scholarly journals Highlighting considerations in experimental design: the case of multimeters

2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 015018
Author(s):  
Smadar Levy ◽  
Adi Noga ◽  
Zehorit Kapach ◽  
Edit Yerushalmi
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Professional Associations ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
National Network ◽  
Accuracy Of Measurements ◽  
Experimental Process ◽  
Measuring Scale ◽  
Key Aspects

Abstract The instructional lab setting has been found to be dominated by prescribed tasks and pre-prepared lab kits. This was explained by teachers’ need to guide students to simultaneously progress through a lab curriculum, which prompts them to standardize the lab experience. Nevertheless, prominent professional associations have persistently called to better represent experimental research practices in the lab, and to grant students more agency in the experimental process by orienting them towards more open-ended lab experiences. This paper reports a lab activity designed to advance students’ agency in the practice of experimental design, in a setting governed by a high-stakes national matriculation exam. Three hundred teachers of advanced level high-school physics experienced the lab activity in a national network of professional learning communities (PLCs). The activity was anchored in an experiment to determine the relationship between the current through a battery and its terminal voltage. It was designed to problematize students’ considerations underlying the choices of the location of the voltmeter and the measuring scale of the ammeter, and the possible implications for the validity of the experimental results; e.g. control of the variables, as well as the range and the accuracy of measurements. Teachers first performed the lab activity as learners, discussed it in the PLC meeting, and finally reflected on their experience. Individual responses to the lab worksheets and the reflections were analyzed. Initially, teachers’ considerations did not portray key aspects related to the validity of the experimental results, such as how design choices related to the location of the voltmeter and the ammeter measuring scale impacted the accuracy and range of the measurements and the control of variables. The teachers were highly engaged in the peer discussion in the PLC and found the lab activity valuable in raising students’ awareness of important considerations in experimental design.

scholarly journals A Dockers Storage Performance Evaluation: Impact of Backing File Systems

2021 ◽  
pp. 8-17
Author(s):  
Amer Ramadan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Experimental Design ◽  
File Systems ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
File Server ◽  
Storage Performance ◽  
File Access ◽  
Mail Server ◽  
The Impact ◽  
E Mail

This paper reports on an in-depth examination of the impact of the backing filesystems to Docker performance in the context of Linux container-based virtualization. The experimental design was a 3x3x4 arrangement, i.e., we considered three different numbers of Docker containers, three filesystems (Ext4, XFS and Btrfs), and four application workloads related to Web server I/O activity, e-mail server I/O activity, file server I/O activity and random file access I/O activity, respectively. The experimental results indicate that Ext4 is the most optimal filesystem, among the considered filesystems, for the considered experimental settings. In addition, the XFS filesystem is not suitable for workloads that are dominated by synchronous random write components (e.g., characteristical for mail workload), while the Btrfs filesystem is not suitable for workloads dominated by random write and sequential write components (e.g., file server workload).

scholarly journals The Impact of Performance Goals on Cheating Depends on How Performance is Evaluated

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Daumiller ◽  
Stefan Janke
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
High Stakes Testing ◽  
Performance Goals ◽  
Performance Tests ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Academic Cheating ◽  
Evaluation Standards ◽  
Evaluation Standard ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
The Impact

We investigated how evaluation standards employed in performance tests affect the impact of performance goals (here: focused on appearance) on academic cheating. Thereby, we assumed that appearance goals would only lead to increased cheating if students’ performance was presumably evaluated based on results rather than on strategies applied to solve the questions. 169 university students (68.6% female) participated in an experimental design with 2 (induced appearance goals versus no goal induction) x 2 (process-based versus result-based evaluation standards) between-subject conditions. We assessed cheating using a confederate student observing participants’ behaviors and by measuring whether participants reported that they solved unsolvable questions. Confirming our hypotheses, we found that students were only more likely to cheat when appearance goals were induced and the evaluation standard focused on the results. This new knowledge helps to explain mixed findings regarding how performance goals affect cheating and provides opportunities to reduce cheating in high-stakes testing situations.

