1,721,060 research outputs found
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
What is in a form? the variation between English local authorities' exclusion rates and their organizational artifacts
Full text linkSchool exclusion, which is the practice of removing a student from school for a fixed or indefinite period of time, has become an increasingly researched and analyzed topic. This is unsurprising given the significant rise in its use in certain countries. There are increased efforts to understand the phenomenon more comprehensively, and in particular, what drives some areas to exclude more than others.
The following thesis is a comparative paper that examined school exclusion variation in England, specifically at the local authority level. The research included two phases of data collection—1) Document Review and 2) Secondary Data Review—on 10 different local authorities.
Phase 1 was driven by the document review. Local authority documents—specifically, exclusion forms and exclusion parent notification letters—were evaluated to determine how authorities vary in the way they interpret and present information about school exclusion. Additionally, local authority documents were analyzed to determine how closely they aligned with national exclusion guidance and what, if anything, they could reveal about the local authority’s ethos regarding exclusion.
Phase 2 was driven by the secondary data review. The exclusion rates of the 10 local authorities were analyzed to determine what relationship, if any, exists between the way a local authority presents information about school exclusion in documents and the actual rate of exclusion in that authority. Specifically, do authorities with more punitive language in documents have higher rates of exclusion, and vice versa if the language appears less punitive?
The findings from Phase 1 demonstrated that there was significant variation in the way local authorities presented and interpreted exclusion information and the degree to which documents aligned with national guidance. However, detecting ethos was complex. Documents are one element of an organization’s culture, and thus need to be further contextualized. The findings from Phase 2 showed that local authorities at extreme ends of the spectrum—i.e., with incredibly high or incredibly low rates of exclusion—did seem to demonstrate significantly more punitive and less punitive language in documents respectively. However, there is no apparent pattern if one moves away from the extremes and evaluates authorities in the middle of the spectrum. This suggests the need for continued investigation into the multitude of factors that drive local variation in exclusion rates
Stakeholder consultations in national education policy (2020): a qualitative evaluation of consultations in India’s education policyscape
Full text linkThis qualitative study attempts to evaluate the consultative process of India's National Education Policy (2020). Using a systemic lens, it aims to realise two broad research objectives. Firstly, it attempts to normatively differentiate between consultation theory and practice. Secondly, it aspires to define 'good consultation' and provide a contextual and comprehensive framework for this purpose. The elite interviews of NEP's policy leaders and document analysis of critical consultation policy texts produced three central findings. Firstly, while there is a consensus on the process and outcome goals of consultations across the stakeholders, the evidence demonstrates that it is not systematically measured or understood. Secondly, the consultations only poorly address the puzzle of public involvement. There is little to no empirical evidence of ambitious participation or effective systems. Thirdly, the consultative process is substantially different in theory and implementation. This incongruence has its advantages and disadvantages and can be observed in aspects such as the use of native language, local level participation and the adoption of technology.
The policy texts and interview transcriptions were analysed using a reflexive thematic and content analysis processes, respectively. This analysis was founded on a relativist philosophy and performed through a social constructivist approach. Two insights emerged from the study and have a potential role in improving future consultative practices. First, consultations are normatively valuable and possess a negative capability to reform the education policyscape. Second, although it is evident that the critique of consultations is too perfunctory, the study concludes that it is crucial to ground policy rhetoric on policy reality to avoid such misconceptions
The dynamic relationship to learner autonomy and control of high school teachers in Iran
Full text linkDifferent educational systems take different approaches to student learning. Some put the learner at the centre of education and define educational objectives based on their needs, while others condition students through controlling approaches to follow predetermined instructions and gain predetermined results.
These approaches are not absolute, and teachers who interact directly with students perceive and practice within a range of controlling and autonomy-supportive values. As qualitative studies show, teachers in different contexts, influenced by various institutional and behavioural factors, define and practice learner autonomy and control differently.
