Although peer review, in which students evaluate each others' papers, has been shown to be beneficial in many writing classrooms, the benefits of peer review to the reviewer, or the student giving the feedback, has not been thoroughly investigated in the field of second language (L2) writing. The purpose of this study is to determine which is more beneficial to improving student writing: receiving or giving peer feedback. The study was conducted at the English Language Center (ELC) at Brigham Young University (BYU). Ninety-one students in nine writing classes at two different proficiency levels, high beginning and high intermediate, participated in the study. The treatment groups reviewed anonymous papers, but received no peer feedback over the course of the semester, while the control groups received feedback, but did not review other students' papers. Writing samples collected at the beginning and end of the semester were used to evaluate which of the two methods most helped student writers. In addition, a short survey was conducted to investigate the correlation between student attitudes and demographic information and these results. Results of a series of t-tests indicated that the treatment groups, which focused solely on reviewing peers' writing, made more significant gains in their writing over the course of the semester than the control groups. These results were also more significant at the lower than the higher proficiency level. Students? level of comfort with the writing process and desire to learn how to use feedback were found to be significant predictors of these results.

In many ways the current publishing system in rhetoric and composition, which centers on the peer-reviewed journal, undermines core values we hold for ideal scholarly communication. These values include collaboration, dialogue, participation, and public engagement. Though the current system's methods of preserving, distributing, and maintaining quality control of scholarly work contradict our values, technological developments have made possible alternative publishing models that could better uphold our values. Developing a preprint archive where scholars develop and share ideas before submitting them for publication in traditional peer-reviewed journals would bring our publishing process closer to our ideals.

Current approaches to teaching creative writers the ways to success in creative writing courses consist largely of workshop style classes. While workshops often vary from class to class in style, generally a workshop will consist of a group of writers, led by a mentor/instructor, who exchange drafts and provide reader and writer focused feedback to the author. Yet because the workshop approach has not been the subject of close empirical study, it is unclear whether it is an effective pedagogy. This thesis serves two purposes. First, it presents an argument for new research into creative writing pedagogy and creative writers' processes and suggests that any future research should take an empirical turn. However, because creative writing has developed few theories or methods useful for the empirical study of creative writing, I suggest adopting theories and methods from the field of rhetoric and composition. The second part of this thesis is an empirical study of three creative writing undergraduate students in an introductory creative writing course over one semester. This study uses qualitative methods: semi-structured retrospective interviews, close textual analysis, and in-class observations to understand how creative writers are enculturated into the creative writing community using Christine Tardy's theories of acquiring genre expertise as a framework for analysis. Based on this research this study concludes that while creative writers enculturate in different ways, based on several factors, all creative writers develop greater awareness of genre complexity, authorial identity, and intermodal influences on their writing. Furthermore, this study recommends further case studies into creative writers writing processes and the effectiveness of various workshop models on student enculturation. ?

Оценка факторов производительности труда на региональном уровне является важным аспектом в процессе повышения общего уровня экономического благосостояния территории. Целью магистерской диссертации является развитие теоретико-методических основ анализа и оценки детерминант производительности труда в регионе. В работе рассматриваются теоретические и методические вопросы исследования производительности труда. В качестве источников использовалась научно-исследовательская и учебно-методическая литература, нормативно-правовые акты и статистические данные Федеральной службы государственной статистики по тематике исследования. В магистерской диссертации был предложен методический подход к оценке факторов производительности труда в регионе, особенностью которого является комбинированное использование данных объективных статистических показателей и экспертных мнений, применение статистического инструментария корреляционно-регрессионного анализа, а также реализация аддитивного подхода, предполагающего анализ детерминант производительности труда, рассчитанной различными способами. / Assessment of labor productivity factors at the regional level is an important aspect in the process of increasing the overall level of economic well-being of the territory. The aim of the master's thesis is to develop the theoretical and methodological foundations for the analysis and assessment of the labor productivity determinants of in the region. The paper deals with theoretical and methodological issues in the study of labor productivity. Scientific research and educational-methodical literature, regulatory legal acts, and statistical data of the Federal State Statistics Service on the research topic were used as sources. Master thesis suggest a methodological approach to assessing labor productivity factors in the region, with a feature of the combined use of objective statistical indicators and peer review, application of statistical tools for correlation and regression analysis, and implementation of an additive approach that involves analysis of the determinants of labor productivity, calculated in various ways.

