The importance of relative performance feedback information: Evidence from a natural experiment using high school students

We study the effect of providing relative performance feedback information onperformance, when individuals are rewarded according to their absolute performance. Anatural experiment that took place in a high school offers an unusual opportunity to testthis effect in a real-effort setting. For one year only, students received information thatallowed them to know whether they were performing above (below) the class average aswell as the distance from this average. We exploit a rich panel data set and find that theprovision of this information led to an increase of 5% in students grades. Moreover, theeffect was significant for the whole distribution. However, once the information wasremoved, the effect disappeared. To rule out the concern that the effect may beartificially driven by teachers within the school, we verify our results using nationallevel exams (externally graded) for the same students, and the effect remains.

Infective Endocarditis in a Finnish Teaching Hospital. 25 Years of Experience of Adult Patients

Infektiivinen endokardiitti yliopistollisessa keskussairaalassa vuosina 1980-2004 hoidetuilla aikuispotilailla Tausta: Infektiivinen endokardiitti on edelleen vakava sairaus. Huolimatta siitä, että taudin diagnostiikka ja hoito ovat kehittyneet, siihen liittyy edelleen merkittävää sairastuvuutta ja kuolleisuutta. Endokardiitin taudinkuvassa on viime vuosina tapahtunut muutoksia monissa maissa. Tavoitteet: Tutkia endokardiitin kliinista kuvaa ja ennustetta suomalaisessa yliopistosairaalassa vuosina 1980-2004 endokardiitin vuoksi hoidetuilla aikuispotilailla. Aineisto: Osatyössä I endokardiitin todennäköisyyttä analysoitiin 222:lla vuosina 1980-1995 endokardiittiepäilyn vuoksi hoidetulla potilaalla käyttäen apuna sekä Duken että von Reyn diagnostisia kriteereitä. Osatyössä II tutkittiin endokardiittiin liittyviä neurologisia komplikaatioita 218 varmassa tai mahdollisessa endokardiittiepisodissa. Osatyössä III tutkittiin seerumin C-reaktiivisen proteiinin (CRP) käyttökelpoisuutta hoitovasteen arvioinnissa 134:ssä varmaksi luokitellussa endokardiittiepisodissa. Osatyössä IV tutkittiin yleisbakteeri-PCRmenetelmän käyttökelpoisuutta etiologisessa diagnostiikassa 56:lla endokardiittiepäilyn vuoksi leikatulla potilaalla. Osatöissä V ja VI analysoitiin kaikki vuosina 1980-2004 hoidetut 303 endokardiittipotilasta lyhytaikais- ja 1-vuotisennusteen suhteen sekä tutkittiin endokardiitin taudinkuvassa tapahtuneita muutoksia sairaalassamme. Tulokset: Duken kriteerit osoittautuivat von Reyn kriteereitä herkemmiksi endokardiitin diagnostiikassa: 243 tutkitusta episodista 114 luokiteltiin varmoiksi endokardiiteiksi Duken kriteereillä, kun vastaavasti ainoastaan 64 luoteltiin varmoiksi von Reyn kriteereillä (p<0.001). Lisäksi peräti 115 episodissa endokardiitin diagnoosi hylättiin von Reyn kriteereillä, kun diagnoosi hylättiin Duken kriteereillä ainoastaan 37 episodissa (p<0.001). Neurologinen komplikaatio ilmeni ennen mikrobilääkehoidon aloittamista 76 %:ssa episodeja ollen ensimmäinen oire 47 %:ssa. Kuolema oli merkitsevästi yhteydessä neurologisiin komplikaatioihin. Hoitovastetta seurattaessa seerumin CRP:n lasku oli merkitsevästi nopeampaa komplikaatioitta toipuvilla potilailla kuin niillä, joille kehittyi komplikaatioita tai jotka menehtyivät tautiinsa. PCR-tutkimus poistetusta läpästä antoi ainoana menetelmänä etiologisen diagnoosin neljässä tapauksessa (2 stafylokokkilajia, 1 Streptococcus bovis,1 Bartonella quintana), joissa kaikissa mikrobilääkehoito oli ollut käytössä ennen näytteiden ottamista. Koko aineistossa kahden läpän infektio tai neurologisten komplikaatioiden, perifeeristen embolioiden tai sydämen vajaatoiminnan kehittyminen ennustivat sekä sairaalakuolleisuutta että 1-vuotiskuolleisuutta, kun taas ≥65 vuoden ikä ja sydämen ultraäänitutkimuksessa todettu vegetaatio tai Duken luokittelun mukainen pääkriteeri ennustivat kuolemaa vuoden sisällä. Korkea CRP-taso sairaalaan tullessa ennusti sekä sairaalakuolleisuutta että 1-vuotiskuolleisuutta. Huumeiden käyttäjien endokardiitit lisääntyivät tutkimusaikana merkitsevästi (p<0.001). Päätelmät: Tässä työssä vahvistetaan Duken kriteerien käyttökelpoisuus endokardiitin diagnostiikassa. Lisäksi vahvistui käsitys, että nopea diagnoosi ja mikrobilääkehoidon aloittaminen ovat parhaat keinot ehkäistä neurologisia komplikaatioita ja parantaa endokardiittipotilaiden ennustetta. CRP:n normalisoituminen on endokardiittipotilailla hyvän ennusteen merkki. Suoraan läppäkudoksesta tehty PCR-tutkimus on hyödyllinen, kun taudin aiheuttaja on kasvuominaisuuksiltaan vaativa tai potilas on saanut mikrobilääkehoitoa ennen viljelynäytteiden ottamista. Muutamat aiemmissa tutkimuksissa todetut huonon ennusteen merkit ennustavat huonoa ennustetta myös tämän tutkimuksen potilailla. Uutena löydöksenä ilmeni, että korkea CRP-arvo sairaalaan tullessa merkitsee sekä huonoa lyhyt- että pitkäaikaisennustetta. Huumeiden käyttäjien endokardiittien ilmaantuminen on tärkein epidemiologinen muutos 25 vuoden tutkimusaikana.

