Proceedings ICPW'07: 2nd International Conference on the Pragmatic Web, 22-23 Oct. 2007, Tilburg: NL

Proceedings ICPW'07: 2nd International Conference on the Pragmatic Web, 22-23 Oct. 2007, Tilburg: N

Feminist Legal Scholarship: A History Through the Lens of the California Law Review

This Essay describes the evolution of feminist legal scholarship, using six articles published by the California Law Review as exemplars. This short history provides a window on the most important contributions of feminist scholarship to understandings about gender and law. It explores alternative formulations of equality, and the competing assumptions, ideals, and implications of these formulations. It describes frameworks of thought intended to compensate for the limitations of equality doctrine, including critical legal feminism, different voice theory, and nonsubordination theory, and the relationships between these frameworks. Finally, it identifies feminist legal scholarship that has crossed the disciplinary bound-aries of law. Among its conclusions, the Essay points out that as feminist scholarship has become more mainstream, its assumptions and methods are less distinct. It observes that even as feminist legal scholarship has generated important, insightful critiques of equality doctrine, it remains committed to the concept of equality, as continually revised and refined. The Essay also highlights the importance of feminist activism and practice in sharpening and refining feminist legal scholarship

Judgment Sieve: Reducing Uncertainty in Group Judgments through Interventions Targeting Ambiguity versus Disagreement

When groups of people are tasked with making a judgment, the issue of uncertainty often arises. Existing methods to reduce uncertainty typically focus on iteratively improving specificity in the overall task instruction. However, uncertainty can arise from multiple sources, such as ambiguity of the item being judged due to limited context, or disagreements among the participants due to different perspectives and an under-specified task. A one-size-fits-all intervention may be ineffective if it is not targeted to the right source of uncertainty. In this paper we introduce a new workflow, Judgment Sieve, to reduce uncertainty in tasks involving group judgment in a targeted manner. By utilizing measurements that separate different sources of uncertainty during an initial round of judgment elicitation, we can then select a targeted intervention adding context or deliberation to most effectively reduce uncertainty on each item being judged. We test our approach on two tasks: rating word pair similarity and toxicity of online comments, showing that targeted interventions reduced uncertainty for the most uncertain cases. In the top 10% of cases, we saw an ambiguity reduction of 21.4% and 25.7%, and a disagreement reduction of 22.2% and 11.2% for the two tasks respectively. We also found through a simulation that our targeted approach reduced the average uncertainty scores for both sources of uncertainty as opposed to uniform approaches where reductions in average uncertainty from one source came with an increase for the other

SEPEC conference proceedings: Hypermedia and Information Reconstruction. Aerospace applications and research directions. Addendum

The papers presented at the conference on hypermedia and information reconstruction are compiled. The following subject areas are covered: hypertext, typographic man, and the notion of literacy; a knowledge base browser using hypermedia; Ai GERM - a logic programming front end for GERM; and HEAVENS system for software artifacts

Challenging aspects of critical thinking : A mixed-methods study of students’ test results, students’ reasoning, and teaching strategies

