Class Rank Research Articles

Impact of the final adjective in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation on determination of applicant desirability

ABSTRACTBackground: The Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) is a primary source of information used by residency programs in their selection of trainees. The MSPE contains a narrative description of the applicant’s performance during medical school. In 2002, the Association of American Medical Colleges’ guideline for preparation of the MSPE recommended inclusion of a comparative summative assessment of the student’s overall performance relative to his/her peers (final adjective).Objective: We hypothesize that the inclusion of a final adjective in the MSPE affects a reviewer’s assessment of the applicant’s desirability more than the narrative description of performance and designed a study to evaluate this hypothesis.Design: Fifty-six faculty members from the Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine with experience reviewing MSPEs as part of the intern selection process reviewed two pairs of mock MSPE letters. In each pair, the narrative in one letter was superior to that in the other. Two final adjectives describing relative class ranks were created. Each subject was first presented with a pair of letters with mismatched final adjective (study), i.e., the letter with the stronger narrative was presented with the weaker final adjective and vice versa. The subject was then presented with a second pair of letters without final adjectives (control). Subjects ranked the relative desirability of the two applicants in each pair.Results: The proportion of rankings congruent with the strength of the narratives under study and control conditions were compared. Subjects were significantly less likely to rank the applicants congruent with the strength of the narratives when the strength of the final adjectives conflicted with the strength of the narrative; 42.9% of study letters were ranked congruent with the narrative versus 82.1% of controls (p = 0.0001).Conclusion: The MSPE final adjective had a greater impact than the narrative description of performance on the determination of applicant desirability.Abbreviations: MSPE: Medical Student Performance Evaluation; AAMC: Association of American Medical Colleges; BCM: Baylor College of Medicine

Карьера иностранца в российской провинции первой четверти XIX в. на примере биографии В. Ф. Бланкенгорна

The article shows the procedure for reconstructing biography of a foreign specialist who worked in the Russian Empire in the first quarter of the 19th century. The author analyzes materials in ‘Mesyatseslov with a list of functionaries or the General staff of the Russian Empire ...’ for 1813—1825. It allows to follow the foreigner’s gradual movement up the career ladder, accompanied by reception of class ranks. Records of service (formularnye listy) within the studied time framework contain further biographical details. These important documents on the service of the provincial official are preserved in the fond of the gubernia board in a regional archive (in this case, the State Archives of the Smolensk Region). Since records of service mention that the foreigner was of Lutheran confession, the parish registers of the corresponding church have been studied. The discovery of the record of death of the subject allows to date his life. Thus, the career of a Berlin native V. F. Blankengorn, who served as uezd and later gubernia land surveyor in the Smolensk gubernia, has been reconstructed. In 1812 Blankengorn was made to stay in occupied Smolensk; later, when the city was liberated, he was acquitted, as he did not render assistance to the enemy army. In 1823-1831 the Smolensk gubernia formed a part of the General-governorship (with center in Vitebsk) alongside with the Vitebsk, Mogilev, and Kaluga gubernias. Thus, documents retated to Blankengorn’s being awarded his first Russian order in 1824 proceeded from the Chancellery of the Governor-General. In the studied period being awarded any order of the Russian Empire (regardless of its degree) opened a prospect of obtaining noble dignity. The article based on the study of the biography of V. F. Blankengorn, adjusts the dating of the ‘Atlas of the Smolensk Province.’ This 25-sheet manuscript executed by Blankengorn is now stored in the department of cartographic publications of the Russian State Library. In its digitized form, the Atlas is available on the official website of the Library. It includes the maps of all cities and uezds of the Smolensk gubernia and its general map. Precision and artistry of the manuscript suggest that it was created for Emperor Alexander I’s tour of the Smolensk gubernia in 1824.

Identification of groundwater potential zones of the Kumari river basin, India: an RS & GIS based semi-quantitative approach

Groundwater is envisaged as a valuable common resource. In the present day, groundwater is declining very rapidly due to human intervention. Stress on groundwater in the semiarid locale of West Bengal, especially in Purulia district, is very high due to immense demand and overexploitation. The fundamental goal of the study is to discover potential groundwater zones for the appraisal of groundwater availability in the Kumari river basin, India. Survey of India topographical maps, elevation data (ASTER DEM 30 m), satellite imageries (Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2) and Google Earth images were analyzed using RS-GIS software (ArcGIS 10.3, ERDAS IMAGINE 9.2, MicroImages TNT MIP Pro 2016) to prepare various thematic data layers like altitude, slope angle, drainage density, geomorphology, soil type, geology, land use/land cover, lineament density, distance from rivers and mean annual rainfall. All prepared maps were changed with GIS software utilizing the raster converter apparatus in the raster space. Weighted layer for each thematic data layer was statistically computed by assigning weight values to individual parameters. Class rank was assigned in light of their significance to underground water recharge. Finally, a groundwater potential zone map was prepared utilizing analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and five distinct zones were arranged accordingly. ROC (receiver operating characteristics) curve and groundwater depth map were prepared using the field data to validate the groundwater zonation map of the Kumari river basin.

