An interpretive inquiry into Chinese educators' reflections and perceptions of the Chinese university admission policies

This study has focused on the analysis of Chinese educators' reflections and perceptions of the current Chinese university admission policies. Ten Chinese scholars with diverse educational background participated in this study, representing a multifaceted profile of the Chinese scholars currently studying in the United States. The four areas of investigation included their reflections on various critical issues dealing with (a) the current Chinese university enrollment system, (b) the impact of the enrollment system on secondary education, (c) their suggestions for reform and change, and (d) their comparisons between the U.S. and the Chinese university admissions policies

Ariel - Volume 4 Number 6

Editors David A. Jacoby Eugenia Miller Tom Williams Associate Editors Paul Bialas Terry Burt Michael Leo Gail Tenikat Editor Emeritus and Business Manager Richard J. Bonnano Movie Editor Robert Breckenridge Staff Richard Blutstein Mary F. Buechler J.D. Kanofsky Rocket Weber David Maye

Task Values, Cost, and Choice Decisions in College Physical Education

The expectancy-value motivation theory postulates that motivation can be achieved when perceived values in an activity override perceived cost of the activity derived from the effort of achieving. This study was designed to examine types of perceived cost in physical education and the extent to which the cost might affect motivation. Data about attainment, intrinsic, and utility values in physical education were collected using surveys from college students (n = 368) in China. Perceived cost was investigated through open-ended written responses and interviews. Disappointment about the curriculum emerged as a major cost to motivation and lack of student autonomy was identified as a direct demotivating factor. Despite the cost, most of the students (92%) indicated they would, if given a choice, elect to continue physical education for health benefits and broader motivational impact in life, suggesting that strong positive values of physical activity might override the impact of cost. The findings suggest the importance of emphasizing positive values of physical activity in physical education

Configuring the Qualification of Good Coffee an Ethnography on the Specialty Coffee Industry in Milwaukee

I put qualification at the center of this research, because the intensive emphasis on coffee quality in the Third Wave Coffee Movement is the first thing that drew me to this research. When I talked with people in the specialty coffee industry in Milwaukee, they did not always admit they are part of the movement but they did highlight coffee quality as the core value of the specialty coffee market. The concept of qualification comes from Michael Callon and his colleagues’ (2002) theoretical framework “the economy of qualities.” It refers to an economy in which tradable goods in the market are defined by the characteristics attributed to them in successive qualifications and re-qualifications, enacted by producers, marketers, and consumers. This framework helped me to locate my research and initially directed me where to look and to make sense of what I have seen and heard. I asked, What are they actually doing when they provide coffee factory tours, mark coffee flavors, perform a pour over, and meet with producers? Under the framework of “the economy of qualities”, the question became what marketers are doing to all the other relationships they are embedded in through qualifying coffee. Nevertheless, this framework has a major problem. It draws an ahistorical picture of commodification. “The economy of qualities” does not deal with politics, at lease at its macro level. It presents a synchronous picture in which different groups of people and their agencies all enact through and are connected by a certain commodity, so that the historical relationships, especially inequality, among producers, consumers, and marketers are neutralized and ignored. What the framework does is to capture the moment when commodity connects to different groups of people and pay attention to the dynamics or negotiations on the basis of this network. However, the framework does not talk about what happened before the network of multiple qualifications came into being, for example the history of colonization, and the collapses of international regulations in the global market. Meanwhile, the framework does not concern the social or political consequences of such qualifications, so that it ignores the invisible and the silent ones that are left out in this network of qualification. For example, how to make sense of marketers’ practice of qualification as the signs of gentrification in the urban space? How to think of consumption and marketing patterns as consequential sites of class reproduction beyond the (re)qualifications of the commodity? I organized this thesis under the framework of “the economy of qualities,” but at the same time reached to theories and ethnographies that consider how social discourses and practices are inexorably linked to hegemonic social relations. These theories and ethnographies enable me to look at the spatiality of the specialty coffee shops in the context of gentrification and analyze the effectiveness of tastes as a resource for social stratification. Coming back to my title, “good” in the qualification of good coffee can be interpreted from different perspectives. Good could be ethical, doing good or evil, being right or wrong. Good could be a standard, which sets apart those products that failed to meet the standard as not good enough. Good could also be personal. People think the coffee is good because they like it. Intentionally or unintentionally choosing one perspective over the other to define “good” is embedded in a specific socio-economic context and has its consequences. This ethnography is the case study of how the specialty coffee is (re)qualified by the marketers and why it is important to document and analyze it

Improving the healthcare service quality in Chinese Public Class-A Hospitals: from frontline healthcare professional's perspectives