Oral English in different school settings

Hi ha molts tipus d’escoles diferents, i fins i tot, podem constatar que cada escola és diferent de les altres. Per aquesta raó, quan parlem sobre l’aprenentatge de l’anglès, no podem generalitzar una manera de fer-ho, perquè cada una d’elles tracta aquesta llengua de manera diferent. A més, pel que fa a l’aprenentatge d’una llengua, hi ha diferents habilitats involucrades, i entre totes aquestes, he centrat aquest projecte en l’habilitat oral. Aquesta recerca esta basada en l’observació de tres exemples de tipus d’escoles, i per ser més precisos, té l’objectiu d’aprofundir com tracten l’Anglès. D’aquesta manera, el principal objectiu d’aquest projecte és comparar l’habilitat oral dels alumnes d’aquestes escoles, tot considerant les seves diferències. Així doncs, amb el desenvolupament d’aquesta recerca, vaig voler descobrir si hi havien alguns alumnes amb millors habilitats orals que d’altres, i trobar-ne la possible raó.

Iowa Community Colleges High School Enrollment Report, February 2006

Community Colleges of Iowa transmit fiscal year enrollment data to the Department of Education. All data included in this report, except where noted, are taken from the Management Information System (MIS) electronic data files and are confirmed by the community college.

Third Annual Iowa Community Colleges High School Enrollment Report, January 2007

Community Colleges of Iowa transmit fiscal year enrollment data to the Department of Education. All data included in this report, except where noted, are taken from the Management Information System (MIS) electronic data files and are confirmed by the community college.

Iowa Community Colleges High School Enrollment Report, July 2008

Community Colleges of Iowa transmit fiscal year enrollment data to the Department of Education. All data included in this report, except where noted, are taken from the Management Information System (MIS) electronic data files and are confirmed by the community college.

Second Annual Iowa Community Colleges High School Enrollment Report, February 2006

Community Colleges of Iowa transmit fiscal year enrollment data to the Department of Education. All data included in this report, except where noted, are taken from the Management Information System (MIS) electronic data files and are confirmed by the community college.