Standard Anatomic Terminologies: Comparison for Use in a Health Information Exchange-Based Prior Computed Tomography (CT) Alerting System.

BackgroundA health information exchange (HIE)–based prior computed tomography (CT) alerting system may reduce avoidable CT imaging by notifying ordering clinicians of prior relevant studies when a study is ordered. For maximal effectiveness, a system would alert not only for prior same CTs (exams mapped to the same code from an exam name terminology) but also for similar CTs (exams mapped to different exam name terminology codes but in the same anatomic region) and anatomically proximate CTs (exams in adjacent anatomic regions). Notification of previous same studies across an HIE requires mapping of local site CT codes to a standard terminology for exam names (such as Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes [LOINC]) to show that two studies with different local codes and descriptions are equivalent. Notifying of prior similar or proximate CTs requires an additional mapping of exam codes to anatomic regions, ideally coded by an anatomic terminology. Several anatomic terminologies exist, but no prior studies have evaluated how well they would support an alerting use case.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the fitness of five existing standard anatomic terminologies to support similar or proximate alerts of an HIE-based prior CT alerting system.MethodsWe compared five standard anatomic terminologies (Foundational Model of Anatomy, Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms, RadLex, LOINC, and LOINC/Radiological Society of North America [RSNA] Radiology Playbook) to an anatomic framework created specifically for our use case (Simple ANatomic Ontology for Proximity or Similarity [SANOPS]), to determine whether the existing terminologies could support our use case without modification. On the basis of an assessment of optimal terminology features for our purpose, we developed an ordinal anatomic terminology utility classification. We mapped samples of 100 random and the 100 most frequent LOINC CT codes to anatomic regions in each terminology, assigned utility classes for each mapping, and statistically compared each terminology’s utility class rankings. We also constructed seven hypothetical alerting scenarios to illustrate the terminologies’ differences.ResultsBoth RadLex and the LOINC/RSNA Radiology Playbook anatomic terminologies ranked significantly better (P<.001) than the other standard terminologies for the 100 most frequent CTs, but no terminology ranked significantly better than any other for 100 random CTs. Hypothetical scenarios illustrated instances where no standard terminology would support appropriate proximate or similar alerts, without modification.ConclusionsLOINC/RSNA Radiology Playbook and RadLex’s anatomic terminologies appear well suited to support proximate or similar alerts for commonly ordered CTs, but for less commonly ordered tests, modification of the existing terminologies with concepts and relations from SANOPS would likely be required. Our findings suggest SANOPS may serve as a framework for enhancing anatomic terminologies in support of other similar use cases.

Aristotle’s scientific contributions to the classification, nomenclature and distribution of marine organisms

The biological works of the Greek philosopher Aristotle include a significant amount of information on marine animals. In the present study, an overview of his scientific contribution to the knowledge of marine biodiversity and specifically to taxonomic classification, nomenclature and distribution of marine species is attempted. Our results showed that Aristotle’s approach looks remarkably familiar to present day marine biologists since: (i) although not directly aiming at it, he gave a taxonomic classification of marine animals, which includes physical groups ranked on three levels at least; (ii) most of Aristotle’s marine “major groups” correspond to taxa of the order rank in Linnaeus’s classification and to taxa of the class rank in the current classification; (iii) a positive correlation was found between the number of taxa per group identified in Aristotle’s writings and those described by Linnaeus; (iv) his classification system exhibits similarities with the current one regarding the way taxa are distributed to higher categories. (v) a considerable number of Aristotle’s marine animal names have been used for the creation of the scientific names currently in use; (vi) he gave the first account of the Mediterranean marine fauna, focusing on the Aegean Sea and adjacent areas. Taking into account all the above, we suggest that the foundations of marine taxonomy as laid down by Aristotle are still echoing today.

