Constructing measures for school process variables: the potential of multilevel confirmatory factor analysis

This article investigates the potential of multilevel confirmatory factor analysis compared to using conventional confirmatory factor analysis, as regards the construction of measures for school process variables within educational effectiveness research. Since both techniques have not been systematically compared within educational research, we propose to contrast several aspects: factor structure, pattern of factor loadings, communalities of the indicators, variance extracted by the factors, internal consistency of the factors, and inter-factor correlations. To this end, teacher questionnaire data are used to construct measures for school process variables. Our results show no substantial differences when comparing both techniques at the teacher level. However, when contrasting the different levels within the more complex technique, we notice a fairly large discrepancy between the teacher-level results and the school-level results.     

Reemployment Differences Among Dislocated and Other Workers

Abstract Dislocated workers are often assumed to have a more difficult time becoming reemployed than their non-dislocated counterparts, especially into jobs in growth sectors of the economy. Evidence presented here suggests that it is not dislocation per se that makes reemployment difficult, but that factors associated with dislocation such as education, experience, and industry-specific skills in declining industries play the most important roles. The findings are relevant to the matter of workers' retraining programs.     

Leadership for Undergraduate STEM Reform: Weaving a Communal Web

Successful reform of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education requires good leaders; therefore, leadership development will be key if the national calls for reform (e.g., Vision and Change) are to be answered. The Partnership for Life Sciences Education (PULSE) is focused on whole‐department reform, which will require recruiting and supporting grassroots reformers who lead their colleagues through the change process. Department leaders will require (a) support networks that extend within and beyond each institution, (b) development of leadership skills and competencies, and (c) a mutually agreed‐upon strategic plan that inspires all to action. The STEM Department Evaluation Rubric is presented here as a tool to help establish that shared vision. Successful leaders will also need resilience, good humor and moral imagination, because the challenges are many but the rewards are substantial and sit at the core of the mission of our institutions.     

Cultural variation in the use of leisure time: Foreign tourists at the Grand Canyon

Abstract

Though time has often been treated as a sociological variable in the study of leisure, common assumptions about cultural variation in the use of leisure time remain largely untested. This study examined the time‐budgets of foreign visitors on organized tours at Grand Canyon National Park. Using over 1,400 observations of 40 tours, we examined the time‐budgets of Japanese, French, and other European tour groups. Significant differences in the allocation of time were found among the Japanese and European groups. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the findings and of time‐budget studies in general for research and leisure behavior.     

Similarities and differences between stockpiling and reference effects

The correlation of past prices and demand is commonly attributed to reference effects. Although reference dependence is robust, support for loss aversion is mixed; some find demand more sensitive to price increases, consistent with loss aversion, others find no difference or greater sensitivity to price decreases. Stockpiling offers an explanation for these mixed findings. Combining theory, analytical models and simulations, stockpiling and reference dependence predict similar effects and the more stockable the product, the greater sensitivity of demand to price decreases, the opposite of loss aversion. We show that a model combining stockpiling and reference effects best aligns with previous findings and under what conditions each effect should dominate. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A model for economic analysis

The production process model is proposed as a way to guide economic evaluation of health care projects, programs, technology, or research. The model is illustrated with data from the development of a home care computer intervention.     

Transition to FDI openness: Reconciling theory and evidence

Empirical studies quantifying the economic effects of increased foreign direct investment (FDI) have not provided conclusive evidence that they are positive, as theory predicts. This paper shows that the lack of empirical evidence is consistent with theory if countries are in transition to FDI openness. Anticipated welfare gains lead to temporary declines in domestic investment and employment. Also, growth measures miss some intangible FDI, which is expensed from company profits. The reconciliation of theory and evidence is accomplished with a multicountry dynamic general equilibrium model parameterized with data from a sample of 104 countries during 1980–2005. Although no systematic benefits of FDI openness are found, the model demonstrates that the eventual gains in growth and welfare can be huge, especially for small countries.     

Taxes, Regulations, and the Value of U.S. and U.K. Corporations

We derive the quantitative implications of growth theory for U.S. corporate equity plus net debt over the period 1960–2001. There were large secular movements in corporate equity values relative to GDP, with dramatic declines in the 1970's and dramatic increases starting in the 1980's and continuing throughout the 1990's. During the same period, there was little change in the capital–output ratio or earnings share of output. We ask specifically whether the theory accounts for these observations. We find that it does, with the critical factor being changes in the U.S. tax and regulatory system. We find that the theory also accounts for the even larger movements in U.K. equity values relative to GDP in this period.