, a parametric study was conducted to investigate the effect of varying cyclic stress amplitudes and load transitions on the behaviour of suction caissons. This numerical investigation provides valuable insights on the load-displacement responses and settlement accumulation patterns of suction caisson foundations under cyclic loading, thus contributing to an improved understanding of these foundations in offshore wind applications
Community-Based Alternatives to Secure Care for Seriously At-Risk Children and Young People: Learning from Scotland, The Netherlands, Canada and Hawaii
No full textThis article identifies community-based alternatives to secure care being utilised in The Netherlands, Canada, Hawaii and Scotland. These countries offer ways to not only reduce or eliminate the need to deprive children and young people of their liberty in secure care but also reduce rates of child removal and alternative care placements. Secure care is the containment of children and young people, often subject to child protection interventions and residing in residential care, in a locked facility when they pose a significant risk of harm to the community and themselves. An admission to secure care exposes children to restrictive practices, such as seclusion, use of force and restraint. Jurisdictions have an ethical imperative, and often legislative obligation, to ensure there are less intrusive community-based supports available, which could be utilised instead of a secure care admission where possible. However, there is little research on what alternatives effectively divert secure care admissions. Hawaii, Canada, The Netherlands and Scotland demonstrate how countries can reduce the number of vulnerable children deprived of their liberty and exposed to restrictive practices by enhancing research linkages, responding to the voice of lived experience, and positioning secure care and alternatives within system-wide reform
Response of a turbulent boundary layer to steady, square-wave-type transverse wall-forcing
No full textThis study investigates the spatial evolution of a zero pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer (TBL) imposed by a square-wave (SqW) of steady spanwise wall-forcing, which varies along the streamwise direction (). The SqW wall-forcing is imposed experimentally via a series of streamwise periodic belts running in opposite spanwise directions, following the methodology of Knoop et al. [Exp. Fluids 65, 65 (2024)], with the streamwise extent increased to beyond ∼11 times the boundary layer thickness () in the present study. This unique setup is leveraged to investigate the influence of viscous-scaled wavelength of SqW wall-forcing on the turbulent drag reduction efficacy for +=471 (suboptimal), 942 (near-optimal), and 1884 (postoptimal conditions), at fixed viscous-scaled wall-forcing amplitude, +=12, and friction Reynolds number, Re=960. The TBL's response to this wall-forcing is elucidated by drawing inspiration from established knowledge on traditionally studied sinusoidal forcing, based on analysis of the streamwise-phase variation of the Stokes strain rate (SSR). The analysis reveals the SqW forcing to be characterized by a combination of two markedly different SSR regimes whose influence on the overlying turbulence is found to depend on the forcing waveform: subphase I of local and strong impulses of SSR downstream of the half- (/2) and full-phase () locations, associated with a reversal in spanwise forcing directions, leading to significant turbulence attenuation, and subphase II of near-zero SSR over the remainder of forcing phase that enables turbulence recovery (when wall-forcing magnitudes and direction remain constant). Upon the initial imposition of the SqW forcing, the Reynolds stresses are strongly attenuated over the short streamwise extent of /0<0.5 for all wavelengths, whereas the skin-friction transient is more gradual. Thereafter, once the forcing is ultimately established, the suboptimum and optimum wavelength regimes display no distinctive responses to the individual SSR subphases; rather, the drag-reduced TBL response is quasi-streamwise homogeneous. In contrast, an SSR-related phenomenology establishes itself clearly for the postoptimal case, in which a local attenuation of near-wall turbulence characterizes subphase I, while the turbulent energy recovers in subphase II owing to the extended region of near-zero SSR
Legal Accountability in Frozen Conflicts: Lessons from Syria
No full textThis article reflects on the remarkable legal accountability efforts led by Syrian lawyers, activists, and survivors throughout the Syrian conflict, in the midst of an international landscape that failed to support – and perhaps even undermined – these efforts through lack of political will and jurisdictional hurdles. Despite limited resources and pathways, these individuals displayed unprecedented legal ingenuity which saw perpetrators imprisoned, international legal precedents challenged and overturned, and survivors included and empowered in ways that had previously been viewed as impossible during such protracted and frozen conflicts. This article provides an overview of this accountability landscape; highlights key contributions from leading Syrian lawyers, activists, and survivors; and discusses the shifting prospects for justice following the overthrow of the al-Assad regime in December 2024. It offers valuable insights into the research, perspectives, and lived experiences of those at the forefront of Syria’s legal accountability movement, and draws attention to important precedents that will reshape the legal landscape surrounding future frozen conflicts
11 topics among 7,591 employability research abstracts (1942–2024): a structural topic model and call for interdisciplinary perspectives
No full textPurpose: Our goal was to empirically evaluate what topics can be discerned in employability scholarship. We sought to illustrate the diverse specialised expert knowledge across the full multidisciplinary breadth of employability literature, not only in the two predominant fields of graduate employability and career development.
