Black Girls in Mathematics: (Re)envisioning an Inclusive Parent Involvement Measure

Building upon research utilizing Martin’s Mathematical Socialization and Identity Framework, we examine factors related to community and family involvement to advance the current discourse that informs policies. Data from the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS:09) public-use file provided a sample of 1,029 Black girls for our analyses. We developed a theoretically-sound inclusive measure, as defined by Black girls, titled the Community and Family Involvement Predictive Scale for Mathematics Outcomes utilizing Nonlinear Principal Components Analysis with a Categorical Principal Components Analysis program. Results are an intersectional measure that considers family, peers, and teachers. Implications for policy include a need for federal, state, and district policymakers to consider a wider variety of contexts, specifically for Black girls, in which community and family partnerships are empowered and prioritized in policies focused on parental involvement.

Incidencia de factores personales y contextuales sobre el uso de los recursos tecnológicos por el alumnado en América Latina

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) by students reflects the appropriateness of the ICT integration process. However, the typology of ICT use by students has not been established empirically based on their use at home and at the school. Thus, the purpose of the article is to determine the structure of ICT use by students, together with the influence of personal and contextual factors. A correlational design has been used, with the sample being the sixth-grade students in Latin America who answered the questionnaire on ICT use in the Third Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (TERCE). The data analysis performed is descriptive statistics, Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and Categorical Principal Components analysis (CATPCA). The results obtained through the descriptive statistics show how the students make a greater use of technological resources in the area of free time than in the academic area. It has been found, by means of a categorical principal components analysis (CATPCA), that student use is structured in three planes: personal, non-school academic and school academic. In addition, the results obtained from the MANOVA indicate that the personal and contextual factors influence the use of ICT, essentially the availability of technological devices and the Internet connection. In the light of the results, it is recommended to implement programs that favour non-school academic use of ICT by students.

A gender-comparative exploration of women’s and men’s pathways to prison in Thailand

In feminist criminology, there is a growing body of research exploring gendered pathways into prison. However, this research has focussed predominantly on women. There are few gender comparative studies. Further, most feminist pathways research is western centric having, for the most part, been undertaken in the United States. Utilising categorical principal components analysis alongside descriptive statistics and illustrative case study examples, this paper adds to the feminist pathways research by describing and comparing women’s and men’s pathways to prison in Thailand. Three common pathways to prison emerged for both women and men: (1) peer group association/deviant lifestyle, (2) harmed and harming, (3) economically motivated. However, gendered variance was found within these common pathways. Further, two pathways emerged exclusively for women: (1) adulthood victimisation and dysfunctional intimate relationships, (2) naivety and deception. These results substantiate the notion that trajectories into prison are gendered, add empirical support to the feminist pathways perspective beyond the west, contribute to knowledge on how both women and men come to be in prison in Thailand, and in doing so, have utility for the development of gender-informed prison policies, and practices as per the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules).

Assessing Family-Like Dynamics in the Workplace as Possible Precursors of Workplace Bullying: Psychometric Analysis of a Modified Instrument

Background and PurposeFamily-like dynamics in workplaces may serve as antecedents to workplace bullying. This study addressed the psychometric properties of an instrument modified to assess family-like dynamics in the workplace.DesignThe investigators used categorical principal components analysis (CATPCA) to investigate the psychometric properties of an instrument modified to measure coworker perceptions of family-like dynamics in the workplace.MethodsPrimarily White (95%) study participants (N = 273) completed a brief, demographic form and the modified Family Relationships Index (FRI) of the Family Assessment Scale (FES) (Moos & Moos, 1981, 1986). Demographic data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and perceptions of family-like dynamics in the workplace were analyzed using CATPCA.ResultsThe modified FRI served as a reasonable model for capturing coworker perceptions of family-like dynamics in the workplace.ConclusionsFurther research is indicated to determine the overall utility of the modified FRI and to ascertain whether family-like dynamics actually are precursors to workplace bullying victimization.

ITEM DIMENSIONALITY EXPLORATION BY MEANS OF CONSTRUCT MAP AND CATEGORICAL PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS ANALYSIS

The aim of this research is to study the merits and complementarity of Construct Mapping and Categorical Principal Components Analysis as two approaches that explore the dimensionality of multiple-choice items in achievement tests. Data from the two forms of the Romanian National Assessment Tests on Science were used to explore the dimensionality of items and to identify potentially problematic items that affect the equivalence of the two parallel forms. The findings confirm that the two tests have at best partial equivalence, but while the two methods both agree on test unidimensionality, they flag in part different items as potentially problematic. The results enable researchers and practitioners to make coherent data-driven decision regarding the use of unidimensional vs multidimensional IRT models. Keywords: categorical principal components analysis, construct map, item response theory, unidimensionality.

