The positive effects of ethnic diversity in class on the educational performance of pupils in a multiethnic European metropole

According to Robert Putnam (2007) ethnic diversity in cities and neighborhoods does not lead to an increase of trust and social capital as previously predicted by intergroup contact theory (Pettigrew, 1998); instead it triggers a reaction of hunkering down that leads to a decrease in trust and social capital of both in-group and out-groups. But what happens if we focus on youngsters that are growing up in a multi-ethnic metropole, that are considering ethnic diversity as a something "normal", and that are bridging their ethnic differences by sharing a common street culture and language? In this article we use data about 905 pupils, 41 classes and 11 schools in a European metropole to confirm the hypothesis that in this specific context ethnic diversity in classrooms does lead to positive effects on educational performance

De Ridderschap van Gelderland: Van Politiek Orgaan tot ‘Zedelyck Ligchaam’ [1850-2012]

__Abstract__ De politieke rol van de ridderschappen hield door de grondwetswijziging van 1848 [de facto 6 juli 1850] op te bestaan. Het merendeel van de ridderschappen is na de grondwetswijziging opgeheven, maar de Ridderschap van Gelderland heeft besloten om verder te gaan als ‘zedelyck lichaam’, dat wil zeggen als ‘eene vereeniging van personen die rechtsbevoegdheid heeft’. De politieke of staatkundige rol van de beschrevenen in de Ridderschap van Gelderland was daarmee echter geenszins uitgespeeld. Integendeel, het aantal beschrevenen met een functie in de publieke sector was, zeker aanvankelijk, groot en zou eigenlijk pas na de Tweede Wereldoorlog ‘normale’ proporties aannemen. In deze bijdrage gaan wij in op de vraag hoe de beschrevenen in de ridderschap zijn omgegaan met de afgenomen politieke of staatkundige rol van de ridderschap als instituut. In het bijzonder stellen wij onderstaande vraag aan de orde: ‘In hoeverre zijn de beschrevenen in de Ridderschap van Gelderland er in geslaagd om hun maatschappelijke positie na de grondwetswijziging van 1848 te behouden? In dat kader zal tevens worden nagegaan in hoeverre de beschrevenen in de Ridderschap van Gelderland op dit punt afwijken van de overige Nederlandse adel

Development and external validation of preoperative clinical prediction models for postoperative outcomes including preoperative aerobic fitness in patients approaching elective colorectal cancer surgery

Introduction: Preoperative aerobic fitness is associated with postoperative outcomes after elective colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery. This study aimed to develop and externally validate two clinical prediction models incorporating a practical test to assess preoperative aerobic fitness to distinguish between patients with and without an increased risk for 1) postoperative complications and 2) a prolonged time to in-hospital recovery of physical functioning after elective colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery. Materials and methods: Models were developed using prospective data from 256 patients and externally validated using prospective data of 291 patients. Postoperative complications were classified according to Clavien-Dindo. The modified Iowa level of assistance scale (mILAS) was used to determine time to postoperative in-hospital physical recovery. Aerobic fitness, age, sex, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, neoadjuvant treatment, surgical approach, tumour location, and preoperative haemoglobin level were potential predictors. Areas under the curve (AUC), calibration plots, and Hosmer-Lemeshow tests evaluated predictive performance. Results: Aerobic fitness, sex, age, ASA, tumour location, and surgical approach were included in the final models. External validation of the model for complications and postoperative recovery presented moderate to fair discrimination (AUC 0.666 (0.598–0.733) and 0.722 (0.651–0.794), respectively) and good calibration. High sensitivity and high negative predictive values were observed in the lower predicted risk categories (&lt;40 %). Conclusion: Both models identify patients with and without an increased risk of complications or a prolonged time to in-hospital physical recovery. They might be used for improving patient-tailored preoperative risk assessment and targeted and cost-effective application of prehabilitation interventions.</p

Development and external validation of preoperative clinical prediction models for postoperative outcomes including preoperative aerobic fitness in patients approaching elective colorectal cancer surgery

