Your search found 5565 results.

Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Public Policy; Citizen Participation; Public Opinion; Public Agencies; Public Officials; Policy Analysis; Social Indicators; Sociometric Techniques; Social Environment; Surveys; Political Attitudes; Political Influences

Abstract:
Notwithstanding the voluminous studies of Hong Kong's anticorruption experience and the admiration the ICAC has earned from other governments as a model for "institutional engineering," little is known about how the public in Hong Kong has perceived and responded to corruption. Less clear is what factors beyond a powerful and independent anticorruption agency have made the Hong Kong experience possible. Drawing on original survey data collected in Hong Kong in 2010-2011, this study investigates what determines individual propensities to accept or reject corruption and explores the role of a zero-tolerance culture in preventing corruption. Evidence confirms the existence of a low tolerance for corruption in Hong Kong. It also reveals a more significant impact of informal institutions than formal ones on corruption tolerance levels. As the very first study of zero tolerance of corruption, this research adds considerable depth to our understanding of why Hong Kong has become one of the most corruption-free societies in the world and of the importance of civic engagement in deterring actual and potential corruption. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Student Costs; Bachelors Degrees; Public Colleges; Electronic Learning; Competency Based Education; Private Colleges; Proprietary Schools; Academic Advising; Public Opinion

Abstract:
In August 2010, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, speaking informally at a technology conference, said technological innovations should be able to lower the cost of college to $2,000 a year. Mr. Gates's comments reportedly caught the attention of Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican of Texas, who came up with his own back-of-the-envelope estimate of how much college should cost: Multiplying $2,000 times four and adding $2,000 for the cost of books or other learning materials, the governor decided that a bachelor's degree should cost $10,000. In February 2011, Mr. Perry challenged public colleges in his state to create a $10,000 degree. Several of them have answered the call. From Texas, the idea of a $10,000 bachelor's degree has spread like an Internet meme to governors in Florida and Wisconsin, a state legislator in California, and some national online colleges. But the growing attention to the bargain-basement bachelor's degree is not just an indication of how an idea can quickly take hold with the public and lawmakers. The idea itself has become a kind of Rorschach test for how people view American higher education, what they think its role should be, and whom or what they blame for its shortfalls. Like a lot of things that get passed around on the Internet, Mr. Gates's comments became obscured by the interpretation. What he went on to say was that college costs would diminish because place-based higher education would become "five times less important" in five years. But in the rush to answer the subsequent gubernatorial challenges, the proposals that have emerged in Florida and Texas, in particular, have relied largely on shifting some costs of the traditional college model from the state to some other entity, such as businesses, community colleges, secondary schools, and even the student. In other words, the $10,000 degree will still cost more than $10,000. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Access to Information; Program Effectiveness; Foreign Countries; Intention; Internet; Access to Computers; Developing Nations; Public Opinion; Government Role; Technological Advancement; Innovation; Surveys

Abstract:
Building public Internet access points (PIAPs) is a significant contribution of governments towards achieving an information society. While many developing countries are investing great amounts to establish PIAPs today, people may not use PIAPs effectively. Yet, the successful implementation of PIAPs is the result of citizens' acceptance to use this opportunity. Hence, based on the Diffusion of Innovation Model, this study aims to detect the determinants of behavioural intention to use PIAPs. Essential data were collected from 3477 users of BELNET PIAPs established by the municipality of Istanbul in Turkey. We found that observability, compatibility and relative advantage all positively impact the intention to use PIAPs. The results reveal academic and practical implications for the future development and implementation of PIAPs. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Embryology; Biology; Textbooks; Student Attitudes; Secondary School Science; Content Analysis; Public Opinion; Context Effect

Abstract:
It might seem that an embryo is an embryo, and that there would be a fact of the matter. That seems especially true with respect to the way embryos are presented in textbooks, including high school biology textbooks. This paper looks at three co-existing, competing, and often conflicting views of embryos. Then with a close study of twentieth century high school biology textbooks, it explores suggestions about the ways those books have influenced public impressions of embryos. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Internet; Computer Security; Computer Mediated Communication; Guides; Public Opinion; Child Safety; Social Networks; Electronic Publishing; Consciousness Raising

Abstract:
The "Stop.Think.Connect. Community Outreach Toolkit" was adapted from the Federal Trade Commission's "OnGuardOnline.gov," a project that provides practical tips to help guard against Internet fraud and protect your privacy. The kit will help you offer your community information about protecting kids online. It includes "Stop.Think.Connect.," a guide for parents; "Heads Up," information for kids; slides to use in a presentation; and ideas to help you spread the word about online safety. This kit has the resources and information you need to convey key points about protecting kids online. How you use it is up to you: give a presentation, discuss at a meeting, or distribute the "Stop.Think.Connect." guide through your local school or PTA. This kit is meant for parents, teachers, and law enforcement officers--in short, anyone who cares about the subject--to use with friends, neighbors, colleagues, teachers, and kids. [CD is not included in the ERIC version of this document.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

 ERIC Full Text (927K)

