Lissitz and Samuelsen (2007) have proposed an operational definition of "validity" that shifts many of the questions traditionally considered under validity to a separate category associated with the utility of test use. Operational definitions support inferences about how well people perform some kind of task or how they respond to some kind of…

The purpose of this study was to expand the current literature on word definitions by focusing on definitions of idioms provided by several age groups. Preadolescents, young adolescents, older adolescents, and adults wrote definitions for 10 frequently used idioms and also rated their familiarity with the idiomatic expressions. Participants'…

In Barrouillet, Gauffroy, and Lecas's postscript to the current authors' original comment on Barrouillet, Gauffroy, and Lecas's original article, they made four clearly argued points. First, they argued that they had provided a clear rationale for truth value gaps. This misses the point of what a computational-level explanation means. Such an…

Subscribing to Systemic Functional Linguistics approach, this paper examines aspects of decontextualised language, such as classification and definitions, in Greek pre-school instructional contexts. Following the assumption that such decontextualised uses are considered critical to the transition from commonsense to educational knowledge, we…

In this article, the author proposes a dynamic, interdisciplinary, network conception of expertise that differs from conventional static, linear conceptions. Using a range of graphic images, the author propose specific visualizations of this network conception of expertise. First, he discusses attempts to pin expertise down in a definition. Then…

Writers for both academic and popular audiences often use the term "gender" when considering differences between the educational experiences of male and female students, and the distinction often appears to be based on a traditional understanding of the term "sex". The authors of this article argue that "gender" and "sex" should be distinguished…

The term "joint attention", which first gained currency in the early 1960s in studies of the development of language and symbolic thought, remains significant in the developmental literature. However, its meaning is unclear. A definitional problem exists similar to what Patterson [Patterson, M. L. (1982). "A sequential functional model of…

Those who work to develop and manage community-based leadership programs have long been concerned with how to sustain them--to keep them healthy and useful. But focusing on how to sustain programs requires exploring what sustainability means. This paper reports on interviews with 41 community-based leadership education program coordinators. In…

What are the basic things that compose curriculum, and what are the questions that may be posed about these things? Joseph Schwab's conception of curriculum is used to introduce a scheme of questions concerning the nature, elements, and practice of curriculum. Formulations of questions by other curriculum theorists are reviewed and analysed in…

This study employed a multidimensional analysis to evaluate transnational patterns of scientific research to determine relative research strengths among widely varying nations. Findings from this study may inform national policy with regard to the most efficient use of scarce national research resources, including government and private funding.…

Professional identity is an ongoing topic of discussion in the youth work literature. This paper looks at one of the key elements of the definition of youth work: the relationships that youth workers establish with young people. It presents research findings which suggest that youth workers have multidimensional relationships with young people…

Since its introduction in academia and professional practice during the 1950s, gaming has been linked to simulation. Although both fields have a few important characteristics in common, they are distinct in their form and underlying theories of knowledge and methodology. Nevertheless, in the literature, hybrid terms such as "gaming/simulation" and…

The paper provides a review of some of the terminologies and definitions of applied theatre, critiques the "transformative principle" argued for by some applied researchers, and extends this to a discussion on the complex relationship between donor agendas and the politics of intention that contribute to the shaping of applied discourse…

There is a common distinction between globalisation and internationalisation in higher education scholarship. Globalisation is seen as an over-arching social and economic process where as internatinalisation is understood as the ways in which institutions of higher education respond to globalisation. This conceptual distinction has also worked its…

This article takes a renewed look at the concept of "affordance." It points out that the concept is being used within the CSCL community in ways which signify an underlying disagreement concerning the exact ontological nature and epistemological status of an "affordance." Such disagreement, it is argued, is a problem for both design and empirical…