ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
A Framework for Describing Comparability between Alternative Assessments
Author: Shaw, Stuart
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Alternative Assessment,Comparative Analysis,Standards,Evaluation Criteria,Test Construction

The credibility of an Awarding Organisation's products is partly reliant upon the claims it makes about its assessments and on the evidence it can provide to support such claims. Some such claims relate to comparability. For example, for syllabuses with options, such as the choice to conduct coursework or to take an alternative exam testing similar skills, there is a claim that overall candidates' results are comparable regardless of the choice made. This article describes the development and piloting of a framework that can be used, concurrently or retrospectively, to evaluate the comparability between different assessments that act as alternatives. The framework is structured around four types of assessment standards and is accompanied by a recording form for capturing declared comparability intentions and for evaluating how well these intentions have been achieved. The framework and recording form together are intended to: (1) provide a structure for considering comparability in terms of four established assessment standards; (2) afford an opportunity for test developers to consider their intentions with respect to the comparability claims they wish to make; (3) provide a list of factors (within each assessment standard) that are likely to contribute to the comparability of two alternative assessments; (4) give a structure for collecting a body of relevant information against these factors; and (5) prompt an evaluation (on the part of the test developer) of how effectively the claims have been met.
Accessibility in GCSE Science Exams -- Students&apos; Perspectives
Author: Crisp, Victoria
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Exit Examinations,Science Tests,Test Construction,Student Evaluation,High School Students,Student Attitudes,Test Wiseness,Test Items,Comprehension

As part of continued efforts to ensure inclusivity in assessment, OCR has developed a set of accessibility principles for question design in GCSE Science examinations, which has been applied since 2018. The principles are intended to help ensure that all students can demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills to the best of their ability. The aim of this research was to consider the effectiveness of the accessibility principles by investigating students' perceptions of question features in terms of accessibility. Two versions of a short test were constructed using questions with and without the accessibility principles applied. Students in Year 11 (aged 15 to 16 years old) from four schools across England attempted the test and, of these, 57 were interviewed afterwards. Students were asked about question design features relating to the different accessibility principles and encouraged to talk about how accessible they felt the questions were and why. The results revealed that for most of the question features explored in this study, students' perceptions of accessibility tended to align with expected effects. However, for three accessibility themes, the findings were neutral or mixed.
Comparing Small-Sample Equating with Angoff Judgement for Linking Cut-Scores on Two Tests
Author: Bramley, Tom
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Cutting Scores,Standard Setting (Scoring),Equated Scores,Accuracy,Measurement,Test Items,Difficulty Level,Sampling,Sample Size,Simulation,Correlation,Error of Measurement

The aim of this study was to compare, by simulation, the accuracy of mapping a cut-score from one test to another by expert judgement (using the Angoff method) versus the accuracy with a small-sample equating method (chained linear equating). As expected, the standard-setting method resulted in more accurate equating when we assumed a higher level of correlation between simulated expert judgements of item difficulty and empirical difficulty. For small-sample equating with 90 examinees per test, more accurate equating arose from using simple random sampling compared to cluster sampling at the same sample size. The overall equating error depended on where on the mark scale the cut-score was located. The simulations based on a realistic value for the correlation between judged and empirical difficulty (0.6) produced a similar overall error to small-sample equating with cluster sampling. Simulations of standard-setting based on a very optimistic correlation of 0.9 had the lowest error of all.
How Useful Is Comparative Judgement of Item Difficulty for Standard Maintaining?
Author: Benton, Tom
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Items,Difficulty Level,Expertise,Comparative Analysis,Predictive Validity,Accuracy,Statistical Analysis