Design/methodology/approach: Structural topic modelling, an unsupervised statistical method that helps discern latent topics in a corpus of texts, analysed the abstracts of 7,591 journal articles on employability. Exploratory analysis showed that the 11-topic model offered the highest number of distinct and meaningful topics.
Findings: The 11 topics within the field of employability reflect research in a range of scholarly disciplines. We summarise the content of each topic and visualise the topic profiles of top journal articles, journals and authors.
Research limitations/implications: Recent calls for greater integration between graduate employability and career development scholarships are warranted. But this study demonstrates that employability is studied in a much broader range of disciplines than just those two. Therefore, we argue that future scholarship should foster the advancement and application of research insights across the full breadth of disciplines, education and training systems and socio-cultural contexts. By doing so, the often-noted fragmentation and fuzziness in the employability literature will begin to be addressed.
Originality/value: Existing reviews of employability research have been grounded in a particular scholarly discipline. In contrast, we adopt an inductive approach, surveying the literature through the widest possible lens, free from disciplinary biases and assumptions
A Comprehensive Taxonomy of Supply Chain Risks in Construction Project Management: A Systematic Literature Review
No full textThis study focuses on understanding the critical importance of construction supply chain risk management (CSCRM) in fostering growth and competitive advantage in project management. It addresses the significant gap in existing literature regarding a comprehensive risk taxonomy specifically tailored for construction project management supply chains. Utilizing a systematic literature review, this research analyzes 90 scholarly articles to categorize and identify prevalent supply chain risks and their impacts on construction project management. The study introduces an innovative CSCRM taxonomy, which provides a structured framework for understanding and managing risks in construction supply chains. This taxonomy bridges the gap between general SCRM theory and its specific practical application in construction project management. Its originality lies in bridging the gap between general SCRM theory and its specific practical application in construction project management, offering insight for both academia and industry practitioners. This approach not only enriches the theoretical foundations of SCRM in construction but also paves the way for more targeted and effective risk management strategies in this field
Recommendations From the Medical Education Editor
No full textIn this quarterly editorial, I have the opportunity to highlight two articles that examine lung function and one that explores the use of deep learning to enhance endobronchial ultrasound and transbronchial needle aspiration for mediastinal staging of lung cancer
Shareholders and organizational wrongdoing
No full textIn Organizations as Wrongdoers, Stephanie Collins maintains that shareholders are members, and parts, of organizations. As such, they stand to be implicated in organizational wrongdoing. In this paper, I suggest that there are alternative ways of making sense of how shareholders (sometimes) incur moral obligations in light of wrongdoing by companies in which they own shares. Such obligations can be seen as implications of shareholders having property rights in companies (despite legal protections of limited liability) and implications of plausible general principles about the morality of benefitting from injustice. Neither of these approaches require treating shareholders as being parts or members of companies. I then present some independent reasons for doubting whether shareholders really stand in membership or parthood relationships to firms in which they own shares. This depends on some reconstruction of more abstract claims Collins makes about parts “realizing a structure” of a whole, and how exactly the ideas of parthood and membership make for distinct (if coextensive) concepts. Finally, I argue that if shareholders must count as members of firms, then so too must some other agents that Collins wants to treat as nonmembers, such as self-employed contractors
EV Management and V2G Opportunities in MV-LV Distribution Networks
No full text© 2025 Jing ZhuIn recent decades, there has been a significant surge in the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), which is considered the most promising technology to decarbonise the transport sector. However, one prominent challenge is to accommodate the increasing EV charging demand within the existing distribution networks, which were originally designed to cope with residential demand only. The conventional solution distribution companies would adopt is network augmentation (also known as reinforcements or wires alternatives), however, it can be costly and time-consuming. Therefore, it is critical to consider other solutions to address potential technical issues (e.g., thermal congestion and voltage drops).
