The effect of ordinal rank in school on educational achievement and income in Sweden

We rely on the working memory (WM) to organize, store, and process the perpetual stream of information. Efficient encoding and processing of WM requires a framework that (1) separates individual memory items while accurately maintaining their temporal rank and (2) updates the sequence by discarding no-longer-needed items and accommodating newly arrived ones. To investigate the computational mechanisms underlying this functional implementation of WM, we analyzed the neural information representation in both a recurrent neural network (RNN) model and human subjects (n = 28, 18 males) under the same N-back WM task, which necessitates continuous encoding and updating of memory items. We discovered that an orthogonal-rotational dynamical framework facilitates memory encoding and updating, allowing both the RNN and brain to organize memory items efficiently. In the RNN model, we identified an orthogonal coding space where each memory item occupies a subspace corresponding to its ordinal rank. A rotational operation dynamically transfers information across these subspaces, updating memory while preserving their internal order. Overall, this orthogonal-rotational framework enables the network to store the information in a "first in, first out" manner. Remarkably, we also observed similar orthogonal-rotational dynamics in EEG signals recorded from the prefrontal areas of human participants engaged in the same task. These findings suggest a novel mechanism underlying the brain's ability to efficiently organize information stream for "online" processing and indicate that this strategy may be utilized by both biological and artificial neural networks for optimal information storage and updating.

Purpose School and out-of-school social environments influence students’ learning process. This research paper aims to study school compositional effects by documenting the influence of students’ relative ranking within the school, in terms of their socioeconomic level and academic performance, on later educational outcomes. Design/methodology/approach To empirically assess these two influences, this study follows the universe of students attending the third grade in 2015–2016, until the sixth grade, in the Canary Islands. This study exploits changes in students’ relative position in terms of their academic performance and socioeconomic level during primary education. Two different approaches are used to measure students’ relative position: ordinal rank and distance to the average of the class. The identification strategy relies on student fixed effects to go beyond simple correlation. Findings The results show that being among the students with higher socioeconomic status in school is negatively associated with educational progression, which may be driven by peer effects. The opposite holds true for relative academic rank: being at the top of the school in reading and math positively influences absolute academic performance, which accounts for big-fish-little-pond effects. Additionally, heterogeneous peer effects are identified by school funding. Originality/value In light of the detrimental impact of social comparisons that often occur in school settings, teachers should actively promote student autonomy in setting personal goals and foster individualised growth, thereby mitigating the influence of social comparisons.

Abstract We report a lab experiment to study subjects’ preferences over their ordinal rank in an earnings distribution. Following an assignment of unequal earnings, subjects can select a monetary transfer from exactly one individual to another, not including themselves. This can potentially change their own position in the distribution, as well as influence overall inequality. The experiment varies whether the initial earnings assignment is random or is affected by preliminary competition. It also varies the reference group from a complete to a partial network. A majority of observed transfers reduce inequality by moving earnings from those with the highest rank to the lowest rank in the distribution. Rank-improving transfers are substantially more common for preliminary competition losers than winners. Transfers to individuals outside of the reference group are not uncommon, and they usually target as the source the individuals high in the income distribution. While generally weak overall, own rank preferences appear to be more common among men than women.

Although the Galápagos islands represent a unique ecosystem—with generally well-studied biota—research on its macroalgal flora remains relatively scant compared to other groups, particularly terrestrial fauna. Furthermore, while a few recent studies have applied molecular techniques, taxonomic identification of the archipelago’s macroalgae has mostly relied on morphology alone, which presents numerous challenges. In this study, we developed a DNA barcoding approach to identify macroalgal specimens collected opportunistically across the foraging grounds of endemic marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus Bell 1825), which feed almost exclusively on macroalgae in coastal zones. We optimized primers for short DNA fragments of two genes and generated a reference dataset of macroalgal DNA sequences to facilitate future metabarcoding studies on marine iguana diet. Our approach—amplifying ~ 110 bp of the nuclear small subunit (18S) ribosomal gene—proved effective for identifying red, green, and brown macroalgae at higher taxonomic ranks, specifically at ordinal rank, while 184 bp of the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxy-lase/oxygenase (rbcL) gene enabled genus-rank identification in red macroalgae. We present the first compendium of macroalgal DNA sequences from marine iguana foraging areas, comprising 181 algal specimens: 136 red algae, 32 green algae, and 13 brown algae. We confirm taxa previously reported for the Galápagos and report eight new species of red macroalgae for this region. Our short barcodes provide a dataset of reference sequences to further research on marine iguana dietary habits. We also updated the Galápagos species checklists for Rhodophyta, Chlorophyta, and Ochrophyta by incorporating our newly generated molecular data alongside previously available macroalgal DNA sequences.