Исследование предлагает совершенствование методов регулирования кредитного риска. Банковским учреждениям предложено повысить качество экспертной оценки потенциального клиента-заёмщика посредством внесения дополнений в систему мотивации сотрудников и включение коэффициента внутренней рентабельности в оценку мотивации персонала. Предложена модифицированная модель оценки вероятности банкротства и применение коэффициентов оценки кредитоспособности исходя из отраслевой принадлежности предприятия. / The study suggests improving the methods of credit risk regulation. It was proposed to banking institutions to improve the quality of the expert assessment of a potential client-borrower by introducing additions to the employee motivation system and including the internal profitability ratio in the assessment of staff motivation. A modified model for assessing the probability of bankruptcy and the use of coefficients for assessing creditworthiness based on the sectoral affiliation of the enterprise are proposed.

有鑒於英文寫作能力日趨重要，英文寫作的教學也愈來愈受到重視。然而在高職英文寫作教學方面來看，其成效卻往往不彰。基於這個原因，研究者運用透過電子郵件之「過程寫作」教學法，期能對高職學生在英文寫作能力的提升上有所裨益。 本研究以北縣某高職綜高學術學程部五十八位二年級學生為研究對象，研究者教導實驗組學生運用「過程寫作」的策略，配合在電子郵件的環境下加強英文寫作的能力；控制組學生則僅接受「過程寫作」策略之教學。實驗前，對實驗組及控制組學生施予前測來檢視學生英文寫作能力之起點行為；實驗後，對實驗組及控制組學生施予後測來檢視學生英文寫作能力之進步情形。實驗終了，再以一問卷來探討實驗組學生對實驗之態度及其自評成效。 研究結果如下： 一、 透過電子郵件之「過程寫作」教學法對學生英文寫作能力確有助 益。實驗組後測成績高於控制組；再者，實驗組在其前後測比較 下，整體寫作能力有顯著之進步。 二、 在電子郵件的環境下運用「過程寫作」的策略幫助學生在作文中之 內容、組織、文法、用字體例方面有所助益。實驗組與控制組之進 步情形雖無顯著差異，實驗組進步情形仍大於控制組。 三、 實驗組學生對透過電子郵件之「過程寫作」教學法，持正面的態 度。 四、 實驗組學生認為在接受透過電子郵件之「過程寫作」教學法之後， 自己的英文寫作能力進步了。 最後，研究者根據上述研究結果，對高職英文作文教學提出建言，作為未來從事英文寫作教學之教師及研究人員參考。 / Owing to the importance of English writing ability on various purposes, teaching writing has received more and more attention nowadays. However, the traditional teaching and then learning process does not work on vocational high school students. This failure inspires the researcher to resort to alternative methods to upgrade his students' English writing ability. The present study was intended to prove that the instruction of process writing via E-mail is effective in enhancing students' English writing ability. Fifty-eight second-year students from two intact classes of Academic Oriented Course in a comprehensive high school in Taipei County participated in this study. The experimental group was taught to apply the strategies of process approach in an E-mail environment at every stage during the experiment while the control group was instructed in process writing strategies solely. Before the experiment, the pretest was used to indicate the starting points of students' writing proficiency. After the experiment, the posttest was administered to examine the effectiveness of process writing via E-mail. In addition, a response questionnaire was given to the experimental group to probe students' attitudes and their self-evaluation of the experiment. The results were as follows. First, the instruction of process writing via E-mail enhanced students' overall English writing ability. The experimental group outperformed the control group in total scores of the posttest. In addition, concerning the total scores between pretest and posttest, the experimental group made a significant progress. Second, the experimental group outperformed the control group in content, organization, grammar, diction, and mechanics after the experiment although the results showed no significant difference. Still, the experimental group made more progress in all five subskills than the control group did. Third, the majority of students in the experimental group responded positively to the instruction of process writing via E-mail. Last, most students in the experimental group considered they made a progress in their English writing ability after the experiment of process writing via E-mail. The present study concluded the effects of process writing via E-mail. Based on the results, the researcher provided writing teachers and educators with constructive suggestions for conducting a writing class or further studies.