There is a growing focus on critical thinking throughout the education system. Overall, the efforts that have been made to improve students’ critical thinking have not yielded the desired results. This could indicate a need for more research concerning which specific aspects of critical thinking that are challenging for students and what barriers students face in this regard. Furthermore, this could also indicate a need for more research on effective strategies for teaching critical thinking, and, more specifically, the details that make these strategies effective in some cases and not in others. The aim of this dissertation is to provide pragmatic (i.e., useful) knowledge of students’ struggles with critical thinking problems. This could hopefully lead to further integration of the insights from critical thinking research into teaching practice. Furthermore, the aim of this dissertation is to investigate whether supposedly effective yet general strategies for teaching critical thinking are effective in the context of lower secondary classrooms. In this research project, we have used a well-known test of critical thinking skills, together with a modified version of this test, to identify students’ challenges concerning their use of critical thinking skills. The modified version of the test includes written justifications to selected multiple-choice items from the test. This could give insights into students’ reasoning when facing these items and indicate certain skills and knowledge that should be of particular focus in instruction. Moreover, we measured the effect of the ARGUMENT project—which included supposedly effective strategies for teaching critical thinking—on students’ performance on the test. In Phase 1 of the study in Article I, we quantitatively explored lower secondary students’ test results on the unmodified critical thinking test, and tentatively identified challenging items. The items were then qualitatively analyzed and divided into five categories based on their proposed solution strategies (i.e., from the test manual). According to the analyses, three categories of items were particularly challenging for these students. First, the items that required students to discern between observations and inferences seemed to be the most challenging. Second, many students struggled with the items requiring that test takers recognize a conflict of interest and take that into account when evaluating the credibility of sources and statements. Third, some students also struggled with the items requiring that test takers recognize that certain methods of observation are better than others. In Phase 2 of the study, we administered the modified test which asked for written justifications to selected multiple-choice items from these tentatively identified difficult categories of items. We have not seen any previously published studies that have used this method. The results from the modified test support the hypothesis that these items are challenging, and, importantly, that the challenges relate to the required critical thinking skills. In Article II, we conducted a thematic analysis of the written justifications from the dataset we collected in Phase 2 of Article I. We identified six overarching general themes of reasoning encompassing 21 sub-themes. In sum, more than a quarter of the responses expressed strong inductive logic yet contained incorrect reasons because the premises used were either based on alternative evidence or were made up by students who introduced elements not originally included in the context of the items. Only a few responses did not express strong inductive logic. Most of these were responses from students who seemed to believe that an inference is just as, or more, believable than an observation. We discuss potential barriers to critical thinking that students seemed to face when working with the test items, and how these barriers relate to skills, dispositions, knowledge, and motivation. In Article III, we conducted a quasi-experimental study comparing the gain in critical thinking test scores of the lower-secondary students in the ARGUMENT project with a control group. Teachers in the schools within the ARGUMENT project worked with researchers to develop and implement inquiry-based teaching methods with a focus on scientific argumentation and critical thinking in the context of socioscientific issues. The project aspired to implement general strategies for teaching critical thinking which have been found effective in previous research. Students in the three treatment schools and the three non-treatment schools improved their critical thinking scores significantly from pretest to posttest. However, we did not find a difference in the gain in scores between the two groups. The article discusses potential reasons for this, including the theoretical rationale used in the research and the degree to which the implementation of the project aligns with this rationale. Importantly, we also suggest that the strategies for teaching critical thinking found in the literature could be too general. The article proposes potential avenues that should be explored in future research. In particular, the discussion of the results indicates that there is a need for more detailed insights into the characteristics of the types of authentic inquiry, dialogue, explication of critical thinking principles, and teacher training that are effective in improving critical thinking. The findings and tentative conclusions from the first two articles could contribute to the literature on critical thinking instruction by providing preliminary insights into which aspects of critical thinking that might be particularly difficult for secondary students, as well as how these students reason when faced with critical thinking problems representing these aspects. With time, especially if future research is able to further validate these conclusions, these insights could indicate which aspects of critical thinking that should be the focus of instruction. Moreover, the insights from Article III might aid instruction and design of other projects with similarities to the ARGUMENT project. Further research on how to explicate critical thinking principles, for example through dialogue and scaffolds for inquiry into authentic issues, could then make use of the insights (from the first two articles) into which aspects of critical thinking that should be the focus of such explication.Doktorgradsavhandlin

Off the record - LSP Green Transports - Exploring differences in and monitoring of environmental demands in the purchasing process of transport services