In a highly competitive market, healthcare service improvement is important to satisfy people’s increasing need for care and to maintain the sustainability of hospitals' competitive advantages. Although Public Class-A hospitals are the top hospitals in China, existing problems exert negative influences on service quality. This research aims to contribute to the improvement of Chinese Public Class-A hospitals by investigating the perspectives of healthcare professionals regarding service improvement. Using a qualitative approach, 16 professionals working for several Public Class-A hospitals were interviewed and expressed their views on the existing service quality, the factors influencing this service and made suggestions about how to improve it. The results of content analysis revealed that professionals view Chinese Public Class-A hospitals as having good medical ability, advanced equipment and reliable curative effect. The price of treatment is considered high but acceptable. According to professionals, the main problems were poor service attitude, lack of emotional support, communication problems, long waiting times, environmental problems, and administrative problems. The identified barriers to high-quality service delivery include professional pressure and burnout, patient factors, remuneration and promotion perspectives. Overall, more people-centered services were suggested, meaning that healthcare professionals should improve their service consciousness and humane care, while the whole society should give humane care to healthcare professionals as well. Other suggestions involved enhancing the hierarchical medical system, strengthening doctor-patient communication, optimizing the treatment processes, improving hospital environment and publicity, and dispensing health education. In short, addressing these themes can contribute to improve the service of Chinese Public Class-A hospitals.Num mercado altamente competitivo, a melhoria da qualidade dos serviços de saúde é importante para satisfazer as crescentes necessidades de cuidados da população e para a sustentabilidade das vantagens competitivas dos hospitais. Os hospitais públicos de Classe-A ocupam os lugares cimeiros na China, e os problemas neles existentes influenciam negativamente a qualidade do serviço que prestam. Este estudo tem por objetivo contribuir para a melhoria destes hospitais investigando as perspetivas dos profissionais sobre a melhoria do serviço. Com base numa abordagem qualitativa, 16 profissionais que trabalham em diversos hospitais públicos de Classe-A foram entrevistados e expressaram os seus pontos de vista sobre o nível de qualidade de serviço existente, os fatores que afetam este serviço e as sugestões para o melhorar. Os resultados da análise de conteúdo revelam que os profissionais vêm os hospitais chineses de Classe-A como tendo elevada capacidade médica, equipamento avançado e uma reposta curativa eficaz. O preço dos serviços é considerado relativamente elevado, mas aceitável. Segundo os profissionais, os principais problemas existentes nestes hospitais referem-se à existência de fraca atitude de serviço, falta de suporte emocional, problemas de comunicação, longas listas de espera, problemas ambientais e problemas administrativos. As barreiras à prestação de cuidados de maior qualidade identificadas pelos profissionais reportam-se à pressão e ao burnout dos profissionais, a fatores relacionados com os doentes, à remuneração e às perspetivas de promoção. Em geral, os profissionais sugerem um serviço mais centrado nas pessoas, ou seja, os profissionais deverão acentuar a prestação de cuidados mais conscienciosos e humanos, enquanto a sociedade deverá cuidar de forma também mais humana dos profissionais de saúde. Outras sugestões focam-se na melhoria do sistema hierárquico de saúde, no fortalecimento da comunicação ente o médico e o doente, na optimização dos processos terapêuticos, na melhoria do ambiente hospitalar e na prática de educação em saúde. Em suma, lidar com estes temas pode contribuir para a melhoria do serviço prestado pelos hospitais chineses de Classe-A

Silent students with voices: an exploration of students’ silence in an Algerian EFL setting

Many studies have considered silent engagement as a form of classroom participation and learning. However, many silent students in language classrooms are still perceived lacking language competence, self confidence, and they are considered shy and introverted. This study explores the experiences of a group of Algerian students of English at an Algerian university, who tend to be silent in the classroom, and the perceptions of their teachers regarding classroom silence and classroom participation. A focused ethnographic approach is taken. This research perceives silent students’ classroom participation as a process informed by prior-learning experiences, current social and interpersonal relationships and context-related teaching and learning practices. Thus, as a whole, it investigates the learning environment’s influences on students’ uses of silence and the different conceptualisations of classroom participation in university classrooms. It also investigates the perceptions of silence among students and teachers. The research findings suggest complex factors influencing silence in the classroom such as teachers’ behaviours and fear of poor grading, as well as embracement and the need to vary classroom interaction patterns and teaching and learning approaches in order to cater for individual students, such as those with a tendency to learn silently. This can lead to students adopting different learner identities including a silent learner identity and unconsciously adapting them depending on their perceptions of the value of classroom participation, their academic level, classroom norms and their interpersonal relationships. Acknowledging the complexity of students’ silence, this study suggests the importance of students’ voice in negotiating classroom participation and teaching practices and calls for the importance of inclusive teaching techniques to accommodate students with diverse learning preferences

2010-2011 General Education Assessment Report

2010-2011 General Education Assessment Repor

Hearing of the Assembly Judiciary Committee on the State of Legal Education in California and the Process of Preparing for Admission to Practice

During the spring of 1984, the Judiciary Committee of the California Assembly conducted a hearing which investigated the controversy surrounding the July 1983 bar examination. Although that particular bar examination\u27s grading procedure is no longer under scrutiny, several unanswered questions have arisen regarding both the State Bar of California and the Committee of Bar Examiners. Therefore, the Judiciary Committee will conduct two hearings which will focus on several issues related to the practice of law in California. The first hearing is scheduled for March 12, 1985, and will commence at 3:00 p.m. in Room 126 in the State Capitol. That hearing will provide an overview of the interrelationships between the state Supreme Court, the State Bar cf California\u27s Board of Governors and the Committee of Bar Examiners. Additional , the above-mentioned bodies will be expected to provide the Judiciary Committee with a description of their decision-making and administrative processes. The second hearing will be conducted on March 26, 1985, at 3:00 p.m. also in Room 126 and will feature input from undergraduate school deans; law school deans, law student organizations; the Educational Testing Service and women and minority bar associations. It will focus on the state of legal education in California and on the process of preparing one for admission to practice. The purpose of this hearing is to provide the members of the Judiciary Committee with additional insight into the process of becoming an attorney in California. This hearing is informational in nature and as such, it cover many subjects. It is not the intent of this hearing to provide answers to each of the significant questions that exist regarding the myriad of issues affecting law students, law academicians, practitioners and jurists; however, this hearing will add to the developing pool of information on the policies and practices of the State Bar of California and the Committee of Bar Examiners, which will enable the Judiciary Committee to work with the State Bar to respond to the public\u27s concerns; specifically in the area of admission to practice and attorney discipline. This morning\u27s hearing will feature the testimony of the State Bar of California, the State Bar\u27s Committee of Bar Examiners, the California Postsecondary Education Commission, several California law school deans, and representatives of undergraduate pre-law advisors, representatives of law school graduates and representatives of minority law student associations