scholarly journals Better Together? Heterogeneous Effects of Tracking on Student Achievement*

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sönke Hendrik Matthewes
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Federal States ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Academic Track ◽  
Heterogeneous Effects ◽  
German Federal States ◽  
Equity And Efficiency ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Institutional Differences

Abstract I study the effects of early between-school ability tracking on student achievement, exploiting institutional differences between German federal states. In all states, about 40% of students transition to separate academic-track schools after comprehensive primary school. Depending on the state, the remaining student body is either directly tracked between two additional school types or taught comprehensively for another two years. Comparing these students before and after tracking in a triple-differences framework, I find evidence for positive effects of prolonged comprehensive schooling on mathematics and reading scores. These are almost entirely driven by low-achievers. Early and rigid forms of tracking can thus impair both equity and efficiency of school systems.

scholarly journals Comparison of the Abitur examination in mathematics in Germany before and after reunification in 1990

ZDM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina Bruder
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
German Reunification ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Federal States ◽  
German Federal States ◽  
The Social ◽  
Before And After

AbstractIn Germany, the Abitur is the highest qualification granted at the end of secondary education after 12 or 13 years of schooling; it provides a general university entrance qualification. Traditionally, written and oral examinations are required to obtain the Abitur. Until 1990, there were mainly decentralized examinations in mathematics in West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany [FRG]), which were taken after 13 school years, and a centralized examination that students took after 12 years of school in East Germany (German Democratic Republic [GDR]). In the unified Germany, examinations are now increasingly set by the 16 individual federal states. This paper has a special focus on changes and permanent features in the written Abitur examination in mathematics in Germany in the context of the social changes caused by the German reunification in 1990. These changes since 1990 are described with regard to the initial situation and framing conditions for the written Abitur examination. Two time periods are considered: (1) the examination situation in the FRG and GDR before 1990 and (2) the changes in the five eastern German federal states (former GDR) under the system change and accession to the FRG after 1990 but before the PISA shock.

Effects of a 6-Week Straw Phonation in Water Exercise Program on the Aging Voice

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1018-1032
Author(s):  
Chia-Hsin Wu ◽  
Roger W. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Perceptual Evaluation ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Aging Voice ◽  
Before And After

Purpose Semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises with tubes or straws have been widely used for a variety of voice disorders. Yet, the effects of longer periods of SOVT exercises (lasting for weeks) on the aging voice are not well understood. This study investigated the effects of a 6-week straw phonation in water (SPW) exercise program. Method Thirty-seven elderly subjects with self-perceived voice problems were assigned into two groups: (a) SPW exercises with six weekly sessions and home practice (experimental group) and (b) vocal hygiene education (control group). Before and after intervention (2 weeks after the completion of the exercise program), acoustic analysis, auditory–perceptual evaluation, and self-assessment of vocal impairment were conducted. Results Analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between the two groups in smoothed cepstral peak prominence measures, harmonics-to-noise ratio, the auditory–perceptual parameter of breathiness, and Voice Handicap Index-10 scores postintervention. No significant differences between the two groups were found for other measures. Conclusions Our results supported the positive effects of SOVT exercises for the aging voice, with a 6-week SPW exercise program being a clinical option. Future studies should involve long-term follow-up and additional outcome measures to better understand the efficacy of SOVT exercises, particularly SPW exercises, for the aging voice.

scholarly journals Is Brief Exposure to Green Space in School the Best Option to Improve Attention in Children?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7484
Author(s):  
Asier Anabitarte ◽  
Gonzalo García-Baquero ◽  
Ainara Andiarena ◽  
Nerea Lertxundi ◽  
Nerea Urbieta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
School Children ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Statistical Design ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Attention Network Test ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Gender Biases ◽  
Before And After

The positive effects of Green Spaces on health are thought to be achieved through the mechanisms of mitigation, instoration and restoration. One of the benefits of Green Spaces may be the restoration of attention and so the objective of this research is testing empirically whether exposure to a green environment improves attention in school children. For so doing, we first used a split-unit statistical design in each of four schools, then combined the primary results via meta-analysis. The Attention Network Test (ANT) was used to measure attention before and after exposure and a total of 167 seven-year-old students participated in the experiments. Overall, our experimental results do not support the hypothesis that students’ exposure to activities in green vs. grey spaces affected their performance in ANT. This was so despite the fact that neither age nor gender biases have been detected and despite that our experiments have been proved to be sufficiently statistically powerful. It would be advisable to consider air pollution and noise. We also recommend that participants attend the experiment with mental exhaustion to maximize the ability to detect significant changes.

