Part One: The Context Of Educational Research Part Two: Planning Educational Research Part Three: Styles Of Educational Research Part Four: Strategies And Instruments For Data Collection And Researching Part Five: Data Analysis

Research Methods in Education

Similarity breeds connection. This principle—the homophily principle—structures network ties of every type, including marriage, friendship, work, advice, support, information transfer, exchange, comembership, and other types of relationship. The result is that people's personal networks are homogeneous with regard to many sociodemographic, behavioral, and intrapersonal characteristics. Homophily limits people's social worlds in a way that has powerful implications for the information they receive, the attitudes they form, and the interactions they experience. Homophily in race and ethnicity creates the strongest divides in our personal environments, with age, religion, education, occupation, and gender following in roughly that order. Geographic propinquity, families, organizations, and isomorphic positions in social systems all create contexts in which homophilous relations form. Ties between nonsimilar individuals also dissolve at a higher rate, which sets the stage for the formation of niches (localize...

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Birds of a Feather: Homophily in Social Networks

Examines whether the positive association between social support and well-being is attributable more to an overall beneficial effect of support (main- or direct-effect model) or to a process of support protecting persons from potentially adverse effects of stressful events (buffering model). The review of studies is organized according to (1) whether a measure assesses support structure (the existence of relationships) or function (the extent to which one's interpersonal relationships provide particular resources) and (2) the degree of specificity (vs globality) of the scale. Special attention is given to methodological characteristics that are requisite for a fair comparison of the models. It is concluded that there is evidence consistent with both models. Evidence for the buffering model is found when the social support measure assesses the perceived availability of interpersonal resources that are responsive to the needs elicited by stressful events. Evidence for a main effect model is found when the support measure assesses a person's degree of integration in a large social network. Both conceptualizations of social support are correct in some respects, but each represents a different process through which social support may affect well-being. Implications for theories of social support processes and for the design of preventive interventions are discussed.

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Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis.

This paper reviews the origins and definitions of social capital in the writings of Bourdieu, Loury, and Coleman, among other authors. It distinguishes four sources of social capital and examines their dynamics. Applications of the concept in the sociological literature emphasize its role in social control, in family support, and in benefits mediated by extrafamilial networks. I provide examples of each of these positive functions. Negative consequences of the same processes also deserve attention for a balanced picture of the forces at play. I review four such consequences and illustrate them with relevant examples. Recent writings on social capital have extended the concept from an individual asset to a feature of communities and even nations. The final sections describe this conceptual stretch and examine its limitations. I argue that, as shorthand for the positive consequences of sociability, social capital has a definite place in sociological theory. However, excessive extensions of the concept may j...

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Social Capital: Its Origins and Applications in Modern Sociology

世界経済・社会統計 = World development indicators

Davidian-curve item response theory (DC-IRT) is introduced, evaluated with simulations, and illustrated using data from the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality Entitlement scale. DC-IRT is a method for fitting unidimensional IRT models with maximum marginal likelihood estimation, in which the latent density is estimated, simultaneously with the item parameters of logistic item response functions, as a Davidian curve. Simulations compare DC-IRT with Ramsay-curve IRT (RC-IRT) and the empirical histogram method (EHM) for a normal, bimodal, or skewed latent distribution. When the latent density was nonnormal, any of the three density estimation methods improved on the normal model. Both DC-IRT and RC-IRT produced more-accurate results than did the EHM.

Item Response Theory with Estimation of the Latent Density Using Davidian Curves.

The α2-adrenergic receptor agonist dexmedetomidine has sedative, anxiolytic, analgesic, and sympatholytic effects. The potential advantages of neuroprotection, minimal impact on neuronal function, stable hemodynamics, opioid and anesthesia sparing effects, and minimal respiratory depression during awake procedures render it an effective anesthetic adjuvant in various neurosurgical settings. However, both the benefits and drawbacks of the use dexmedetomidine in neuroanesthesia should be considered. This narrative review will summarize the applications of dexmedetomidine in various neurosurgical settings, highlighting evidence regarding both its common and controversial uses.

Nan Lin

Papers

Item Response Theory with Estimation of the Latent Density Using Davidian Curves.

Perspectives on Dexmedetomidine Use for Neurosurgical Patients

Daily variations of size-segregated ambient particulate matter in Beijing

Weak ties, strong ties, and job mobility in urban China: 1978–2008

Stress and adversity over the life course: Construction and use of the life history calendar: reliability and validity of recall data