Introduction: Preoperative aerobic fitness is associated with postoperative outcomes after elective colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery. This study aimed to develop and externally validate two clinical prediction models incorporating a practical test to assess preoperative aerobic fitness to distinguish between patients with and without an increased risk for 1) postoperative complications and 2) a prolonged time to in-hospital recovery of physical functioning after elective colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery. Materials and methods: Models were developed using prospective data from 256 patients and externally validated using prospective data of 291 patients. Postoperative complications were classified according to Clavien-Dindo. The modified Iowa level of assistance scale (mILAS) was used to determine time to postoperative in-hospital physical recovery. Aerobic fitness, age, sex, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, neoadjuvant treatment, surgical approach, tumour location, and preoperative haemoglobin level were potential predictors. Areas under the curve (AUC), calibration plots, and Hosmer-Lemeshow tests evaluated predictive performance. Results: Aerobic fitness, sex, age, ASA, tumour location, and surgical approach were included in the final models. External validation of the model for complications and postoperative recovery presented moderate to fair discrimination (AUC 0.666 (0.598–0.733) and 0.722 (0.651–0.794), respectively) and good calibration. High sensitivity and high negative predictive values were observed in the lower predicted risk categories (&lt;40 %). Conclusion: Both models identify patients with and without an increased risk of complications or a prolonged time to in-hospital physical recovery. They might be used for improving patient-tailored preoperative risk assessment and targeted and cost-effective application of prehabilitation interventions.</p

School sector variation on non-cognitive dimensions: are denominational schools different?

Denominational schooling makes up an important part of European educational systems. Given its specificity, denominational schooling can be expected to place a greater weight on values teaching and moral education. As such, it may be more effective in bringing about certain attitudes and opinions. It also may be more successful in creating a warm and caring atmosphere, thus helping students to better emotionally connect to the school community. This paper set out to empirically test some of these hypotheses by making use of three waves of data collected in the framework of the Program for International Student Assessment study. We compare public and publicly supported private (as a proxy to denominational) schools on two dimensions, namely the emotional integration with the rest of the school community, and the concern and feelings of responsibility towards the environment. But for Austria, Belgium and Spain, no evidence could be found that the type of the school has any impact on the reported psychological adaptation to the school. In these three countries, publicly supported private schools tend to be more successful in integrating their students. Also students in public and private dependent schools were equally environment oriented, taking into account several student and school characteristics. The lack of schooling sector differences in attaining non-cognitive aims may have at least three causes. First, ecological issues could be salient enough not to necessitate any special religious or moral reinforcement in order to gain traction. Second, public schools may use religious education or ethics just as fruitfully and consequently, they are just as successful in values and norms transmission. Third, it is possible that schools play a minor role in introducing students to environmental dilemmas and concerns, this role being taken over by the family or the media

The Importance of the Common Family Background for the Similarity of Divorce Risks of Siblings: a Multi-level Event History Analysis

This study examines the effect of family and individual children’s characteristics on the probability of having a divorce. Current research shows a clear indication of increased divorce risks if an individual’s parents or siblings have experienced a divorce. Explanations include both shared family characteristics (including genetic effects) and common characteristics of the individual children involved. This study analyses the effect of shared family background characteristics on the divorce risk of individuals. By analyzing siblings within families and including individual children’s characteristics in the analysis it is possible to separate individual level and family level effects. In addition to a multilevel structure of individual siblings nested within families, the data are also censored. For all individuals in the data the length of the marriage and the divorce status are known, but the divorce status is interpreted differently for individuals who have or have not experienced divorce. For divorced individuals, the final divorce status is known, but for individuals who have not experienced divorce the final marriage status is unknown or censored. The proper analysis model for such data is event history (also called survival) analysis. This study therefore employs a multilevel event history model. Our results show that there is a similarity in the divorce risks of siblings from the same family, which is not explained away by the available child and family characteristics. This suggests that shared genetic and social heritage play an important role in the intergenerational transmission of divorce risks

Do School Segregation and School Resources Explain Region-of-Origin Differences in the Mathematics Achievement of Immigrant Students?

Contains fulltext : 54566.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Levels and Dronkers (2006) showed that educational achievement differs between immigrant students from different regions of origin (Latin America, Northern Africa, and Western Asia). This follow-up paper establishes whether these differences in educational achievement between immigrant students from different regions of origin can be explained by school segregation, whether along ethnic or socioeconomic lines. Ethnic and socioeconomic school segregation have a negative influence on the scholastic achievement of all students, although the impact of socioeconomic school segregation is greater than that of ethnic school segregation. Ethnic school segregation affects the scholastic outcomes of native and immigrant students from some regions of origin more than those of immigrant students from other regions. The analysis shows that neither ethnic, nor socioeconomic, school segregation explains the lower mathematics achievement of immigrant students from Latin America, Northern Africa, and Western Asia.28 p