Whether by directly controlling EV charging points or indirectly providing a flexible import limit to aggregators, distribution companies need to thoroughly assess the pros and cons of potential EV management strategies. With these challenges, there arise opportunities. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is an emerging technology that enables EVs to deliver power to the grid. The key appeal of V2G is that it utilises existing batteries, sitting idle whenever an EV is not being driven, to provide valuable ancillary services to power systems (e.g., frequency support). Nonetheless, it is vital to understand the availability of V2G response considering the integrity of distribution networks.
In this context, this thesis aims to investigate the challenges that EV charging may pose to distribution networks, the pros and cons of potential EV management strategies, and the role that V2G technology can play in providing system services. It can provide valuable insights and recommendations that help EVs and the grids work together, thereby accelerating the decarbonisation of the transport and electricity sector and ultimately achieving the goal of net-zero emissions.
Particularly, the key contributions of this thesis are as follows:
1. Two novel approaches are proposed to produce realistic, individual EV demand profiles: a synthetic profiling approach (demonstrated using trial data from 461 EVs as part of the UK “Electric Nation” project) and a rule-based non-intrusive load monitoring approach (demonstrated using anonymised customer information in Victoria along with their smart meter data). The findings highlight that Australian early EV adopters exhibit network-friendly charging behaviours and emphasise the importance of using the latest local data for EV charging behaviour and demand analysis.
2. A comprehensive methodology for assessing EV hosting capacity on distribution networks is proposed, capturing the interactions between medium voltage (MV) and low voltage (LV) networks and their three-phase unbalanced nature. A Monte Carlo-based stochastic analysis is adopted to address the EV locational and behavioural uncertainties, ensuring robust and realistic results. The findings show that different networks can face varying technical challenges with high EV penetration, highlighting the importance of detailed network and EV modelling in hosting capacity assessment.
3. A practical rule-based EV charging control is proposed to address technical issues in unbalanced large-scale MV-LV networks, without the need for detailed electrical network models and real-time smart meter data. The findings highlight that this approach successfully manages high EV penetration in large areas, offering comparable effectiveness to the benchmark optimal power flow (OPF)-based approach, i.e., minimal network impacts and charging delays.
4. An advanced scheme of flexible export limits is introduced to clarify the role of distribution companies in managing network assets without engaging in the control of behind-the-meter distributed energy resource (DER). Three types of flexible import limits at different connection points are evaluated for their pros and cons: meter-level, device-level, and DER-level. The findings are expected to help the industry identify the most suitable approach for managing household demand.
5. A heuristic approach is developed to calculate dynamic export limits for V2G responses while considering distribution network constraints, where EV idle availability is modelled using the latest EV charging and plug-in behaviour. The findings highlight that V2G capabilities can be significantly affected by constraints imposed by distribution networks, typically during low-demand periods. Additionally, on-load tap changers (OLTCs) at primary substations can create additional voltage headroom, allowing for larger V2G exports until very high EV penetration levels are reached