Empirical Research on SMEs the Past Ten Years in Canada

The past two decades have seen significant reforms in abortion law throughout Australia. From the perspective of advancing women’s reproductive rights, the most significant abortion law reforms have been the decriminalisation of abortion, removal of impediments to accessing medical abortion, the imposition of an ‘obligation to refer’ on medical practitioners with a conscientious objection to abortion, and the introduction of safe access zones around abortion clinics. This article focuses on the introduction of safe access zones as a key legal reform that has been implemented across Australia to support and promote women’s reproductive rights, drawing on empirical research conducted by the first and second authors and discussing this research in the context of the recent High Court decision confirming the constitutionality of safe access zones.

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WASHBACK TO LANGUAGE TEACHERS: A REVIEW OF MODELS AND EMPIRICAL RESEARCH IN AND BEYOND VIETNAM

VNU Journal of Foreign Studies ◽

10.25073/2525-2445/vnufs.4582 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Dinh Minh Thu

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Foreign Language ◽

Empirical Research ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Language Teachers ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Teachers Perceptions ◽

The Past ◽

Key Innovation ◽

Teachers Professional Development

Washback, i.e., test effects on teaching and learning, has been emerging as an attractive research topic in language training and assessment for over the past 20 years for its significant implications of test validation and fairness for both policy-makers and practitioners. Presently, it deserves more Vietnamese researchers' interest in the context of the enactment of the National Foreign Language Project 2020 (extended to 2025), which puts language assessment as a key innovation requirement. Washback operates either positively or negatively; i.e. promoting or inhibiting learning. Teachers are considered the precursor in the washback mechanism. There is only one washback model on the washback effects on teachers, which is proposed by Shih (2009). This paper aims to critically browse other washback models besides Shin’s (2009) to generate a washback framework on teachers' perceptions and practices. Previous empirical washback research on teachers in and beyond Vietnam is, then, investigated in alignment with the aspects illustrated in the framework to point out achievements and gaps in the field. A qualitative approach of document analysis of over forty studies of differing types, i.e. books, dissertations and articles, has been adopted to reach the research aim. The discussion is divided into two major parts, including the washback models pertaining to teachers to scaffold a model for teachers' perceptions and practices, and the results in empirical research in terms of the aspects mentioned in the model. Findings show that washback on teachers' perceptions ranges from perceptions of the test itself, students' language ability, teaching contents and methodology to teachers' professional development. Plus, washback on teachers' practices concerns their selections of teaching contents and methodology in class as well as their involvement in professional development. The element of professional development can be considered a new light in the reviewed washback model. This has a significant meaning by raising teachers' awareness of developing themselves professionally. The current paper expects to contribute to elaborating the scenario of washback research for interested researchers, practitioners and policymakers not only in but beyond the context of Vietnam.

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Empirical Research on China's Regional Economic Distribution and Characteristics

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.204-210.350 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 204-210 ◽

pp. 350-353

Author(s):

Xiao Guang Lu ◽

Jian Qun Zhu ◽

Meng Ying Fan

Keyword(s):

Division Of Labor ◽

Empirical Research ◽

Regional Economy ◽

Census Data ◽

Jiangsu Province ◽

Regional Economic ◽

The Past ◽

Model Based ◽

Economic Census ◽

Economic Regions

According to the second economic census data of Jiangsu Province, this paper firstly uses PCA-HCA model based on provincial cities data to classify economic regions. And then, it uses BLR-HCA model to reclassify the economic regions based on counties data. Finally, it comes to the conclusion that the past regional classification ways of Jiangsu Province need to be updated. The research on regional economy is dynamic and timely, while deepening the division of labor and finance is an effective way to develop Jiangsu’s regional economy.

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Nauka bez mistrzów? Zmiany w relacjach mistrz–uczeń i sposobach uprawiania nauki

Kultura i Spoleczenstwo ◽

10.35757/kis.2017.61.4.7 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 61 (4) ◽

pp. 125-145

Author(s):

Agnieszka Kretek-Kamińska ◽

Aneta Krzewińska

Keyword(s):

Empirical Research ◽

Student Teacher ◽

Higher Learning ◽

Academic Life ◽

Academic Institutions ◽

The Past ◽

Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽

Research Interviews ◽

Source Materials

This article describes changes in student–teacher relations in the context of academic institutions and variation in methods of teaching. On the basis of empirical research (interviews conducted currently among employees of Polish institutions of higher learning and analysis of source materials concerning the past) the authors advance the thesis that the figure of the mentor—which was once associated with scholarship and academic institutions—has ceased to have meaning for contemporary scholars. Instead of mentors, persons who are called “quasi-mentors” have appeared; they act temporarily as guides for young scholars and most often perform only one of the functions formerly fulfilled by mentors (for instance, organizers of academic life, seekers for research funds, promoters of doctoral theses, etc.). The authors consider that these alterations have been caused by general processes of economic, technological, political, and axiological change.

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Data Gap in Growth and Investment Projections of Black Walnut Plantations

Northern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/njaf/6.4.169 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 169-171

Author(s):

John C. Bliss ◽

A. Jeff Martin

Keyword(s):

Empirical Research ◽

Empirical Data ◽

Black Walnut ◽

The Past ◽

Investment Opportunities ◽

Plantation Species ◽

Data Gap

Abstract The popularity of black walnut as a plantation species has grown tremendously in the past three decades. A comparison of several recent plantation walnut growth and investment projections shows the limited empirical data upon which they are built, and the resulting disparity in the projections. Furthering our knowledge of walnut culture and investment opportunities will require a commitment to long-term empirical research that is currently lacking. North. J. Appl. For. 6:169-171, December 1989.