This article reviews the evidence on the extent to which experts' perceptions of item difficulties, captured using comparative judgement, can predict empirical item difficulties. This evidence is drawn from existing published studies on this topic and also from statistical analysis of data held by Cambridge Assessment. Having reviewed the evidence, the article then proposes a simple mechanism by which such judgements can be used to equate different tests, and evaluates the likely accuracy of the method.
Developing a Geo-Game Application for Global Connections in Social Studies Teaching: Gezgin Case
Author: Ineç, Zekeriya Fatih
Date: 2021-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Social Studies,Geography Instruction,Teaching Methods,Case Studies,Instructional Design,Specialists,Content Analysis,Global Approach,Educational Games,Values,Skill Development,Spatial Ability,Citizenship,Foreign Countries,Geographic Information Systems,Instructional Effectiveness

This study investigated the developmental process of a dynamic geo-game, Gezgin, which was developed by the researcher based on the Four-Component Instructional Design (4C/ID) Model, and its benefits in the acquisitions, values and skills of the Global Connections learning area of the social studies curriculum applied in Turkey. It also determined Gezgin's reflecting acquisitions, values, and skills, as well as social studies education experts' opinions about Gezgin. A case study approach was adopted and five experts participated. The data collection lasted for approximately fourteen months due to the development process of Gezgin. Most of this process coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic period. The data were descriptively analysed and the experts' evaluations were subjected to content analysis. Findings indicated that Gezgin mostly reflected the acquisitions, values, and skills of Global Connections learning area and could support the curriculum as a studying environment, create various experiences, materialise theoretical knowledge, and that it could be tested on students. It was also understood that values, primarily, and skills and acquisitions, subsequently, were mostly supported. Although the results of the study revealed similarities with the results of other studies in scientific literature, it differed from them as a large platform where the acquisitions, values, and skills of a learning field were reflected. The results indicated that geo-games should be used to support other learning areas, develop high-level skills, and create a level of awareness in accordance with spatial citizenship skills.
Teachers&apos; Opinions on the Concept of Representation and Predictors Favourable to the Creation of Representations in Pupils
Author: Pahome, Daniela
Date: 2021-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Attitudes,Elementary School Teachers,College Faculty,Knowledge Representation,Predictor Variables,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries

International research in the field of education focuses on the approach and use of mental knowledge-related mechanisms. In the educational research in Romania, we see the absence of studies focused on revision, analysis, and summary of the literature on the concept of representation and a shortage of studies tackling issues concerning creation of quality representations in primary school pupils. The aim of the study is to analyse teachers' opinions on nine different themes of interest in the lexical field of representation, explored throughout three standard interviews. The interviewees are teaching staff, a professor and two pre-university teachers. The data collected are presented in tables and analysed by manual codification. The results are significant in relation to the theoretical substantiation. The main conclusion of the study is: representations constitute a premise for the optimal functioning of the intellect. Some predictors favourable to creation of quality representations in pupils are the use of previous cognitive experiences, the accessibility and monitoring of learning as well as the quality of educational aids. By using suitable didactic resources, which reproduce the reality in a simplified manner or bring about elaborated abstractions, the teacher facilitates learning.
An Investigation into the Relationship between Pedagogic Inference Quality and Epistemic Cognition of Pre-School Teachers
Author: Akyurek, Erkan
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Epistemology,Inferences,Cognitive Processes,Cognitive Measurement,Critical Thinking,Preschool Teachers,Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Purpose: This study examined the relationship between pedagogic inference and the epistemological cognition of pre-school teachers. This paper provides and interests a relationship network with the pedagogy of field by delineating. In accordance with the model of this study, naïve and sophisticated epistemic cognition were determined and investigated whether these groups were comparable to pedagogic inferences quality, especially concerning validity, was compared. Research Methods: This research was designed as a qualitative case study conducted of Epistemic Cognition Scale (ECS) and Pedagogical Inference Interview Form (PIIF) as a tool to measure critical thinking capability. Compliance sampling was used in this study. This study included 68 pre-school teachers who enrolled Inegol district of Bursa province in the 2018-2019 academic years. The data were gathered using interview transcript and vignette questions. Findings: The findings revealed that there were positive relationships between pedagogical inference quality and epistemic cognition of pre-school teachers. In addition, results showed that the quality of pedagogical inference is an alternative in capturing the individual's epistemology. Implications for Research and Practice: Pedagogic inference quality can be an effective new parameter in teacher training. The relationship between this parameter and pedagogical content knowledge in teachers ' cognition with the other parameter may create a new corpus for teacher training studies. [Note: The page range (167-184) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range for this article is p167-183.]
Developing of Sexuality Education Program and Questionnaire of Sexuality Knowledge Level for 60-72 Months Children
Author: Ozgun, Songul Yasemin
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Sex Education,Sexuality,Readiness,Knowledge Level,Course Content,Questionnaires,Preschool Children,Preschool Education,Test Validity,Program Effectiveness,Foreign Countries,Program Development,Test Construction