The use of digital resources and materials In and outside the bilingual classroom

Research on the integration of digital resources and materials in CLIL contexts is still scant. This article presents the results of a study carried out in eight schools in the province of Seville. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect the data regarding CLIL teachers' and learners' opinions on the intergration of digital resources and materials in the classroom. The aims of this study are: 1) To analyse teachers' and learners' perceptions on the integration of digital resources and materials in the CLIL classroom; 2) To analyse how the educational stage affects teachers' and learners' perceptions on this use; 3) To analyse the type of digital resources and materials in English that learners use outside the classroom. The following analyses have been carried out: Categorical Principal Components Analysis; Mann-Whitney U test; qualitative content analysis; finally, Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated. Results show that there are discrepancies between teachers' and learners' perceptions regarding the use of digital resources and materials in the classroom; and that these perceptions are affected by the educational stage. This study concludes that the type of resources and materials that learners use outside the classroom is determined by those used in the classroom. However, at home, they are used differently, which is indicative of the need to adapt classroom practices to learners’ own independent uses. La investigación sobre la integración de recursos y materiales digitales en contextos AICLE es todavía escasa. Este trabajo presenta los resultados obtenidos en ocho centros de la provincia de Sevilla, donde se han recogido las opiniones de alumnado y profesorado AICLE a través de cuestionarios y entrevistas. Los objetivos del estudio son: 1) Analizar las opiniones de los participantes sobre la integración de los recursos y materiales digitales en el aula; 2) Analizar cómo afecta la etapa educativa a las opiniones de ambos grupos; 3) Analizar el tipo de recursos y materiales digitales en lengua inglesa que utiliza el alumnado fuera del aula. Se han llevado a cabo los siguientes análisis: análisis de componentes principales categóricos; prueba no paramétrica U de Mann-Whitney; análisis de contenido; y se ha calculado el coeficiente de correlación de Pearson. Los resultados muestran discrepancias en las percepciones de profesorado y alumnado con respecto al uso de los recursos y materiales digitales en el aula; y que estas percepciones se ven afectadas por la etapa educativa. Este estudio concluye que el tipo de recursos que utiliza el alumnado fuera del aula está condicionado por el uso que se hace de ellos dentro de la misma. Sin embargo, en casa se utilizan de manera diferente, lo que revela la necesidad de adaptar las prácticas de aula a los usos autónomos del alumnado.

Factors impacting perceived safety among staff working on mental health wards

BackgroundSafety at work is a core issue for mental health staff working on in-patient units. At present, there is a limited theoretical base regarding which factors may affect staff perceptions of safety.AimsThis study attempted to identify which factors affect perceived staff safety working on in-patient mental health wards.MethodA cross-sectional design was employed across 101 forensic and non-forensic mental health wards, over seven National Health Service trusts nationally. Measures included an online staff survey, Ward Features Checklist and recorded incident data. Data were analysed using categorical principal components analysis and ordinal regression.ResultsPerceptions of staff safety were increased by ward brightness, higher number of patient beds, lower staff to patient ratios, less dayroom space and more urban views.ConclusionsThe findings from this study do not represent common-sense assumptions. Results are discussed in the context of the literature and may have implications for current initiatives aimed at managing in-patient violence and aggression.

An Analysis of the Perceptions and Resources of Large University Classes

Large class learning is a reality that is not exclusive to the first-year experience at midsized, comprehensive universities; upper-year courses have similarly high enrollment, with many class sizes greater than 200 students. Research into the efficacy and deficiencies of large undergraduate classes has been ongoing for more than 100 years, with most research associating large classes with weak student engagement, decreased depth of learning, and ineffective interactions. This study used a multidimensional research approach to survey student and instructor perceptions of large biology classes and to characterize the courses offered by a department according to resources and course structure using a categorical principal components analysis. Both student and instructor survey results indicated that a large class begins around 240 students. Large classes were identified as impersonal and classified using extrinsic qualifiers; however, students did identify techniques that made the classes feel smaller. In addition to the qualitative survey, we also attempted to quantify courses by collecting data from course outlines and analyzed the data using categorical principal component analysis. The analysis maps institutional change in resource allocation and teaching structure from 2010 through 2014 and validates the use of categorical principal components analysis in educational research. We examine what perceptions and factors are involved in a large class that is perceived to feel small. Our analysis suggests that it is not the addition of resources or difference in the lecturing method, but it is the instructor that determines whether a large class can feel small.

Culture and class in Canada

I apply Pierre Bourdieu’s conception of relationally-defined social spaces of capitals and classes that delimit highbrow and lowbrow cultural forms to Canadian society. I use categorical principal components analysis techniques and a nationally representative survey dataset from 1998 containing measures of economic capital, cultural capital and a wide range of cultural practices to construct a visual representation of Canadian social space which is directly inspired by the social space for 1960s France crafted by Bourdieu in Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste (Bourdieu 1984). After identifying nascent class groupings and potentially highbrow and lowbrow cultural practices in my depiction of social space, I speculate on precisely how such cultural practices might factor into class dynamics in Canada, in particular examining the role played by “cultural omnivorism” in identifying and reinforcing class distinctions.