1,720,958 research outputs found

    An Exploratory Factor Analysis of Scores on the Feelings Towards Group Work Scale in the Japanese University EFL Context

    Full text link
    The Feelings Towards Group Work questionnaire (FTGW; Cantwell & Andrews, 2002) is an instrument that has been used in a wide range of contexts and populations to examine learners’ dispositions towards group learning. Using data from 307 Japanese university students, this study reports on an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) conducted on the FTGW. The purpose of the EFA solutions executed was to gain post hoc insight into the structure of scores generated by a version of the FTGW adapted for use in the Japanese context. An earlier study using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) conducted by the author (Xethakis, 2018) revealed unsatisfactory fit on the three-factor model hypothesized by the authors of the instrument. The results of the EFA (1) revealed that the dimensionality of the scores gathered in this data set points to a lack of coherence in general rather than a coherence different from Cantwell and Andrews (2002); and (2) suggests a path for this adapted version be adjusted in any future research. The results also raise the theoretical issue of whether preference for group work and preference for individual work should be treated as two separate constructs, or as opposite poles on a single construct. Preliminary evidence in this study suggests the latter

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

    Full text link
    The 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 link
    We 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

    Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts

    Full text link
    We 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

    Author Index

    No full text
    Nao informado

    Measuring ethnocultural empathy in Japanese undergraduates: the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the scale of ethnocultural empathy

    Full text link
    IntroductionThe purpose of this study was to adapt the English version of the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (SEE) for use in the Japanese context and to determine the validity and reliability of the adapted version to allow for the measurement of cultural empathy and promote further research into this concept in Japan. The SEE is a widely-used measure of cultural empathy which has been adapted for use in a number of cultures (e.g., Turkish, Swedish, Spanish), however the validity and reliability of this scale in the Japanese context has yet to be determined. While recognition of the importance of learner empathy in intercultural interactions has increased, at present, a validated scale to measure ethnocultural empathy has not been presented.MethodsResponses from 777 Japanese undergraduate students were used to determine the construct validity of the SEE using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, as well as to assess the convergent validity of the scale using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest validity.ResultsFactor analysis revealed two factors underlying the Japanese version of the SEE (SEE_J), explaining 42.1% of variance. The two factors—Empathic Feeling and Expression (EFE_J) and Empathic Awareness and Perspective Taking (EAPT_J)—were moderately correlated. Correlations between the SEE_J, EFE_J and EAPT_J with two subscales of the IRI provided evidence of convergent validity. The SEE_J, EFE_J and EAPT_J displayed sufficient internal and test-retest reliability. Respondents reported significantly higher levels of EFE_J than EAPT_J, and women reported significantly higher SEE_J and EFE_J than men, both of which are similar to the results of past studies using the SEE in other cultural contexts.DiscussionThe validation of the SEE_J allows for the measurement of cultural empathy and further research into this concept in the Japanese context, as well as the development of programs to enhance ethnocultural empathy in areas where Japanese individuals come into contact with individuals from other cultures, such as counseling, healthcare and education

    koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist

    No full text
    We have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
    corecore