The 2017 Integrated IR Residency Match: Results of a National Survey of Applicants and Program Directors

PurposeTo characterize and compare the experiences of matched applicants and program directors (PDs) participating in the first large-scale integrated interventional radiology (IR) residency match. Materials and MethodsSurvey questionnaires were distributed nationally to integrated IR applicants who matched in the 2017 Match cycle and PDs. Both groups were questioned regarding their experiences with the application, interview, rank, and match processes as well as applicant-specific and PD-specific information. Summary and descriptive statistics were applied to responses, and comparison of Likert scale responses was performed by two-sample t test. ResultsSixty-one matched applicants (51.3%) and 34 PDs (55.7%) responded to the survey. Regarding the match process, applicants believed United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 score (P = .002) and connection to a program’s geographic location (P = .006) were significantly more important than PDs did, whereas PDs ranked grades (P = .049), class rank (P = .011), academic awards (P = .003), additional degrees (P < .001), and USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills score (P < .001) as significantly more important factors than applicants did. Additional information regarding demographic data, medical school experiences in IR, application strategies, interview experiences, rank lists, the intern year, and match results are reported. ConclusionsThe completion of the first large-scale integrated IR match represents a paradigm shift in the way in which IR practitioners are recruited and trained. This study provides valuable benchmark data and analysis that can be used to improve efforts to match the best-fitting applicants into the integrated IR residency and improve future match cycles for applicants and PDs alike.

LearningPad Conundrum: The Perils of Using Third-Party Software and Student Privacy

This case focuses on the potential problems associated with sharing personally identifiable information (PII) when students are required to use third-party software. Specifically, third-grade students were required to complete LearningPad1 activities as a component of their homework grade in math, spelling, and language arts. As students completed activities, their class rank, total number of correct responses, and total time on task were displayed for all students in the class to see. The administration had to make a decision as to whether the use of LearningPad software and the displaying of student data were violations of student privacy laws.

Convincing Students That Their Groupmates’ Success Can Increase, Not Diminish, Their Own Success

Both theory and research support the use of group activities to aid student learning. However, some students are reluctant to learn with peers for fear that the peers will gain more. The article attempts to address this fear. This article provides educators with explanations to give their students as to why, even in norm referenced assessment environments, by helping their groupmates, students are positively, not negatively, impacting their own success on assessments. The article opens with a review of assessment options: norm referenced, criterion referenced and ipsative. Next, Social Interdependence Theory is explained for the insights it might offer as to how students view their peers' success. The article's third section summarises some of the research on peer learning, in particular research on what forms of peer interaction might best promote learning. Finally, the article examines three contexts in which norm referencing is applied - standardised exams, class grades and class ranking – and concludes that the chances are small of groupmates' success diminishing the success of students who have helped their groupmates. This conclusion is reached based, first, on mathematical calculations and, most importantly, on the research based premise that when students provide elaborated help to groupmates, the helpers are likely to boost their own scores.

Attorneys' Career Dissatisfaction in the New Normal

The 2008 economic recession had a seismic impact on the legal profession. This Article is the first to empirically assess whether the recession has made law an unsatisfying career. Relying on survey data from over 11,000 active members of the State Bar of Texas, we find that only 13.5% of all attorneys and 11.5% of full-time attorneys are dissatisfied with their careers. Newer attorneys report greater career dissatisfaction than more experienced attorneys, yet they too are largely satisfied. We also determine using logistic regression that three factors are highly predictive of lawyers’ career dissatisfaction: 1) comparatively low incomes; 2) working in private practice as opposed to in government or in a non-profit/public interest setting; and 3) law firm employment in a non-partnership role. Law school debt and lower class rank have only minor effects on career dissatisfaction whereas race, gender, years of practice experience, practice area, and firm size have no independent effects.

THE QUALITY OF STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT DISCLOSURES IN SUSTAINABILITY REPORTS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY FROM INDONESIA

The emerging of sustainability reports reflects the company's efforts in implementing greater transparency. A sustainability report reviews the company’s performances in three parameters: economic, environmental, and social, in which stakeholder engagement is one of the most important elements. However, stakeholder-engagement practices are considered still far from expectation. Information disclosed by a company is not enough to meet the information needed by the public. This study aims to determine the level of quality of stakeholder engagement disclosures in sustainability reports. The quality of disclosure was reviewed by four aspects: ‘Report Content’, ‘Stakeholder Representation’, ‘Stakeholder Engagement’, and ‘Channel and Methods of Stakeholder Engagement’. The content analysis was applied to evaluate the quality of these disclosures and to determine the class ranks of low, moderate, high, and very high. Samples were obtained from 28 sustainability reports which had been consistently published by 7 companies in Indonesia during the period of 2008-2011. The results show that the level of quality of stakeholder engagement disclosures in Indonesian sustainability reports is generally considered moderate. The ‘Employee’ seems to be the major stakeholder which was disclosed widely and it has a relatively strong power to influence a company’s decision.