Error probability in synchronous digital circuits due to power supply noise

This paper presents a probabilistic approach to model the problem of power supply voltage fluctuations. Error probability calculations are shown for some 90-nm technology digital circuits.The analysis here considered gives the timing violation error probability as a new design quality factor in front of conventional techniques that assume the full perfection of the circuit. The evaluation of the error bound can be useful for new design paradigms where retry and self-recoveringtechniques are being applied to the design of high performance processors. The method here described allows to evaluate the performance of these techniques by means of calculating the expected error probability in terms of power supply distribution quality.

The motivation to learn as a self-presentation tool among Swiss high school students : The moderating role of mastery goals' perceived social value on learning

Although it has been assumed that the motivation to learn - or mastery goal endorsement - positively predicts learning achievement, most empirical findings fail to demonstrate this relationship. In the present research, conducted in a Swiss high school, we adopted a social value approach to test the hypothesis that adolescent students' mastery goals do in fact predict learning, but only if these goals are perceived as highly useful for scholarly success (high social utility), and are not endorsed as a means to be appreciated by the teachers (low social desirability), a finding that has previously been observed among college students and on teacher-graded achievement measures only. Results demonstrate that in spite of potential peculiarities of an adolescent population, individual differences in mastery goals' perceived social utility and desirability moderate the mastery goal endorsement-learning achievement relation. Findings are discussed with regard to both theory development and educational practice.

Ontario high school sport : an investigation of organizational design and its context

In 2002, The Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) identified that in providing extracurricular sport programs schools are faced with the 'new realities' of the education system. Although research has been conducted exploring the pressures impacting the provision of extracurricular school sport (Donnelly, Mcloy, Petherick, & Safai, 2000), few studies within the field have focused on understanding extracurricular school sport from an organizational level. The focus of this study was to examine the organizational design (structure, systems, and values) of the extracurricular sport department within three Ontario high schools, as well as to understand the context within which the departments exist. A qualitative multiple case study design was adopted and three public high schools were selected from one district school board in Ontario to represent the cases under investigation. Interviews, observations and documents were used to analyze the extracurricular sport department design of each case and to better understand the context within which the departments exist. As the result of the analysis of the structure, systems and values of each case, two designs emerged- Design KT1 and Design KT2. Differences in the characteristics of design archetype KT1 and KT2 centered on the design dimension of values, and therefore this study identified that contrasting organizational values reflect differences in design types. The characteristics of the Kitchen Table archetype were found to be transferable to the sub-sector of extracurricular school sport, and therefore this research provides a springboard for further research in organizational design within the education sector of extracurricular high school sport. Interconnections were found between the data associated with the external and internal contexts within which the extracurricular sport departments exist. The analysis of the internal context indicated the important role played by organizational members in shaping the context within which the departments exist. The analysis of the external context highlighted the institutional pressures that were present within the education environment. Both political and cultural expectations related to the role of extracurricular sport within schools were visible and were subsequently used by the high schools to create legitimacy and prestige, and to access resources.

Orange Union High School, Orange, California

Orange Union High School in Orange, California, ca. 1915. Elongated postcard image shows bird's-eye view looking southeast toward the campus. The original academic building in the center was designed by local architect C.B. Bradshaw and completed in July 1905 [now Wilkinson Hall]. The "Twins," identical buildings officially known as the Science and Commercial Buildings[now Reeves Hall and Smith Hall], flank the academic building on the north and south, forming a "U." They were added in 1913 and designed by Santa Ana architect Fred Eley. The 300 block of North Glassell Street runs in front of the buildings and East Palm Avenue is on the south side. Residences can be seen in front and behind the campus. The campus was purchased by Chapman College in 1954.

Orange Union High School, Orange, California

Orange Union High School in Orange, California, ca. 1915. Elongated postcard image shows bird's-eye view looking southeast toward the campus. The original academic building in the center was designed by local architect C.B. Bradshaw and completed in July 1905 [now Wilkinson Hall]. The "Twins," identical buildings officially known as the Science and Commercial Buildings[now Reeves Hall and Smith Hall], flank the academic building on the north and south, forming a "U." They were added in 1913 and designed by Santa Ana architect Fred Eley. The 300 block of North Glassell Street runs in front of the buildings and East Palm Avenue is on the south side. Residences can be seen in front and behind the campus. The campus was purchased in 1954 by Chapman College.

