The Denotation of Copredicative Nouns

Copredication is the phenomenon whereby two or more predicates seem to require that their argument denotes different things. The denotation of words that copredicate has been broadly discussed. In this paper, I investigate the metaphysics behind this question. Thus, mereological theories of dot objects claim that these nouns denote complex entities; Asher (Lexical meaning in context, Cambridge University Press, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511793936) thinks that they denote bare particulars; and the Activation Package Theory contends that they stand for multiple denotations. According to the Activation Package Theory, copredicative nouns stand for complex knowledge structures that offer a range of multiple potential denotations. In this paper, I claim that the Activation Package Theory contributes to solve some of the metaphysical questions that arise from copredication.

Higher Order Thinking by Setting and Debriefing Tasks in Dutch Geography Lessons

Tasks are a powerful instrument for geography teachers, as they let students engage with the subject. To advance the cumulative learning of students, teachers have to make sure that students learn how to deal with complex and abstract knowledge structures. In the Netherlands, teachers face a dilemma when it comes to task setting: the intended curriculum aims for a considerable part at (parts of) higher order thinking, whereas the high-stakes exams have a clear focus on the use of thinking strategies. This paper explores the task setting and debriefing of Dutch geography teachers by analyzing twenty-three videotaped lessons in upper secondary education by using the Geography Task Categorization Framework. The results show that Dutch teachers mostly rely on textbooks when setting tasks. The focus lies on reproduction and the use of thinking strategies. Tasks aiming at (parts of) higher order thinking are barely used. Furthermore, teachers use tasks from previous high-stakes exams already used in an early stage of upper secondary education. In the debriefing of tasks, teachers move from simple and concrete to complex and abstract knowledge and vice versa. However, most of these movements aim at simplifying knowledge structures. In the observed lessons, curriculum aims at the level of (parts of) higher order thinking are not achieved. The evaluative rules as set by the high-stakes exams and the type of tasks offered by textbooks seem to be dominant.

A Review on Semantic Waves and Its Application in Discourse Analysis

Since the past 10 years, the theory of semantic waves has further progressed. This theory is deeply rooted in the theory of knowledge structures, legitimation code theory, and systemic functional linguistics. In addition, the theory can also be applied in discourse analysis, language learning, language teaching, and many other fields.

Competence-based fuzzy skill functions

Fuzzy skill functions connect knowledge states at the performance level with latent cognitive abilities at the competence level. Given that there may exist precedence relations among skills, the main idea of this study is trying to develop fuzzy competence structures restricted on the possible fuzzy sets of skills that can occur. The knowledge structures delineated by fuzzy skill functions are related to the fuzzy competence structures. Knowledge spaces can be delineated by disjunctive fuzzy skill functions when the fuzzy competence structures are $\sqcup$-closed. Simple closure spaces can be delineated by conjunctive fuzzy skill functions when the fuzzy competence structures are $\sqcap$-closed. Delineating knowledge structures via competence-based fuzzy skill functions just depends on the effective competence states. We design algorithms for delineating knowledge structures via competence-based fuzzy skill functions without listing all fuzzy competence states of fuzzy competence structures.

Aboriginal knowledge, the history classroom and the Australian university

PurposeThis article considers the impact of competing knowledge structures in teaching Australian Indigenous history to undergraduate university students and the possibilities of collaborative teaching in this space.Design/methodology/approachThe authors, one Aboriginal and one non-Aboriginal, draw on a history of collaborative teaching that stretches over more than a decade, bringing together conceptual reflective work and empirical data from a 5-year project working with Australian university students in an introductory-level Aboriginal history subject.FindingsIt argues that teaching this subject area in ways which are culturally safe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and students, and which resist knowledge structures associated with colonial ways of conveying history, is not only about content but also about building learning spaces that encourage students to decolonise their relationships with Australian history.Originality/valueThis article considers collaborative approaches to knowledge transmission in the university history classroom as an act of decolonising knowledge spaces rather than as a model of reconciliation.

How Do Client-Provided Benchmarking Data Impact Auditors’ Evaluations of Level 3 Fair Value Discount Rate Assumptions?

This article summarizes the published study “The Impact of Benchmark Set Composition on Auditors’ Level 3 Fair Value Judgments” (Bhattacharjee, Moreno and Wright 2019), which examines how auditors’ judgments of the reasonableness of a client’s discount rate for a Level 3 investment are impacted by client-provided benchmarks. In two experiments, the authors find that audit seniors’ and managers’ judgments of a client-preferred discount rate for an investment are inappropriately influenced by the set of peer companies provided by the client as justification. Managers are less susceptible than seniors, likely due to highly developed knowledge structures. Results suggest that providing structured audit guidance to the seniors for conducting analyses somewhat reduces but does not eliminate this effect. The study’s findings have implications for other auditing contexts using benchmarking such as goodwill impairment, inventory obsolescence, and valuation estimates and for audit firms when auditing complex estimates and determining staffing of audit engagements.

On the Theoretical Conceptualisations, Knowledge Structures and Trends of Green New Deals

The increasing impacts of climate change, coupled with the Greta Thunberg effect, the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, and varied environmental policy documents, are pointing to the need for urgent and cohesive climate action and mitigation frameworks. One potent solution, gaining global acceptance, is that of the Green New Deal (GND), positioned as a radical rethinking of political and economic structures in view of pushing sustainability at the forefront of national, regional, and global issues. With the model rapidly gaining ground in various geographies, and in different forms in view of contextualization needs, there is a need to better understand its evolution, knowledge structures, and trends. This paper thus sets forth to provide an understanding of the evolution and implementation of GND through a bibliometric analysis and science mapping techniques using VOSviewer and CiteSpace to identify the thematic focus of 1174 articles indexed in the Web of Science since 1995. To understand the thematic evolution of the field over time, we divided the study period into three sub-periods, namely 1995–2014, 2015–2019, and 2020–2021. These sub-periods were determined considering important milestones related to GNDs. Term co-occurrence analyses were then conducted to understand thematic focus and associated trends. Also, co-citation analysis and bibliographic coupling were other methods applied to identify major sources, authors, publications, and countries that have made more contributions to the development of research on GNDs. The findings of this paper can help both researchers and policy makers understand the evolution and trends of GNDs to better formulate GNDs strategies and policies in accordance with varying needs and geographies.