Economic Convergence in South-Eastern Europe: Will the Financial Sector deliver?

The pace of financial development in south-eastern Europe has accelerated. In a setting of low inflation and robust growth, domestic credit and cross-border flows are expanding rapidly. This can strengthen sustainable real convergence by supporting productivity gains – thus underpinning higher incomes, enhanced competitiveness and a smooth servicing of external liabilities. But such an outcome is not guaranteed. It depends on a favourable investment climate. Otherwise, an expansion of private consumption and residential investment may not be matched by growth in the traded goods sector and in other productive activities. EU Accession – with its potential for trade and investment integration, and an acquis-based strengthening of institutions – improves the chances of good outcomes. But deep structural reforms, as well as sound fiscal and prudential policies, are essential to foster sustainable growth and to avoid financial stress.

Does Drought Affect Reproduction in the Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus Caudacutus)?

The Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus) is experiencing steep population declines, with extinction likely within the next few decades. Sea-level rise has been identified as a major threat to the species, but little has been done to examine the effects of other aspects of climate change on Saltmarsh Sparrow populations. In this study, I examine whether drought affects reproductive success in the Saltmarsh Sparrow. I use nest- and chick-monitoring data collected over five years across the northern half of the species range to test whether drought conditions affect four metrics of reproductive success in these birds: hatch rate, clutch size, chick growth rate, and fledge. Drought had little to no effect on any metric of reproductive success, though I did detect some minor nonlinear patterns. The results from these analyses suggest that sea-level rise is indeed the largest climate change-related threat faced by this species

Latinos in Massachusetts Public Schools: Pittsfield

This report provides a snapshot of current educational outcomes of Latino students in the city of Pittsfield. It is based on publicly available data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) that has been analyzed by the Gastón Institute for the 2014 Latinos in Massachusetts Regional Meeting in Pittsfield. This report uses the ethno-racial categories assigned by MADESE. It focuses on the evolving demographic trends and the most recent educational outcomes of Latino students relative to other ethno-racial groups in the school district and to students statewide. The first section illustrates the demographic shift occurring within the Pittsfield Public Schools, with a growing Latino student population and a shrinking White student population. The second section compares the performance of Latino students in Pittsfield on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests with the performance of all students statewide and other ethno-racial groups in Pittsfield. These comparisons show that large disparities exist in certain subjects, but that the Grade 10 ELA achievement gap between Latino and White students has been shrinking over recent years. The third section highlights Latino student suspension rates, graduation and dropout rates, and college enrollment rates, relative to other ethno-racial groups in the district and to all students statewide. The data indicate that Latino students graduate and enroll in postsecondary education at much lower rates than White students in the district

Enacting educational partnership: collective identity, decision-making (and the importance of muffin chat)

The rhetoric of partnership is ubiquitous in the current policy context. In education, partnerships take a number of forms among which is ‘interorganizational collaboration’ (IOC), defined as a partnership between institutions/organizations aimed at developing synergistic solutions to complex problems. But policy has a tendency to veneer, obscuring its enactment. The purpose of this paper is therefore to examine what such partnerships look like on the ground. Here we present an empirical analysis which aims to produce knowledge about the working of such collaborative groups and to provide insights into leadership within such partnerships. Drawing on communicative constitution of organizations (CCO) operationalised within a schema for understanding the emergence of collective identity in IOC, we undertake an analysis of meetings held by a working group comprising academics and local authority staff set up to develop masters level work-based professional learning for teachers. We ask, how do professionals working within different contexts create a collective identity that supports decision making, and what are the implications for leadership

The training experiences of black counsellors

There has been a significant expansion of counselling and psychotherapy training programmes within higher education and the independent training sector. The curriculum content for counselling and psychotherapy training is largely unregulated at a national level, and yet qualified counsellors are expected to cater for 'clients' with wide ranging needs and from a diversity of cultural backgrounds. The aims of the research are to examine how issues relating to ethnicity 'race' and culture are addressed in training. The research offers some insight into the lived experience of a minority group, indicating how counselling may be received by black clients. Through qualitative inquiry into the training experiences of black counsellors in England, the views and reflections of a minority group within the counselling profession are examined. Theory relating to racial identity development, internalised racism and black-white dyadic relationships was used to analyse some of the material derived from the research. The dual role of the researcher as 'insider' and 'outsider' is explored through reflexive analysis. Analysis of the data gathered from this research indicates that the presence and ethnicity of black counsellor trainees was ignored, or seen as problematic, in the training environment. Research results show that direct experience of racism at a personal and institutional level is a common component of black counsellors' experience. This research gives 'voice' to some of the concerns, experiences and views of black counsellors about the content and delivery of counselling training. Themes and experiences identified as consistent throughout the research are: positive learning about self and identity, isolation, invisibility, tokenistic visibility, frustration, and being silenced. These issues were explored in this research, providing insights for counselling trainers about the impact and effectiveness of training provision for a recognised minority. Some of the insights may have relevance to the experiences of other minority group counselling trainees

El nivel de satisfacción con la calidad educativa percibida por estudiantes de un programa de psicología