What drive students to behave more environmentally friendly towards waste?

Students’ behavior towards waste takes a crucial role to successful sustainable waste management at school level. As many scholars mentioned, a proper waste management should not only environmentally effective and economically efficient, but also socially acceptable. Therefore, it is important to know how to drive students to behave more environmental friendly. Using eco-friendly behavior survey for students as part of community engagement program titled “Creating Healthy, Fit and Productive Generation through Comprehensive Mental Revolution Model”, this paper aims to identify factors that determine students’ eco-friendly behavior. This survey was administered to 797 students from three high schools in the city of Bekasi, SMA N 1 Bekasi, SMA N 2 Bekasi and SMK Korpri. We divided three broad characteristics in determining student’s eco-friendly behavior, namely individual characteristics, household characteristics and community characteristics, as mentioned in various researches. The result shows that out of three broad characteristics, individual characteristics play significant role in determining the level of student’s eco-friendly behavior. In terms of individual characteristics, knowledge about waste and school course plays positive and significant role in determining the level. For the study course, we conclude that students in the science course have a relatively higher eco-friendly behavior level compared to social course or others. Female students are also more likely to have higher level of eco-friendly behavior rather than male students. Finally, daily expenditure significantly determines the level. On the other hand, we found that environmental concern and class rank do not have significant effect to student’s behavior. In addition, none of the household and community characteristics variables were significant in determining the behavior. This result emphasizes the importance of individual characteristics improvement, especially waste knowledge and environmental education, to drive students in dealing waste appropriately.

What drive students to behave more environmentally friendly towards waste?

Students’ behavior towards waste takes a crucial role to successful sustainable waste management at school level. As many scholars mentioned, a proper waste management should not only environmentally effective and economically efficient, but also socially acceptable. Therefore, it is important to know how to drive students to behave more environmental friendly. Using eco-friendly behavior survey for students as part of community engagement program titled “Creating Healthy, Fit and Productive Generation through Comprehensive Mental Revolution Model”, this paper aims to identify factors that determine students’ eco-friendly behavior. This survey was administered to 797 students from three high schools in the city of Bekasi, SMA N 1 Bekasi, SMA N 2 Bekasi and SMK Korpri. We divided three broad characteristics in determining student’s eco-friendly behavior, namely individual characteristics, household characteristics and community characteristics, as mentioned in various researches. The result shows that out of three broad characteristics, individual characteristics play significant role in determining the level of student’s eco-friendly behavior. In terms of individual characteristics, knowledge about waste and school course plays positive and significant role in determining the level. For the study course, we conclude that students in the science course have a relatively higher eco-friendly behavior level compared to social course or others. Female students are also more likely to have higher level of eco-friendly behavior rather than male students. Finally, daily expenditure significantly determines the level. On the other hand, we found that environmental concern and class rank do not have significant effect to student’s behavior. In addition, none of the household and community characteristics variables were significant in determining the behavior. This result emphasizes the importance of individual characteristics improvement, especially waste knowledge and environmental education, to drive students in dealing waste appropriately.

Is There a Formula for Residency Selection of Future Academic Neurosurgeons?

Abstract: Authors of the article Pre-residency Publication Number Does Not Predict Academic Career Placement in Neurosurgery attempted to determine the impact that published research has before and during residency in eventually attaining neurosurgery faculty positions in academic hospitals. The researchers found that publications before residency are not associated with academic careers, but that publications during residency, as well as their quality, in addition to devoted research time prior to residency, do predict an academic career. These important findings add significantly to our understanding certain factors that lead neurosurgery residents into academic careers, but it would be useful if several other variables should are taken into account. These include the role of enfolded fellowships and applicant demographics such as socio-economic status, board scores and class rank. To ensure that the pipeline of neurosurgeons into academic careers is maintained and that innovation in the field can advance, a more thorough understanding of the variables that influence applicants, as well as the leaders who select them, should be explored.

