Quantifying Social Capital At School

From introduction: Because schools operate in such complex environments the effects of various forms of social capital on outcomes is difficult to delineate without careful and detailed analysis. Therefore the challenge to be faced when addressing the quantification of Social Capital at school is considerable. This has led some to argue that qualitative research is necessary to achieve an understanding of the complex networks that operate in and about schools (e.g. Horvath et al). Whilst not disputing the value of such research, social capital has attracted interest from policy makers at least in part because various analysts have quantified social capital and have reported correlations between social capital and other desirable outcomes

Research Questions for the Archaeology of Rural Places: Experiences from the Middle Atlantic

That some 19th-century farmsteads and other rural places have significance is generally conceded as true. Our problem as historical archaeologists is to develop research questions and directions that illuminate and explain to a broad audience the significance of the physical evidence of the sultures of agriculture in American history. This essay looks at some of the writings of early agricultural historians and draws on previous historical and archaeological farmstead studies in the Middle Atlantic region. Ideas about the success (or failure) of field approaches are presented, and suggestions for research directions that could serve as over-arching themes to tie the archaeology of rural places to national trends are offered

Kui siga lendaks!

Eesti Arst 2013; 92(1):5

Interrogative Design: Enhanced Interrogation with Intent

This research project explored possible relationships between torture and design. It concludes that design can be seen as an aesthetic quality. Design is a product of ‘intent’ and function. It is action aimed at producing a desired outcome. The expression of design in any phenomena (objects, systems of action, artworks etc.) is seen through its expression of intent towards some central purpose or ideal. Intent is thus the aesthetic expression of design. Acts of torture express intent to varying degrees. The geo-political period beginning in 2001, known popularly as the War on Terror, saw a form of torture emerge under the title enhanced interrogation. This set of violent coercive techniques possibly the most thoroughly designed in history. As signified in extensive US Government research and documentation, these techniques were extensively designed to produce torture-like methods that avoided illegality. Waterboarding (the simulation of drowning) was the most recognisable of the enhanced interrogation techniques, and perhaps the most violent. Its practice and the factors affecting its design were widely discussed. Yet, it remained invisible. By designing a suite of functional aids for waterboarding (the Water Cure Collection) to confer visibility on waterboarding. The manufacture of the Waterboards facilitated a practical enquiry into the technique’s design and a material affirmation of its existence in the world. It offered a concrete representation of waterboarding, a public realisation of its design

Towards Information Literacy Indicators. Conceptual Framework prepared by Ralph Catts and Jesus Lau

Este documento proporciona un marco conceptual básico para la medición de la Alfin y ha sido diseñado para servir de referencia con objeto de facilitar la elaboración de indicadores de alfabetización informacional.Elaborado por Ralph Catts y Jesús LauRevisión técnica por Cristóbal Pasadas Ureña (Universidad de Granada, Biblioteca de la Facultad de Psicología). La presente edición ha sido publicada por el Ministerio de Cultura español en colaboración con UNESCO

Towards information literacy indicators

From summary: This paper provides a conceptual framework for the identification of indicators of information literacy (IL) and proposes a pathway for cost effective and timely development. The paper includes a definition of IL; a model that links information literacy with other adult competencies including Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills; and a description of IL standards in education. Issues of IL equality and the implications of cultural diversity are identified

Bilingual instruction in early childhood education, can it better develop children?

This is a case study of teaching and learning using bilingual instruction in two schools of Early Childhood Education in Kupang-NTT, Indonesia. The aims of this study are to find out whether or not bilingual instruction in Early Childhood Education can better develop children (the outcomes) and if the issue of ‘the younger, the better” in children’s language acquisition in bilingual setting is acceptable and true. 4 students from one bilingual and one monolingual schools have been observed. In addition, parents and teachers of these students have also been interviewed. The data has then been analyzed qualitatively to come to the answers of the proposed questions, and the results reveal that bilingual instruction alone does not necessarily create better children unless it is supported by other factors, such as encouraging parents, professional teachers, and supporting environment. This is in a line with the findings of the issue about ‘the younger, the better’ in children’s language acquisition, that the younger does not always mean the better. Other aforementioned factors are needed in the development of children’s language acquisition. It’s recommended that all parties involved in children’s development can take part in developing their skills, knowledge as well as characters

Apoptosis and schizophrenia: a pilot study based on dermal fibroblast cell lines

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is an increased susceptibility to apoptosis in cultured fibroblasts from patients with schizophrenia

Building a Framework for Research: Delaware\u27s Management Plan for Historical Archaeological Resources

In 1990 the authors completed a Management Plan for Delaware\u27s Historical Archaeological Resources. This article outlines the Management Plan\u27s objectives and components, and presents the core of the research program for historical archaeology developed in the Plan. The Delaware Plan may suggest ideas to histroical archaeologists developing plans for other states, provinces, counties, and even cities or other municipalities. At the same time, Delaware historical archaeology can benefit from the responses to this Plan offered by our colleagues across the Northeast and beyond