Effective freight transportation is a central part of the modern society, creating social and economic benefits. Nevertheless, the logistics industry is facing substantial sustainability challenges, where freight transports have been identified as the main environmental hazard. Scholars have previously highlighted the centrality of the purchasing process for reducing the environmental impact of the industry; however a limited amount of research tackles the LSP-LSC relation and the stipulated environmental demands in a detailed and practical manner, leaving the research stage highly premature. The purpose of this study is to explore the environmental demands stipulated in the purchasing process of transport services by investigating differences in characteristics of green demands emerging from two industries of LSCs, exploring how the stipulated demands affect the price of the required solutions, and examining how LSCs monitor compliance of the demands. The research questions are undertaken by a case study approach, combining analysis of corporate documentation and interviews with industrial experts. The study finds that the environmental demands vary greatly in consistency, ambition and focus between the investigated industries concluding that the food retailers demonstrate high ambition in demanding environmental considerations, while any real environmental interest among the construction materialist is limited when negatively affecting price. Furthermore, the study discovers that it is not possible to accurately distinguish how the environmental demands affect the price of the transport solutions due to the attitude of the LSP, the markets character and the conditions given the author. Concerning the monitoring process, the findings point out that LSCs monitor compliance mainly via environmental reports provided by the LSP, signifying a profound faith in the rightness of the provider. Additionally, some LSCs conduct complementary follow ups by spot-checks, assemblies and audits but strains that 100% environmental compliance is not feasible to assure.Godstransporter fyller en central roll i det industrialiserade och globaliserade samhället. I takt med att den globala handeln har ökat har en ökad efterfråga på transporter drivits fram. Trots att transporter bidrar till ekonomiska och sociala fördelar världen över står transportbranschen inför flertalet hållbarhetsrelaterade problem där godstransporter har identifierats som ett av de största hoten för miljön. Den svenska utsläppsstatistiken bekräftar expansionen och vittnar om att utsläppen av växthusgaser från godstransporter har ökat med 8 % de senaste 15 åren varvid 10-20 % av de totala nationella växthusgasutsläppen beräknas generera från transportbranschen, som nästintill uteslutande domineras av fossila bränslen. – En utveckling som inte är förenlig med uppsatta globala eller nationella miljö- och klimatmål. Insikten har resulterat i ett förstärkt verksamhetsfokus i branschen där transporttjänster har identifierats som ett centralt område för att uppnå miljömässig optimering. Tidigare forskning belyser två centrala strategier för att reducera miljöpåverkan från transportindustrin, nämligen tekniska optimeringar och förändringar i applicerade processer. Dock tyder forskningen på att tekniska optimeringar inte kommer att räcka till, vilket innebär att förändringar i befintliga processer och strategier kommer vara nödvändigt för att reducera branschens miljöpåverkan. Denna studie behandlar en sådan strategi, nämligen upphandlingsprocessen av transporttjänster där miljömässiga krav och förväntningar på transportörer specificeras. Stora transportföretag spelar en central roll för miljöoptimeringen av industrin då de behandlar resurser som är direkt kopplade till miljöpåverkan, men samtidigt är företagen förmedlare till transportköparna vars krav till stor del formar hur transportverksamheterna utformar sina transporter. Trots att kundkrav har identifierats som essentiella för att uppnå logistisk optimering och miljömässiga krav har mycket lite forskning genomförts på området och en begränsad mängd litteratur behandlar miljökrav som ställs vid köp av transporttjänster. Denna studie syftar till att bidra till forskningsområdet genom att undersöka miljökrav som ställs i upphandlingsfasen av transporttjänster genom att granska hur miljökraven skiljer sig mellan transportköpare från två olika industrier (livsmedel & byggmaterial), undersöka hur miljökraven påverkar priset på transportlösningen samt utreda hur transportköpare kontrollerar att miljökraven som ställs på transportören uppfylls. Forskningsfrågorna utreds genom en fallstudie där intervjuer och dokumentstudier har genomförts. Studiens resultat visar att miljökraven skiljer sig mycket mellan transportköpare från livsmedelsbranschen och byggmaterialindustrin där livsmedelsföretagen är mycket ambitiösa i att ställa miljökrav medan byggmaterialföretagen tycks visa begränsat intresse för miljökrav om kraven påverkar priset på transportlösningen. Vidare visar studien att det inte går att säkerställa exakt hur miljökrav påverkar priset på transporter, men fynden tyder på att miljökrav generellt leder till en viss prisökning gentemot kunden. Angående uppföljningsprocessen tyder resultatet på att transportköparna främst kontrollerar kravuppfyllelse genom regelbundna miljörapporter från transportföretaget medan livsmedelsföretagen även genomför regelbundna möten, stickprov och revisioner. Dock tyder resultatet på att 100 % uppfyllelse av miljökraven inte är möjligt att säkerställa

Eighth-Grade Students with Low Academic Performance in Middle School Science

The problem of low achievement and failure of 8th-grade students to attain state proficiency level in science in a local school district was addressed in this case study. Data from 2012-2016 revealed that 93% of 8th-grade students in 2 suburban middle schools in the targeted state failed to meet science proficiency standards on the science Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests and the state\u27s Milestone Assessments. The purpose of conducting this qualitative case study was to develop an understanding of teachers\u27 perceptions regarding high failure rate of 8th-grade students to meet state mandated standards in science. Piaget\u27s constructs of developmental and operational learning were used as the conceptual framework. Guiding questions were used to explore teacher perceptions of the challenges middle school students experience in learning science, as well as developmental and operational learning characteristics affecting science achievement. Data were collected from interviews with 12 middle school science teachers at the two schools. Data were analyzed using open coding and thematic analysis and were checked for accuracy through member checking. Common themes were behavioral issues, lack of concept application, lack of intellectual development, the need for relatable instructional strategies, and the need for teachers\u27 professional development. A professional development program for teachers was constructed as a project to address each of these themes. The study may affect positive social change by providing teachers and stakeholders with a deeper understanding of student needs in science learning and improved instructional strategies for teachers to enhance students\u27 science achievement

Physical Challenges in Forensics: An Autoethnography Advocating for Accommodations on Behalf of Speakers with Physical Challenges in Competitive Speech Environments

The realm of competitive forensics is filled with challenges including written and unwritten rules and norms, multiple categories with different guidelines for each, a distinct culture only people intimately connected with the activity can navigate without conscious effort, and a basic knowledge of the ever-changing world of communication. For competitors who struggle with physical disabilities, the challenges are beyond daunting. Using the method of autoethnography, this paper investigates how students with physical challenges can successfully participate through accommodation and how speech coaches can advocate for their physically-disabled speakers and request and implement the best accommodations

The empirical status of text, discourse and genre in the training of English/Arabic translators

Abstract unavailable please refer to PD