Process Optimization of Cefradine/ Montmorillionite in Solution Intercalation

2011 ◽  
Vol 306-307 ◽  
pp. 831-834
Author(s):  
Yan Zhao Zhao ◽  
Wen Ji Guo ◽  
Lan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Process Optimization ◽  
Reaction Temperature ◽  
Drug Concentration ◽  
Orthogonal Design ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Mass Ratio ◽  
Drug Load ◽  
Solution Intercalation ◽  
Initial Concentration

One-factor-at-a-time design and orthogonal design were used in the experimental design to optimize the process of preparation for Cefradine /Montmorillionite composites in solution intercalation. Experimental results indicate that drug initial concentration was the most significant condition for optimal preparation of composites, intercalation time and reaction temperature were not so significant. In our paper, the maximum drug load occurred at reaction temperature of 60°C with the intercalation time of 2h when the drug concentration (mass ratio of cefradine to MMT) was 2:1.

scholarly journals Push, Pull and Nudge: The Future of Teaching and Educational Change

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Hargreaves
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Educational Change ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Moral Principles ◽  
The Future ◽  
Teacher Collegiality

This paper draws on recent research on teacher collegiality and professional learning communities to unpack the nature, benefits and drawbacks of different forms of collegial relations, especially in circumstances of high stakes reform. In particular the paper examines the relative merits of pulling change by inspiring and enthusing teachers in their efforts by appeal to the moral principles of their work, or pushing change by placing teachers in situations requiring changes in practice in the hope that this will then lead to changes in their beliefs. The paper finds that teachers sometimes have to be drawn or pulled into professional learning communities, and sometimes they have to be driven or pushed by them. However, pulling should not be so weak that it permits no collaboration at all, and pushing should not be so excessive that it amounts to shoving or bullying. Instead, collaboration will often require the nudges of deliberate arrangements to enhance learning.

Principal resilience and vitality in extremis

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 709-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Simon ◽  
Mark T. Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Job Loss ◽  
International Study ◽  
Professional Associations ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Involuntary Job Loss ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Indicators ◽  
Big Picture ◽  
Personal Qualities ◽  
Original Insight

Purpose High-stakes accountability and continuous multi-faceted pressures of the principalship require leaders to develop a broad range of personal qualities including resilience and personal vitality. Scant research exists on what happens to school principals when careers abruptly and involuntarily end, and the purpose of this paper is sought to hear principals’ accounts of their experiences and to identify whether these personal qualities assist recovery and career re-identification. Design/methodology/approach A collaborative English and Australian study of former principals aimed to evaluate effects of involuntary job loss from their own perspectives. In total, 12 case studies involved one-on-one interviews during a two-year period revealing impact of job loss, coping strategies, resilience and personal vitality. Findings Successful management indicators were found: personal qualities, including the ability to retain a perspective and big picture view of career journey; an enduring love of teaching; health and fitness; study; getting another suitable post; and psychological and medical support. Time taken to regain pre-existing levels of personal vitality varied significantly based on resilience and contextual circumstances, whilst psychological and social support from family and professional colleagues was invaluable for recovery. Originality/value This international study presents an original insight into effects of principals’ sudden job loss – a perspective which has imposing pastoral relevance for employing authorities, professional associations and collegial networks. Aspiring and current principals may feel, “There but for the grace of God, go I”, and it is they who may need ultimately to be prepared for what is an increasingly common occurrence in schools across the world.

scholarly journals The Impact of Performance Goals on Cheating Depends on How Performance Is Evaluated

AERA Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 233285841989427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Daumiller ◽  
Stefan Janke
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
High Stakes Testing ◽  
Performance Goals ◽  
Performance Tests ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Academic Cheating ◽  
Evaluation Standards ◽  
Evaluation Standard ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
The Impact

We investigated how evaluation standards employed in performance tests affect the impact of performance goals (here focused on appearance) on academic cheating. Thereby, we assumed that appearance goals would lead to increased cheating only if students’ performance was presumably evaluated based on results rather than on the strategies they applied to solve questions. A total of 169 university students (68.6% female) participated in an experimental design with 2 (induced appearance goals vs. no goal induction) × 2 (process-based vs. result-based evaluation standards) between-subject conditions. We assessed cheating using a confederate student observing the participants’ behaviors and by measuring whether participants reported that they solved unsolvable questions. Confirming our hypotheses, we found that students were more likely to cheat only when appearance goals were induced and the evaluation standard focused on the results. This new knowledge helps explain the mixed findings regarding how performance goals affect cheating and provides opportunities to reduce cheating in high-stakes testing situations.