There is a need to develop a deeper understanding of how teachers balance learner autonomy and control within an educational system. In this study, I look at the ways teachers balance student autonomy and control by investigating aspects of their identities. I search for teachers’ personal opinions, their teaching strategies, and the external factors that impact their decisions, in order to identify how they balance learner autonomy and control.
For this purpose, I undertake semi-structured interviews with 24 female Iranian teachers, to gather in-depth information from their perspectives. Using a qualitative methodology allows me to successfully model the ways in which teachers balance student autonomy and control. I find six ways in which teachers strike this balance, by positioning their personal views against what others expect them in Iran's educational system. This study leads to a methodological contribution to the ways teachers interact with the power imposed from institutional factors in the broader macro system and the power they impose on students to balance autonomy and control
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Risk and protective factors associated with problem behavior outcomes of children with histories of long-term out-of-home care
Full text linkBackground and aims. Children in out-of-home care have usually experienced significant adversity in their lives, which may negatively affect their behavioral development. Problem behavior among children in out-of-home care are of particular concern given children’s history of adverse caregiving as well as trauma resulting from maltreatment and system involvement, presenting increased risk of maladjusted problem behavior trajectories. Interventions have been developed to address this problem, but systematic reviews of the evidence find that understanding of interventions that work best for different subgroups of children is currently limited. Despite difficulties, some children in out-of-home care still make positive behavioral adjustment. Research suggests that understanding the processes underlying problem behavior development and identifying risk and protective factors that may benefit particular subgroups is needed (Shpiegel, 2016). This thesis speaks to this gap in the literature by investigating behavioral risk and protective factors for children in out-of-home care.
Methods. This thesis comprises two studies. First, a systematic literature review (Study 1) of risk and protective factors for the longitudinal development of problem behavior for children in out-of-home care was conducted. It aimed to identify variables that have been examined in existing literature and provides evidence of risk or protective effects that may be targeted in behavioral interventions. The second study analyzed longitudinal secondary data, the National Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) I, on the problem behavior outcomes of 513 children who have been in long-term out-of-home care in the United States (Study 2). Specifically, the study used multiple-group latent growth curve models to explore whether there were any risk or protective correlates and factors for problem behavior development. Moderated mediation path analyses were then carried out to understand the specific relationship between severity of recent incident of abuse, caregiver involvement, responsibility skills, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and problem behavior outcomes 36 months later.
Findings. Study 1 identified and synthesized 146 studies, which indicated that children’s longitudinal behavior development is associated with a wide range of factors (individual characteristics, interpersonal relations, interventions, etc.). Challenges related to synthesis of heterogeneous methodologies, contexts, and findings were also highlighted.
Findings from Study 1 also informed the statistical approach of Study 2, by identifying variables that are key in the child welfare literature, as well as identifying gaps in the research that require further investigation. In Study 2, analyses identified several variables to be statistically associated with behavior problems. The identified variables were: type of caregiver (permanent/non-permanent), age at initial placement, daily living skills, school engagement, neighborhood community environment, trauma symptoms, caregiver involvement, socioemotional skills, and severity of recent abuse incident. Path analyses revealed that caregiver involvement and responsibility skills were not affected by recent incident of abuse, but significantly decreased later problem behavior outcomes, suggesting a protective relationship that buffers against the adverse effects of maltreatment experience.
Conclusion. This thesis presents evidence that several individual and contextual characteristics may be risk and protective variables for children who have been in long-term out-of-home care, and that these variables vary according to children’s age. Such findings suggest the need for future research and practice to consider children’s ages to efficiently carry out research and provide services. Findings also highlighted the significant gap in the child welfare literature, suggesting that socioemotional skills are not well understood for children with long-term out-of-home care histories, and sheds light on how these variables can be studied further in the future. These findings may also inform future interventions to promote positive behavioral adjustment of children in out-of-home care, by identifying variables that correlate with positive or negative change over time
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