This article aims to identify the attitudes of different generations regarding certain aspects of the teaching approaches used during the education of economic disciplines. The analysis primarily draws on a scientific review of previous studies in both international and Bulgarian contexts, focusing on the attitudes of lecturers and the perceptions of students from the three generations involved in the educational process. A descriptive research strategy is employed to support the thesis. A survey was conducted using a questionnaire to implement the descriptive method. With a population size of 37,403 students, the respondents formed a sample size of 662 respondents, achieving a confidence level of 99.056% and a margin of error of 3.78%. The results are presented using two-dimensional distributions in the form of cross-tabulations. The ordinal relationships between the categories of a given variable are represented using ordinal (rank) scales, applying Kendall’s tau-b and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients. The calculations were carried out using IBM SPSS software. The study found no significant correlation between the characteristics of different generations and their preferred teaching methods. At the same time, generational traits did not influence attitudes towards acquiring new knowledge and skills during the educational process. Received: 27 October 2023Accepted: 3 April 2025

Towering Intellects? Sizing up the relationship between height and academic success.

ABSTRACTWe explore how elementary school students' classroom ordinal height or family income rank affects their future academic performance. Using a Korean panel dataset covering multiple classrooms within each school, we exploit the feature that two students with identical height or family income can be ranked differently based on their classroom assignment. We use classroom‐level dummy variables to compare students who share similar characteristics but have different classroom ranks, as these indicators absorb all linear differences across classrooms. Our results indicate that ordinal family income rank consistently and significantly impacts future academic performance, even after controlling for income levels, whereas ordinal height rank does not. Additionally, we show that a higher income rank is positively associated with students' motivation and parental support for academic achievement.

When do ordinal ability rank effects emerge? Evidence from the timing of school closures

A Hybrid Ranking Algorithm for Secure and Efficient Iris Template Protection

The impact of student’s ordinal cognitive ability rank on school violence: Evidence from China

In early care and education settings, children who display challenging behaviors tend to have higher rates of conflict with their teachers than children without such problems. This proof-of-concept study examines the extent to which early childhood teacher’s classroom management self-efficacy is associated with conflictual teacher–child relationships with children who have been screened for and exhibit elevated levels of externalizing behaviors (i.e., focal children). In addition, we examine whether this association varies by a child’s ordinal level of challenging behavior relative to their classroom peers who also exhibit elevated levels of challenging behaviors. This study included 312 focal children (66% male), identified as at risk of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD), and 125 classrooms in which teachers completed surveys to assess teacher–child conflict, classroom management self-efficacy, and child challenging behavior. Findings revealed that in classrooms with three focal children, a disordinal interaction was present. The relation between teacher self-efficacy and teacher–child conflict differed as a function of child ordinal behavior rank. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of this work for research and practice.

How the brain mentally sorts a series of items in a specific order within working memory (WM) remains largely unknown. We investigated mental sorting using high-throughput electrophysiological recordings in the frontal cortex of macaque monkeys, who memorized and sorted spatial sequences in forward or backward orders according to visual cues. We discovered that items at each ordinal rank in WM were encoded in separate rank-WM subspaces and then, depending on cues, were maintained or reordered between the subspaces, accompanied by two extra temporary subspaces in two operation steps. Furthermore, the cue activity served as an indexical signal to trigger sorting processes. Thus, we propose a complete conceptual framework, where the neural landscape transitions in frontal neural states underlie the symbolic system for mental programming of sequence WM.

Understanding how student peers influence learning outcomes is crucial for effective education management in complex social systems. The complexities of peer selection and evolving peer relationships, however, pose challenges for identifying peer effects using static observational data. Here we use both null-model and regression approaches to examine peer effects using longitudinal data from 5,272 undergraduates, where roommate assignments are plausibly random upon enrollment and roommate relationships persist until graduation. Specifically, we construct a roommate null model by randomly shuffling students among dorm rooms and introduce an assimilation metric to quantify similarities in roommate academic performance. We find significantly larger assimilation in actual data than in the roommate null model, suggesting roommate peer effects, whereby roommates have more similar performance than expected by chance alone. Moreover, assimilation exhibits an overall increasing trend over time, suggesting that peer effects become stronger the longer roommates live together. Our regression analysis further reveals the moderating role of peer heterogeneity. In particular, when roommates perform similarly, the positive relationship between a student’s future performance and their roommates’ average prior performance is more pronounced, and their ordinal rank in the dorm room has an independent effect. Our findings contribute to understanding the role of college roommates in influencing student academic performance.