Notre étude porte sur le programme d’appui à la création en arts visuels contemporains du Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ). La question soulevé habituellement ce type de programme qui s’appuie sur l’évaluation par les pairs est la suivante : les décisions sont-elles « biaisées »? Mais derrière cette question, il y a en a une autre, plus fondamentale : sur quels critères se base l’évaluation? Nous nous intéressons à comprendre le rapport entre l’évaluation de la qualité artistique et l’attribution de bourses. Plus spécifiquement, nous cherchons à analyser comment sont déterminées la qualité et la valeur d’une candidature en arts visuels, sur quels types d’arguments et de critères s’appuie l’évaluation artistique et par quels moyens cette dernière pourra créer une iniquité entre les candidats. Il s’agit donc d’une recherche qui relève de la sociologie de l’art, mais d’une sociologie qui prend en compte le contexte institutionnel et dont l’objet sont les valeurs qui sous-tendent l’évaluation artistique, dans le cadre d’une organisation autonome de subvention des arts. Dans cette perspective, les valeurs artistiques ne se définissent pas ex nihilo mais in situ, dans des situations (ex. comités d’évaluation) et dans un contexte institutionnel précis (le CALQ). L’évaluation de la qualité artistique s’inscrit donc dans des dynamiques sociales concrètes et particulières qu’il nous revient d’observer et d’analyser minutieusement. Notre attention portera spécialement sur les mécanismes de prise de décision et à la construction collective des jugements. / Our study focuses on the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec (CALQ) program to support the creation of contemporary visual arts. The question that usually rises about this type of programs, which are based on peer review, is: are the decisions "biased"? But behind this question, there is another more fundamental: what criteria the evaluations are based on? We are interested in understanding the relationship between the artistic quality assessment and the fellowships. More specifically, we seek to analyze how are determined the quality and value of an application in visual arts, what types of arguments and criteria sustain an artistic assessment and by which means the latter may create inequity between candidates. Therefore our research is related to the sociology of arts; nonetheless we take into account the institutional framework and the values that underlie the artistic assessment in the context of an autonomous arts’ funding organization. In this perspective, artistic values are not defined ex nihilo but in situ, in concrete situations, such as the evaluation committees, and in a specific institutional context, the CALQ. The artistic quality assessment is built into concrete and particular social dynamics, which compel us to observe and analyze them carefully. In this sense, our attention will particularly address the mechanisms of decision-making and the collective judgments.

Notre étude porte sur le programme d’appui à la création en arts visuels contemporains du Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ). La question soulevé habituellement ce type de programme qui s’appuie sur l’évaluation par les pairs est la suivante : les décisions sont-elles « biaisées »? Mais derrière cette question, il y a en a une autre, plus fondamentale : sur quels critères se base l’évaluation? Nous nous intéressons à comprendre le rapport entre l’évaluation de la qualité artistique et l’attribution de bourses. Plus spécifiquement, nous cherchons à analyser comment sont déterminées la qualité et la valeur d’une candidature en arts visuels, sur quels types d’arguments et de critères s’appuie l’évaluation artistique et par quels moyens cette dernière pourra créer une iniquité entre les candidats. Il s’agit donc d’une recherche qui relève de la sociologie de l’art, mais d’une sociologie qui prend en compte le contexte institutionnel et dont l’objet sont les valeurs qui sous-tendent l’évaluation artistique, dans le cadre d’une organisation autonome de subvention des arts. Dans cette perspective, les valeurs artistiques ne se définissent pas ex nihilo mais in situ, dans des situations (ex. comités d’évaluation) et dans un contexte institutionnel précis (le CALQ). L’évaluation de la qualité artistique s’inscrit donc dans des dynamiques sociales concrètes et particulières qu’il nous revient d’observer et d’analyser minutieusement. Notre attention portera spécialement sur les mécanismes de prise de décision et à la construction collective des jugements. / Our study focuses on the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec (CALQ) program to support the creation of contemporary visual arts. The question that usually rises about this type of programs, which are based on peer review, is: are the decisions "biased"? But behind this question, there is another more fundamental: what criteria the evaluations are based on? We are interested in understanding the relationship between the artistic quality assessment and the fellowships. More specifically, we seek to analyze how are determined the quality and value of an application in visual arts, what types of arguments and criteria sustain an artistic assessment and by which means the latter may create inequity between candidates. Therefore our research is related to the sociology of arts; nonetheless we take into account the institutional framework and the values that underlie the artistic assessment in the context of an autonomous arts’ funding organization. In this perspective, artistic values are not defined ex nihilo but in situ, in concrete situations, such as the evaluation committees, and in a specific institutional context, the CALQ. The artistic quality assessment is built into concrete and particular social dynamics, which compel us to observe and analyze them carefully. In this sense, our attention will particularly address the mechanisms of decision-making and the collective judgments.