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Gendered Massacres: Examining the Effects of Cultural and Structural Gender Inequality on the Incidence of Mass Public Shootings

Violence and Victims ◽

10.1891/vv-d-18-00184 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (6) ◽

pp. 885-905

Author(s):

Margaret Schmuhl ◽

Joel A. Capellan

Keyword(s):

Empirical Research ◽

Gender Inequality ◽

Social Problem ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Cultural Factors ◽

Future Research ◽

The Past ◽

Mass Public ◽

Gender Hierarchy

With nearly 97% of incidents within the past 40 years committed by men, mass public shootings are a gendered social problem. Yet, empirical research on this phenomenon largely neglects gender hierarchy and cultural factors as predictors, in favor of individual- and event-level characteristics. Despite calls from scholars to place masculinity and threats to patriarchal hegemony at the center of analyses, no empirical studies to our knowledge have examined the role of gender inequality in mass public shootings. The findings indicate that gender inequality, structural and ideological, are important predictors of mass public shootings and that future research should continue to investigate such violence from a gendered lens.

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Critique of Recent Empirical Research on Insight and Symptomatology in Schizophrenia

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.2000.86.2.471 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 86 (2) ◽

pp. 471-474 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Robert C. Schwartz ◽

Jobie L. Skaggs ◽

Suni Petersen

Keyword(s):

Empirical Research ◽

Psychotic Symptoms ◽

The Past ◽

The Relationship ◽

Research Studies

During the past decade there has been a resurgence of interest in investigating the relationship between insight and symptomatology among clients with schizophrenia. The breadth and depth of the articles have dramatically increased over the past 10 years, including the number of empirical research studies. This article summarizes the strengths and limitations of the empirical research focused on the association between insight and severity of psychotic symptoms and published between 1990 and 1999.

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The relational making of people and place: the case of the Teignmouth World War II homefront

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x15001415 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 725-752 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

GAVIN J. ANDREWS

Keyword(s):

United Kingdom ◽

World War Ii ◽

Older People ◽

Empirical Research ◽

Common Ground ◽

Public Awareness ◽

World War ◽

Social Gerontology ◽

The Past ◽

Military Networks

ABSTRACTBuilding on the pioneering research of a small number of gerontologists, this paper explores the rarely trodden common ground between the academic domains of social gerontology and modern history. Through empirical research it illustrates the complex networking that exists through space and time in the relational making of people and places. Indeed, the study focuses specifically on the lived reality and ongoing significance of life on the small-town British coastal homefront during World War II. Seventeen interviews with older residents of Teignmouth, Devon, United Kingdom, investigate two points in their lives: the ‘then’ (their historical experiences during this period) and the ‘then and now’ (how they continue to reverberate). In particular, their stories illustrate the relationalities that make each of these points. The first involves residents’ unique interactions during the war with structures and technologies (such as rules, bombs and barriers) and other people (such as soldiers and outsiders) which themselves were connected to wider historical, social, political and military networks. The second involves residents’ perceptions of their own and their town's wartime histories, how this gels or conflicts with public awareness, and how this history connects to their current lives. The paper closes with some thoughts on bringing together the past, present and older people in the same scholarship.

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Empirical Research on Pedagogical Dictionary Use in Recent 30 Years

Journal of Education and Learning ◽

10.5539/jel.v8n6p103 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 103

Author(s):

Qian Li

Keyword(s):

Data Analysis ◽

Empirical Research ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Research Trends ◽

Descriptive Statistics ◽

Research Trend ◽

Research Topics ◽

The Past ◽

Using Data ◽

Dictionary Use

Research on dictionary use is a relatively new field in lexicography. Among them, the empirical studies which were few before 1990s has gained ground over recent three decades. Using data of 35 articles from International Journal of Lexicography (1987–2017), this study renders an analysis of the empirical research trends in the field of dictionary use. The analysis mainly focuses on the research topics, research methodology, and the changes that have occurred in the field. The results show that while some hot topics (e.g., the effectiveness of dictionary use or of certain dictionary information) have remained popular over the past two decades, some topics, e.g., the exploration of dictionary using process have received an increasing attention, but some others, e.g., the investigation on habits and needs of dictionary use, have witnessed a decrease of interest recently. Furthermore, researchers have improved the methodological standards for recent studies. As for data analysis, more complicated statistic approaches, rather than pure descriptive statistics, have been adopted. Finally, based on the analysis on previous studies, this paper offers suggestions for further research trend.

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Key elements of an entrepreneurial (business) model in the biogas sector. Insights from Romania

Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence ◽

10.2478/picbe-2018-0020 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 209-228 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Roxana Clodnițchi ◽

Alexandra Cătălina Nedelcu

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Empirical Research ◽

Business Model ◽

Business Models ◽

Recent Literature ◽

Research Result ◽

Energy Field ◽

The Past ◽

Business Modelling ◽

Technology Cycles

Abstract The current volatile economic environment and the evermore shorter technology cycles impact the way business is done today, especially in an emerging field like the renewable energy sector. Business modelling proves itself as an instrument, which may impact decisively the success or failure of a business. The aim of this article is to identify and present the key elements defining entrepreneurial models in the renewable energy field, as resulted from a synthesis of the recent literature available in journals indexed in international databases of mainstream publications about business models and entrepreneurial models as well as from empirical research performed in the past five years. The research result consists in a systematisation on past approaches on business modelling and the development and adaptation of the entrepreneurial model’s definition specific for the biogas sector.

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