Abstract We present a review of mathematical and engineering science foundation of the risk matrix (RM). The objective was to locate and evaluate information surrounding its use. RM is governed by number theory, set theory, metrology, and functional analysis, which explains the strengths and weakness of its use. Although incorrectly reported, ordinal multiplication rigidly sets the cell numeric allocation. No scientific support was found for changing the ordinal ranks, although one reduction is introduced. Existing evidence suggests that the RM is unreliable. An example is given. Suggestions for beneficial use of the RM are provided.

BackgroundHealth security is a critical issue which involves multiple dimensions. It has received increasing attention in recent years, especially in China. In order to improve the national health level, China has made many efforts, such as the “Healthy China 2030” plan proposed several years ago. However, due to the complexity of its national conditions and the difficulty of index design, the results of these efforts are not significant. Therefore, it is necessary to construct a new measurement index system.MethodsBased on the questionnaire of “Health China 2030”, we have collected a total of 3,000 participants from all 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China. We used statistical methods such as multiple correspondence analysis and rank-ordered effect analysis to process the data. The balance index is constructed by a series of actions such as weight division, order calculation and ranking.ResultsThrough multiple correspondence analysis, we can find that there was a close relation in the correspondence space between the satisfaction degrees 1, 2, and 3, while a far distance from satisfaction degrees 4 and 5. There were four positive and four negative indices separately based on the average expected level and four clusters after ordinal rank cluster analysis. Generally speaking, there are no prominent discrepancies across gender and residential areas.ConclusionsWe created and examined balanced indicators for health security in China based on the “Health China 2030” questionnaire. The findings of this study give insight into the overall situation of health security in China and indicate opportunities for improvement.

This study was set to investigate the students’ participation in education in day secondary schools in Laikipia County as measured by gross enrolment ratios. It was necessitate by the declining enrolment ratios in day secondary schools within the county. The main objective was to analyze the extent to which curriculum support costs influence students’ gross enrolment ratio in Laikipia County. The target population was 19,065 respondents, of whom were, five sub-County directors of education; 78 principals; 7,800 form three and four parents; 8,870 form three and four students, and 312 form three and four class teachers. Census was used to select five SCDEs, stratified random sampling was used to select 25 principals and 400 students, simple random sampling to select 400 parents and 100 class teachers to make a sample size of 930 participants. Both probability and non-probability sampling methods were used to select a sample size of 930 participants. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) was computed and a level of 0.87 was achieved. The research utilized tangerine electronic data collection software used for data entry and data cleaning. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze quantitative data. mathematical set had a statistically significant relationship with the gross attendance ratio with ordinal rank 2, 3, 4, 5 having (b- 1.161, 1.978, 1.545, 2.194 SE 0.535, 0.451, 0.440, 472, wald 4.703, 19.221, 12.306, 21.588 and p= 0.030, <0.001, <0.001, <0.001) respectively; Mathematical set and table showed positive relationship to the gross enrolment ratio.

When Do Ordinal Ability Rank Effects Emerge? Evidence from the Timing of School Closures

To solve multi-criteria applied problems related to the construction of ratings of organizations, the choice of effective objects (alternatives, solutions), the initial data of which are presented in different types (quantitative, ordinal) measurement scales, the use of a generalized criterion in the form of an additive convolution of particular criteria is incorrect. In this regard, methods for narrowing the initial set of objects, as well as methods for constructing the resulting ranking (Kemeny-Snell medians), have become widespread. However, if the initial estimates of objects are transformed into the resulting homogeneous scale i.e., if there is a scale with the same scope of criteria, then the use of an additive aggregation mechanism in this case will be correct. An ordinal rank scale can serve as such a resultant scale. The paper substantiates a method in which the results of the transformation of quantitative (point) estimates of objects in the gradation of the rank scale when solving multi-criteria problems will be invariant for any quantitative transformations of the original scales. The preservation of the ordering of objects according to generalized estimates in the form of the sum of ranks according to equally important criteria is proved. At the same time, object orderings based on relationships with the k-th order of strict preference are also preserved. Illustrative examples are given.

Overlearned sequences, characterized by specific ordinal ranks for each element, elicit strong predictions when presented in their natural order. The present study aimed to test the role of predictions on the perceived duration in a stimulus series that followed an overlearned sequence. Participants judged the duration of the target digit in a sequence that followed a regular or random order, while the overall context in which these sequences were presented was varied in two blocks. The results suggest that, with the possible involvement of attention, the target element that followed the regular order was perceived to be relatively accurate. The violation of an overlearned sequence leads to an underestimation of duration, particularly when the participants are aware of the violation. Further, the perceived duration of the target element in an overlearned sequence does not modulate as a function of the global context. These findings contribute to our understanding of the differential effect of various predictive processes on perceived time.