scholarly journals Hazardous Drinking among Students over a Decade of University Policy Change: Controlled Before-and-After Evaluation

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 2137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kypros Kypri ◽  
Brett Maclennan ◽  
Kimberly Cousins ◽  
Jennie Connor
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Population Policy ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Alcohol Policy ◽  
Absolute Difference ◽  
Effect Estimate ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Student Body ◽  
University Policy ◽  
Before And After

Background: Responding to high levels of alcohol-related harm among students, a New Zealand university deployed a security and liaison service, strengthened the Student Code of Conduct, increased its input on the operation of alcohol outlets near campus, and banned alcohol advertising on campus. We estimated the change in the prevalence of alcohol consumption patterns among students at the university compared with other universities. Methods: We conducted a controlled before-and-after study with surveys in residential colleges at the target university in 2004 and 2014, and in random samples of students at the target university and three control universities in 2005 and 2013. The primary outcome was the prevalence of recent intoxication, while we analysed drinking per se and drinking in selected locations to investigate mechanisms of change. Results: The 7-day prevalence of intoxication decreased from 45% in 2004 to 33% in 2014 (absolute difference: 12%; 95% CI: 7% to 17%) among students living in residential colleges, and from 40% in 2005 to 26% in 2013 (absolute difference: 14%; 95% CI: 8% to 20%) in the wider student body of the intervention university. The intervention effect estimate, representing the change at the intervention university adjusted for change at other universities (aOR = 1.30; 95% CI: 0.89 to 1.90), was consistent with a benefit of intervention but was not statistically significant (p = 0.17). Conclusion: In this period of alcohol policy reform, drinking to intoxication decreased substantially in the targeted student population. Policy reforms and coincidental environmental changes may each have contributed to these reductions.

scholarly journals Unlocking an acute psychiatric ward: The impact on unauthorised absences, assaults and seclusions

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Beaglehole ◽  
John Beveridge ◽  
Warren Campbell-Trotter ◽  
Chris Frampton
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Inpatient ◽  
Psychiatric Ward ◽  
Inpatient Service ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Adverse Event Data ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Acute Psychiatric Ward ◽  
Restrictive Environment ◽  
Open Wards ◽  
The Impact

Aims and methodThe acute psychiatric inpatient service in Christchurch, New Zealand, recently changed from two locked and two unlocked wards to four open wards. This provided the opportunity to evaluate whether shifting to an unlocked environment was associated with higher rates of adverse events, including unauthorised absences, violent incidents and seclusion. We compared long-term adverse event data before and after ward configuration change.ResultsRates of unauthorised absences increased by 58% after the change in ward configuration (P = 0.005), but seclusion hours dropped by 53% (P = 0.001). A small increase in violent incidents was recorded but this was not statistically significant.Clinical implicationsAlthough unauthorised absences increased, the absence of statistically significant changes for violent incidents and a reduction in seclusion hours suggest that the change to a less restrictive environment may have some positive effects.

scholarly journals Clowns Benefit Children Hospitalized for Respiratory Pathologies

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Bertini ◽  
Elena Isola ◽  
Giuseppe Paolone ◽  
Giuseppe Curcio
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Systolic Pressure ◽  
Therapeutic Modality ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Two Parameters ◽  
Therapeutic Settings ◽  
Experimental Group

The study aims at evaluating health-generating function of humor therapy in a hospital ward hosting children suffering from respiratory pathologies. The main scope of this study is to investigate possible positive effects of the presence of a clown on both the clinical evolution of the on-going disease, and on some physiological and pain parameters. Forty-three children with respiratory pathologies participated in the study: 21 of them belonged to the experimental group (EG) and 22 children to the control group (CG). During their hospitalization, the children of the EG interacted with two clowns who were experienced in the field of pediatric intervention. All participants were evaluated with respect to clinical progress and to a series of physiological and pain measures both before and after the clown interaction. When compared with the CG, EG children showed an earlier disappearance of the pathological symptoms. Moreover, the interaction of the clown with the children led to a statistically significant lowering of diastolic blood pressure, respiratory frequency and temperature in the EG as compared with the control group. The other two parameters of systolic pressure and heart frequency yielded results in the same direction, without reaching statistical significance. A similar health-inducing effect of clown presence was observed on pain parameters, both by self evaluation and assessment by nurses. Taken together, our data indicate that the presence of clowns in the ward has a possible health-inducing effect. Thus, humor can be seen as an easy-to-use, inexpensive and natural therapeutic modality to be used within different therapeutic settings.

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