Descriptors:
Testing; Early Intervention; Educational Improvement; Change Strategies; Scores; Public Opinion; Attitudes; Numbers

Abstract:
In "How Is Testing Supposed to Improve Schooling," Haertel describes seven broad mechanisms whereby testing is used to improve schooling (this issue). The first four are direct mechanisms, meaning that "test scores are taken as indicators of some underlying construct and on that basis scores are used to guide some decision or draw some implication." The last three are indirect mechanisms, which are "intended, anticipated effects of testing that have no direct dependence on the information particular scores provide about underlying constructs." The indirect mechanisms are poorly understood and need more attention from measurement professionals. He outlines the challenges to studying indirect mechanisms and how those challenges might be addressed. In this commentary, the author would like to offer one more challenge: the attitudes and beliefs of the public toward tests and test scores, attitudes and beliefs that can stem from an inability to deal with numbers as documented in Joel Best's "Damned Lies and Statistics." Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Psychology; Psychologists; Beliefs; Role Perception; Misconceptions; Professional Identity; Public Opinion; Reputation; Professional Recognition; Reader Response

Abstract:
Not being taken seriously can be an occupational hazard for psychologists, but Lilienfeld's (February-March 2012) thought-provoking article (see record 2011-12007-001) provides a useful framework for thinking about (a) the forms that skepticism about psychological science can take, (b) the roots of such skepticism, and (c) how one might address or even undermine it. But as Lilienfeld (2012, p. 117) noted, "The sources of public skepticism toward psychology are multifarious," and his list "is surely not exhaustive." We agree and believe that another source deserves emphasis, one that psychologists ignore at their peril. Specifically, what psychologists have to say about human behavior can clash with people's beliefs and intuitions. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Evidence; Psychology; Reputation; Public Opinion; Scientific Principles; Reader Response; Professional Recognition; Misconceptions

Abstract:
Responds to the comments made by Newman et al., Tryon, and Teo on the current author's original article. In the original article on public skepticism toward psychology, the author delineated eight reasons why many laypersons are dubious of our field's scientific status. The author argued that although some of these sources (e.g., hindsight bias, the illusion of understanding) reflect public misunderstandings regarding the application of science to psychological questions, others (e.g., our field's reluctant embrace of evidence-based clinical practices) reflect professional psychology's failure to uphold rigorous scientific standards. The author was gratified to read these three stimulating commentaries, if only because they suggest that my article accomplished its principal aim: to engender thoughtful debate concerning the sources of, and remedies for, psychology's problematic scientific status in the public eye. The authors all noted significant points of consensus with the current author's analysis but also identified areas in which they found my coverage to be incomplete or inaccurate. The author welcomes these constructive criticisms and address each in turn. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Psychology; Public Opinion; Criticism; Theory of Mind; Incidence

Abstract:
Lilienfeld (see record 2011-12007-001) made several cogent points regarding "public skepticism of psychology." He persuasively documented the prevalence of public skepticism with regard to psychology. He also provided sound rebuttals to six common criticisms of psychology. This comment addresses two substantial omissions regarding his discussion of psychology's "Illusion of Understanding" (p. 120) and "Greedy Reductionism" (p. 120). Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Adolescents; Foreign Countries; Punishment; Child Development; Laws; Parenting Styles; Regression (Statistics); Prediction; Violence; Parent Child Relationship; Attachment Behavior; Role; Public Opinion

Abstract:
The use of corporal punishment has been linked to negative developmental outcomes for children. Despite this finding, Section 43 of the Canadian Criminal Code permits the use of corporal punishment by parents for children 2 to 12 years of age. Therefore, this study's first objective is to investigate opinions toward Section 43 and spanking more generally. The second objective is to investigate predictors of opinions toward Section 43 and spanking more generally. The sample consists of 818 nonparents (70.7% female, 29.0% male) who completed an online study. Results indicate that 38.6% were favorable toward upholding Section 43. However, this decreases to 25.8% when a condition is included, stating that parents would not be prosecuted for mild slaps or spankings. For attitudes toward spanking more generally, results reveal that 16.7% of the participants held favorable attitudes. Hierarchical regression analyses reveal that planning to use corporal punishment upon becoming a parent predicted having a more favorable attitude toward Section 43 as well as toward spanking more generally (after controlling for sociodemographics). In contrast, having experienced violence during one's childhood predicts having less favorable attitudes toward Section 43 and spanking more generally. Significant interactions are found between childhood experiences of corporal punishment and perceptions of parental warmth/support and impulsiveness during discipline in predicting attitudes toward spanking. Those who report experiencing more corporal punishment during childhood but also more parental warmth/support hold more favorable attitudes toward spanking and those who report experiencing more corporal punishment during childhood and also more parental impulsiveness hold less favorable attitudes toward spanking. Findings indicate that examining opinions toward Section 43 and spanking separately is important because these concepts are not synonymous. In addition, both more immediate factors and those related to one's developmental history play a role in predicting opinions toward Section 43 and spanking more generally. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website