scholarly journals Stakes Matter in Ultimatum Games

2011 ◽  
Vol 101 (7) ◽  
pp. 3427-3439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steffen Andersen ◽  
Seda Ertaç ◽  
Uri Gneezy ◽  
Moshe Hoffman ◽  
John A List
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Experimental Economics ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Ultimatum Games ◽  
Approach Zero ◽  
Rejection Rates

One of the most robust findings in experimental economics is that individuals in one-shot ultimatum games reject unfair offers. Puzzlingly, rejections have been found robust to substantial increases in stakes. By using a novel experimental design that elicits frequent low offers and uses much larger stakes than in the literature, we are able to examine stakes' effects over ranges of data that are heretofore unexplored. Our main result is that proportionally equivalent offers are less likely to be rejected with high stakes. In fact, our paper is the first to present evidence that as stakes increase, rejection rates approach zero. JEL: C72, C78, C91

scholarly journals Committee Decisions under Majority Rule: An Experimental Study

1978 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 575-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morris P. Fiorina ◽  
Charles R. Plott
Keyword(s):  
Majority Rule ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Noncooperative Game ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Side Payments ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Committee Decision Making ◽  
The Difference

This article reports the findings of a series of experiments on committee decision making under majority rule. The committee members had relatively fixed preferences, so that the process was one of making decisions rather than one of problem solving. The predictions of a variety of models drawn from Economics, Sociology, Political Science and Game Theory were compared to the experimental results. One predictive concept, the core of the noncooperative game without side payments (equivalent to the majority rule equilibrium) consistently performed best. Significantly, however, even when such an outcome did not exist, the experimental results did not display the degree of unpredictability that some theoretical work would suggest. An important subsidiary finding concerns the difference between experiments conducted under conditions of high stakes versus those conducted under conditions of much lower stakes. The findings in the two conditions differed considerably, thus calling into question the political applicability of numerous social psychological experiments in which subjects had little or no motivation.

scholarly journals External mentoring for new teachers: mentor learning for a change agenda

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 178-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Daly ◽  
Emmajane Milton
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
New Teachers ◽  
Early Career ◽  
First Year ◽  
Early Career Teachers ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Career Teachers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on a qualitative study of the learning and development of 70 external mentors during the first year of their deployment to support early career teachers’ professional learning as part of a national initiative aimed at school improvement in Wales. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a narrative methodology that elicited accounts of external mentors’ learning experiences that were captured as textual data and analysed using an inductive approach to identify: first, the manifest themes that appeared at declarative level, and second, the latent (sub-textual) themes of external mentor learning and development. Findings Four key themes emerged that indicate the complexity of transition to the role of external mentor in high-stakes contexts. From these, eight theoretically-informed principles were derived which support mentors to embrace uncertainty as essential to their learning and development, and to harness the potential they bring as boundary-crossers to support the development of new teachers. Research limitations/implications The study investigated the first year of a three-year programme and worked with one form of qualitative data collection. The research results may lack generalisability and a longitudinal study is necessary to further explore the validity of the findings. Practical implications The eight principles provide a foundation for mentor development programmes that can support ambitious goals for mentoring early career teachers. Originality/value The study addresses the under-researched area of the learning and development of external mentors at a national scale.

scholarly journals Optimum Drafting Conditions Of Polyester And Viscose Blend Yarns

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-218
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hatamvand ◽  
Seyed Abbas Mirjalili ◽  
Saeid Fattahi ◽  
Tariq Bashir ◽  
Mikael Skrifvars
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Experimental Design ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Maximum Pressure ◽  
Ring Spinning ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Blend Ratio ◽  
Yarn Quality ◽  
Yarn Structure ◽  
Proper Orientation

AbstractIn this study, we used an experimental design to investigate the influence of the total draft, break draft, distance between the aprons (Clips) and production roller pressure on yarn quality in order to obtain optimum drafting conditions for polyester and viscose (PES/CV) blend yarns in ring spinning frame. We used PES fibers (1.4 dtex × 38 mm long) and CV fibers (1.6 dtex × 38 mm long) to spin a 20 Tex blend yarn of PES (70%)/CV (30%) blend ratio. When the break draft, adjustment of distance between of aprons and roller pressure is not reasonable, controlling and leading of the fibers is not sufficient for proper orientation of the fibers in the yarn structure to produce a high quality yarn. Experimental results and statistical analysis show that the best yarn quality will be obtained under drafting conditions total draft of 38, 1.2 break draft, 2.8 mm distance between of aprons and maximum pressure of the production top roller (18daN).

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