The predictive value of pre-recruitment achievement on resident performance in anesthesiology

Study objectiveSelecting candidates for residency positions is challenging and there is little research on the correlation between commonly used selection criteria and subsequent performance in anesthesiology. This study examined the association between the selection measures and post-recruitment performance in residency. DesignRetrospective review of archival data. SettingAnesthesiology residency program at a large academic anesthesiology department. SubjectsResidents who were matched to the anesthesiology program over 9years (graduation classes of 2006 to 2014). InterventionsNone. MeasurementsThe pre-recruitment achievements included a comprehensive list of measures obtained from residents' application portfolios in conjunction with interview performance. The post-recruitment examination outcomes consisted of the in-training examination (ITE) scores in the three clinical anesthesia (CA) years and first-attempt success on the written board certification examination administered by the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA). Scholarly output during residency was measured by publication record. Clinical performance at the conclusion of residency was independently rated by three faculty members. Bivariate analysis and regression models were conducted to examine association between predictors and outcomes. Main resultsHigh United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores, class rank in medical school and interview performance were predictive of high examination scores in residency and good clinical performance. Class rank appeared to be the best predictor of scholarly publication and pursuing an academic career beyond residency. ConclusionsComparative performance with classmates (i.e., class rank) in medical school appeared to be an effective predictor of overall performance in residency, which warrants more attention in future study. Although interview performance is subject to recruitment team members' interpretation, it is an important measure to include in recruitment decisions.

Women Dancing the Morris in Fletcher and Shakespeare’s The Two Noble Kinsmen, 1613–2015

ABSTRACTThis essay analyses how the morris dance in The Two Noble Kinsmen – a crucial moment in the play’s treatment of gender and class rank – intervenes in seventeenth-century debates about the cultural function of morris dancing and especially of women’s roles within it. The essay considers what morris dancing might have signified at the play’s composition and earliest performances by analysing it alongside its courtly source, seventeenth-century pamphlets and dances inserted in other professional plays, and it examines how modern performances have remade the scene. While the play text empowers its female dancers, most twentieth- and twenty-first-century performances have limited their authority and made the dance into a scene that highlights the oppression of women. Two recent student performances in the USA and New Zealand have reframed the play’s morris as a dance that enables women to embrace playful bawdiness, seek reward, or resist social expectations.

Dynamics of adolescents’ life satisfaction and effect of class rank percentile: Evidence from Korean panel data

This study investigates the dynamics of adolescents’ life satisfaction and the effects of academic success on life satisfaction using the Korean Youth Panel Survey (KYPS) 2003–2007 data. Unlike previous studies, our dynamic ordered probit models allow for persistence in life satisfaction which is attributable both to unobserved individual heterogeneity and to state dependence. First, we find that strong state dependence exists in adolescents’ life satisfaction, that is, current life satisfaction is significantly affected by the previous state. Second, we show that academic success undoubtedly has a positive effect on adolescents’ life satisfaction even after controlling for state dependence. Finally, we present that there exists an interesting gender difference: boys show stronger persistence in the state of high life satisfaction, whereas girls have stronger persistence in dissatisfaction.

Disarticulating Indianité: Re-imagining the Motherland in Ernest Moutoussamy's Chacha et Sosso