La presente investigación tuvo como propósito conocer el nivel de satisfacción con la calidad educativa recibida en alumnos de psicología de una universidad privada de Lima. A partir de la proliferación de universidades privadas en Lima, y considerando la búsqueda de estándares de calidad educativa, resulta pertinente obtener más información sobre las demandas de los alumnos como usuarios principales del servicio educativo. Se presentaron como objetivos, la construcción de una escala que permitiera medir la satisfacción de dichos alumnos y describir los resultados a partir de los datos recogidos. Para ello, primero se evaluó la validez de la escala a través de criterio de jueces y análisis factorial, y luego se encontró la confiabilidad con el Alpha de Cronbach (a = .93). La escala final estuvo compuesta por 53 reactivos, agrupados en ochos áreas que explicaban el 52% de la varianza en el análisis factorial. Se encontró que los estudiantes de la mención de psicología social son los menos satisfechos con el servicio educativo, los de la mención de psicología educacional son los más satisfechos, y que la satisfacción estuvo relacionada positivamente con el tiempo de vinculación que tienen los estudiantes con su programa, a mayor tiempo de vinculación, mayor satisfacción debido a la experiencia previa y la incorporación de nuevos parámetros de comparación, con la excepción del servicio de cafeterías que esta relación fue inversa.The purpose of this research was to examine Psychology students’ satisfaction with the educational service they receive at a private university in Lima, Peru. Due to the high number of private universities in Lima and their search for quality educational standards, it is crucial to understand student demands and expectations, since they are the primary consumers of this service. The first objective was to construct a scale that would measure satisfaction, and, second, to describe and analyze the results. Therefore, the content validity was first carried out through expert criteria, and factor analysis. Also reliability analysis was calculated through Cronbach’s Alpha (a = .93). The constructed scale had 53 items, grouped in eight areas that explained 52% of the factor analysis variance. Test results were analyzed with Chi2 and analysis of variance. Finally, the results suggested that the students from Social psychology were the least satisfied and the group from Educational psychology were the most satisfied. Also a positive relation between satisfaction and the amount of time the students have been in the program was found, leading to believe the relation is affected by the previous experience and new standards of comparison, with the exception of cafeteria where a negative relation was found.Tesi

Small data, online learning and assessment practices in higher education: a case study of failure?

In this paper we present an in-depth case study of a single student who failed an online module which formed part of a masters programme in Professional Education and Leadership. We use this case study to examine assessment practices in higher education in the online environment. In taking this approach we go against the current predilection for Big Data which has given rise to ‘learning analytics’, a data-intensive approach to monitoring learning. In particular we draw attention to the model of the learner produced by learning analytics and to issues of ‘dataveillance’ in online learning. We also use the case to examine assessment in higher education more broadly, exploring the tensions between the requirements for certification and the need for learning. We conclude that assessment practices in higher education may have more to do with ‘quality assurance’ and regulatory frameworks than with ‘enhancing the student experience’ and inculcating the qualities that mark out higher education as an ethical project

Criticality and the exercise of politeness in online spaces for professional learning

This research examines masters-accredited online professional learning aimed at fostering criticality and a disposition to collective professional autonomy. Drawing on a model of online learning conceived as a nexus of cognitive, social and teaching presence, we focus principally on the interaction between cognitive and social presence, and the ways in which written language mediates social presence in fostering a critical disposition to professional learning. A key concept for analysing this ispoliteness, predicated on Goffman's construct of ‘face’, i.e. the work individuals do in presenting themselves to others. We conclude that the ‘collective face wants’ of the online community led to the creation of an online space in which participants were supported by their peers to do ‘being critical’. The purpose of the analysis presented here is to contribute to theory around ‘social presence’ in order to further the understanding of collaborative learning in online spaces and hence to support the development of pedagogical practices aimed at facilitating this

Case 6 : On the Road to Change: The Difficulties of Evaluating Social Marketing Campaigns in Public Health

Parachute is an injury-prevention charity that has started the implementation of the Vision Zero Network to address road safety in Canada. Vision Zero aims to reduce fatalities or serious injuries on the road to zero through advocacy for policy change and road infrastructure. A large part of these goals will be accomplished through a social marketing campaign that provides resources (e.g. educational information) through a Vision Zero website and social media account (Twitter). As a registered charity, Parachute relies on funding from stakeholders to sustain its programs. Consequently, Parachute must prove to stakeholders that its initiatives have contributed to change and are worth the investment. Aiden Norman, the manager of the Vision Zero project, has been assigned the task of rolling out the social marketing campaign and ensuring the effectiveness of its resources. Aiden must determine if Parachute’s Vision Zero social marketing campaign can lead to changes in public perception, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in regard to road safety. To accomplish this task Aiden must conduct an evaluation of the Vision Zero resources and their impact. The Parachute management team has a gold-standard evaluation method in mind yet lacks the resources and funding to employ the technique. How will Aiden evaluate the effectiveness of the social marketing campaign on a limited budget without compromising on quality? The goal of this case is to apply theories of behaviour change and evaluation techniques for social marketing campaigns in public health to develop a suitable, context-specific evaluation plan for Vision Zero