As Ciências Sociais e Humanas (CSH) vêm enfrentando problemas para ter sua produção acadêmica integralmente reconhecida pelos sistemas de avaliação em todo o mundo. Tanto o processo de avaliação por pares quanto a mensuração por dados cientométricos possuem características distintas que afetam a maneira como a pesquisa é avaliada, mas a utilização de indicadores de citação de bases de dados internacionais como a Web of Science (WoS) em sistemas nacionais de avaliação têm sido especialmente desfavorável às CSH, devido às suas características singulares de publicação. Objetivo: apresentar uma síntese da literatura sobre avaliação da produção científica das CSH para compreender como os especialistas neste tema tratam das questões atuais já mencionadas. Metodologia: revisão de literatura. Um corpus composto de 107 artigos de periódicos foi recuperado por busca livre na WoS e na produção científica disponível na rede científica Research Gate, passando posteriormente por seleção final a partir de critérios qualitativos. Procedeu-se em sequência uma análise bibliométrica e uma análise qualitativa do corpus. Resultados: em termos geográficos e institucionais, a principal produção do corpus é oriunda da Espanha (CSIC), Bélgica (Universidade da Antuérpia) e Holanda (Universidade de Leiden). As publicações mais frequentes foram Scientometrics, Research Evaluation e Journal of American Society of Information Science and Technology, sendo que 43% dos periódicos do corpus são de Ciência da Informação. A avaliação quantitativa das CSH está presente em 81,3% do corpus, a avaliação qualitativa, em 42,1% e a mista, em 15%. As pesquisas empíricas formam 80,4% do corpus. Estudos reflexivos e propositivos formam 9,3% do corpus, são na maioria pesquisas empíricas (80%) e tendem a abordar a avaliação das CSH como um processo ao mesmo tempo quantitativo e qualitativo (70%). Conclusões: a literatura recuperada sobre avaliação da produção das CSH encontra-se em fase intermediária de desenvolvimento, apontando algumas alternativas, propostas e estudos aplicados para adequação dos instrumentos de avaliação. A Ciência da Informação emerge como disciplina proeminente na análise deste objeto em consolidação. Apesar de se identificar uma tendência ao uso de instrumentos que combinem aspectos quantitativos e qualitativos da produção, indicadores voltados à avaliação das CSH ainda estão por ser criados e não existe um modelo avaliativo que se possa apontar como consensual. / Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) are facing problems to have their scholar output fully recognized by evaluation systems worldwide. Both peer review and scientometric data have different characteristics that can influence the way the research is evaluated, but the usage of citation indicators in international databases such as Web of Science (WoS) for national evaluation systems has been especially harmful to SSH, due to their peculiar characteristics of publication. Aim: present a synthesis of the literature on evaluation of the SSH output and perceive how specialists deal with these current questions. Methods: literature review. A corpus composed of 107 journal articles was retrieved by direct search in WoS and also from the output available in the scientific network Research Gate. A final selection was made based on qualitative criteria. A bibliometric analysis and a qualitative analysis were carried out in sequence. Results and discussions: geographic and institutional distribution show that the main output of the corpus comes from Spain (CSIC), Belgium (University of Antwerp) and The Netherlands (University of Leiden). The most frequent publications were Scientometrics, Research Evaluation and Journal of the American Society of Information Science and Technology, and 43% of journals belong to the Information Science area. The quantitative evaluation of SSH is present in 81.3% of the corpus; the qualitative evaluation, in 42.1% and the mixed evaluation, in 15%. Empirical studies form 80.4% of the corpus. Reflective and propositional studies form 9.3% of the corpus, and they are mostly empirical research (80%) and also tend to approach the evaluation of SSH as a process both quantitative and qualitative (70%). Conclusions: the literature on evaluation of SSH output is in an intermediate stage of development, in which some alternatives, proposals and applied studies to the adequacy of evaluation instruments are pointed out. Information Science emerges as a prominent discipline in the analysis of this object, which is in consolidation. Although there is a tendency to use tools that combine quantitative and qualitative aspects of the output, an indicator for SSH evaluation has not yet been created and there is no assessment model that can be identified as consensual.

Kong, Ying Yuk. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 287-304). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts also in Chinese.