WRITING INDIANITE INDIANITE or Indianness, a term first introduced during the early 1970s by the Martinican researcher, Gilbert Francis Ponaman, is a cultural project that seeks to valorize the East Indian diaspora who came as indentured laborers to the French West Indies during the post-slavery era. The inception of this concept stems principally from the lack of attention accorded to the Francophone Indo-Caribbeans in critical discourses, despite the fact that they comprise approximately 15% and 3% of the Guadeloupean and Martinican populations, respectively, and have contributed to the mosaic of material and immaterial cultures of these islands. This theoretical disengagement seemingly harks back to the initial arrival of the East Indian indentured laborers, who came as a cheap source of labor to work on the sugarcane plantations. These laborers arrived into a society where a hierarchized social fabric had already been established: the white planter class occupied the upper echelon, below which were the middle classes, and the former African slaves positioned at the bottom. The East Indians were then placed, by default, at the bottom of these social class rankings, and were further marginalized because of their religious and cultural practices, which were quite different from those practiced and cultivated on the islands at the time. This culture of marginalization was further perpetuated since the East Indians represented an obstacle to the former African slaves' effort to bargain with French plantation owners because the indentured laborers were willing to accept lower wages. Their social isolation bled into their non-recognition in literary and critical discourses, which the concept of Indianite seeks to amend. Preliminary thoughts on what would eventually be conceptualized as Indianite made their debut in the journal, Soleil indien, launched in March 1974 by Ponaman, which aimed to give a voice to the often-sidelined East Indian presence in Martinique, in particular, and in the French Caribbean, in general. One of the earliest definitions of Indianite comes from Laurent Farrugia in his Les Indiens de Guadeloupe et de Martinique (1975). Farrugia considers Indianite as an inaugural concept essential to the creation of East Indian subjectivity in the French West indies: L'Indianite n'est pas une fin en soi. Pas plus que negritude n'etait une fin en soi. Mais il est necessaire que s'ouvre une ere d'Indianite, comme il etait necessaire que s'accomplissent des temps de negritude. Pour n'etre qu'une etape historique, l'Indianite n'en est pas moins une etape absolument indispensable. Au-dela? au-dela, il y a l'antillanite, concept ouvert, englobant a fois negritude, l'Indianite et l'europeanite ... (160) Similar to Farrugia's insights, Jack corzani's definition locates Indianite in relation to Negritude. Corzani defines it as a movement that tends to valorize la culture indienne (originaire de l'Inde) aux Antilles sur le modele de negritude et parfois en reaction contre cette derniere (1436). Analogous to the concept of Negritude advanced from the 1930s by Aime Cesaire, Leopald Sedar Senghor, and Leon Gontran Damas to promote the affirmation of a collective black identity that resisted French colonial systems of thought based on racial prejudices, Indianite is a necessary step forward to recognize the contributions of the East Indian diasporic community in the French Antilles, and to spark cross-cultural dialogues amongst the plural ethnicities in the French Caribbean. But it is Ernest Moutoussamy, an Indo-Guadeloupean writer and politician, aspiring, like Ponaman, to put the Francophone Indo-Caribbeans on the map, who became the main defender and proponent of this concept. He develops his thoughts on Indianite in his critical work La Guadeloupe et son Indianite, published in 1987, and explains that Indianite is an articulation of East Indian cultural patrimony that must be acknowledged as an integral part of the racial and cultural diversity at work in the French Antilles. …

Weighting recent performance to improve college and labor market outcomes

There is a great deal of policy interest in reducing college dropout rates, increasing graduation rates, and improving labor market outcomes. To this end, individual colleges and state university systems use high school grade point averages and class rankings in an effort to offer admission and scholarships to students who are most likely to achieve long-run success. However, a significant fraction of students exhibit steep positive or negative performance trends during high school. This study shows that academic performance in later grades is given no greater weight in admissions but is the best predictor of college and labor market outcomes, greatly exceeding prior grades and entrance exam scores. Placing greater weight on later grades and extending application deadlines to allow the consideration of 12th grade performance is shown to significantly alter which students are admitted to college and to improve their expected long-run outcomes. Importantly, weighting recent performance does not appear to affect college diversity. Evidence is presented that the predictive power of later grades is driven primarily by students who experience large negative performance trajectories during high school.

Class ranking of secondary schools in the North West province of South Africa

The education system in South Africa finds itself in a dismal position. Existing research reports and general news bulletins suggest that schools in South Africa suffer from a general lack of efficiency measures and therefore underperform in comparison with those in other countries. This paper proposes a class-ranking technique as a means to evaluate schools. The technique implements Pareto optimality principles and utilises a mathematical model that is based on output variables (e.g. pass rates) only. The model also provides for the construction of a step-by-step improvement plan for underperforming schools. The suggested framework was applied to 54 secondary schools in one of the four major municipal districts in the North West province of South Africa. Results are contrasted with the application of an ordinary DEA model that is based on input and output variables and showed that the suggested approach offers a more reliable alternative to evaluate, monitor and improve the performance of schools ranked as inefficient.

Student-Faculty Interaction: A Key to Academic Integration and Success for Ethnic Minority Students at a Major University in Southwest China

This study examines the academic performance and “engagement” of ethnic minority students at a leading university in southwest China. Results indicate that ethnic minority students have significantly lower grades, lower class ranking, and have failed more courses than majority Han students. Results also show that the level of student-faculty interaction (SFI) for ethnic minority students is significantly lower than for Han students. Study results also indicate that average scores in coursework and student ranking among their cohorts are significantly, but weakly, correlated with SFI. The study concludes that SFI may have little influence on students’ academic achievement itself, but would help students integrate into the college community, enabling a sense of belonging, which is a major factor in supporting academic success among ethnic minority students.