First building of Orange Union High School, Orange, California, now Wilkinson Hall, Chapman University

Orange Union High School, located at 333 N. Glassell Street, Orange, California, 1905. Constructed in 1905 and designed by local architect, C.B. Bradshaw, image shows main building, now called Wilkinson Hall, which moved north prior to 1921. Acquired in 1954 and currently operated by Chapman University; it was renamed Wilkinson Hall in honor of J. E. Wilkinson, a former trustee, chairman of the board, and acting president. View shows front and south elevations across North Glassell Street.

Handwriting Intervention: Impact on the Reading and Writing Abilities of High School Students

Handwriting is a functional task that is used to communicate thoughts using a written code. Research findings have indicated that handwriting is related to learning to read and learning to write. The purposes of this research project were to determine if a handwriting intervention would increase abilities in reading and writing skills, in graphomotor and visual-motor integration skills, and improve the participants’ self-perceptions and self-descriptions pertaining to handwriting enjoyment, competence, and effort. A single-subject research design was implemented with four struggling high school students who each received 10.5 to 15.5 hours of cursive handwriting intervention using the ez Write program. In summary, the findings indicated that the students showed significant improvements in aspects of reading and writing; that they improved significantly in their cursive writing abilities; and that their self-perceptions concerning their handwriting experience and competence improved. The contribution of handwriting to academic achievement and vocational success can no longer be neglected.

Kindergarten classroom engagement skills : the road to academic success in elementary school

Les caractéristiques de l’enfant à la maternelle prédisent le succès des transitions à travers les premières années scolaires ainsi que la poursuite académique à l’âge de 22 ans. Les habiletés en mathématiques et langagières à la maternelle sont étroitement liées au rendement scolaire. Cependant, il est également important de tenir compte du rôle de l’autocontrôle et de la maîtrise de soi dans la réussite académique. Spécifiquement, la capacité de suivre des instructions et travailler de manière autonome pourrait faciliter l’adaptation des enfants en milieu scolaire. La présente thèse examine la valeur potentielle de cibler l’engagement scolaire à la maternelle, sous forme d’orientation vers la tâche, pour améliorer l’ajustement académique des enfants au cours du primaire. Une première étude, a examiné si l’engagement scolaire à la maternelle est associé à un meilleur niveau de réussite scolaire et d’ajustement psychosocial à la quatrième année du primaire. Les résultats suggèrent que les habitudes de travail dès l’entrée à l’école représentent des prédicteurs robustes du rendement académique quatre ans plus tard. Un plus haut niveau d’engagement prédit également moins de comportements externalisés et de victimisation par les pairs en quatrième année. Ces résultats sont demeurés significatifs suite au contrôle statistique des habilités en mathématique, langagières et socio-émotionnelles des enfants ainsi que de facteurs de risques familiaux. Une deuxième étude a examiné l’origine de l’engagement scolaire au primaire. Cette étude a permis d’observer que le niveau de contrôle cognitif des enfants d’âge préscolaire représente un prédicteur significatif de l’engagement scolaire à la maternelle. Ces résultats suggèrent l’existence d’une continuité développementale du contrôle cognitif de la petite enfance à la maternelle, et que celle-ci pourrait servir de base pour le développement de bonnes habitudes de travail au primaire. Finalement dans une troisième étude, des analyses centrées sur la personne ont été effectués. Trois sous-groupes d’enfants ont été identifiés dans notre échantillon. Les résultats obtenus indiquent des trajectoires d’engagement bas, moyen et élevé respectivement, au primaire. Le faible contrôle cognitif et les facteurs de risques familiaux ont prédit l’appartenance à la trajectoire d’engagement faible. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats de ces trois études soulignent l’importance de tenir compte de l’engagement dans les évaluations de la maturité scolaire à la maternelle. Cette recherche pourrait également informer le développement de programmes d’interventions préscolaires visant à augmenter la préparation scolaire ainsi que la réduction des écarts au niveau de la réussite académique des enfants.