Purpose: In the pre-school period, an active sense of curiosity, the most important developmental feature of children, is directed toward sexuality. In this context, it was aimed to develop a questionnaire to measure the sexual knowledge of children and to develop a sexuality education program based on the information level on sexual issues, and cognitive and emotional readiness of children aged 60-72 months. Research Methods: In the first stage, a questionnaire aimed at identifying sexuality knowledge level of 45 items was designed, and in the second stage, contents of 11 sessions on sexuality education program were created. For the content validity study of the questionnaire and the sexuality education program, 10 specialists were involved in data analysis. To determine the feasibility and the scoring criteria for the sexual knowledge questionnaire, a pilot scheme was carried out with 18 children aged 60-72 months attending the preschool institution. Findings: After consultation with a specialist opinion, a questionnaire for sexuality knowledge composed of 45 items was reduced to 24 items and the sexuality education program composed of 11 sessions was reduced to 8 sessions. According to the research findings, the content validity results of both the sexuality education program (KGI[greater than or equal to]KGO (0.62)), and the questionnaire on sexuality knowledge level (KGI (0.63)[greater than or equal to]KGO) were statistically significant. Implications for Research and Practice: It is thought that the sexuality education program prepared for pre-school children is suitable for pre-school programs. It will also contribute to the understanding of how the use of the questionnaire for sexuality knowledge can assess the effectiveness of sexuality education programs.
Using Corpus Linguistics Tools to Identify Instances of Low Linguistic Accessibility in Tests
Author: Beauchamp, David
Date: 2020-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computational Linguistics,Inferences,Validity,Language Usage,Vocabulary,Grammar,Difficulty Level,Test Construction,Culture Fair Tests,Test Items,Item Analysis,Syntax,Computer Software,Evaluation Methods,Biology,Business Administration,History,Achievement Tests,Foreign Countries,Secondary School Students

Assessment is a useful process as it provides various stakeholders (e.g., teachers, parents, government, employers) with information about students' competence in a particular subject area. However, for the information generated by assessment to be useful, it needs to support valid inferences. One factor that can undermine the validity of inferences from assessment outcomes is the language of the assessment material. For example, the use of excessively complex grammar and difficult vocabulary in the formulation of test questions may prevent students from displaying their true knowledge and skills (e.g., students who are not native speakers of the target language). In an attempt to support teachers and test developers in designing linguistically accessible assessment material, this study explored practical ways of investigating the linguistic complexity of test questions both at the level of vocabulary (lexical complexity) and grammar (syntactic complexity). The study compiled three corpora of examination questions and undertook automated lexical and syntactic analyses of these questions using software packages that are typically employed in the field of corpus linguistics.
A Guide to What Happened with Vocational and Technical Qualifications in Summer 2020
Author: Mattey, Sarah
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Vocational Education,Qualifications,COVID-19,Pandemics,School Closing,Exit Examinations,Secondary School Students,Computation,Test Results,Outcomes of Education

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the closing of schools across the United Kingdom, and to the cancellation of exams and assessments in England. A large number of learners take Vocational and Technical Qualifications (VTQs) that are offered in a diverse range of subject groups and they can be used to enter the next stage of education, apprenticeships or employment. What VTQs did in response to the cancellation of exams and assessments differed to the approach taken for GCSEs and A Levels because of the differences in the structure and assessments of VTQs and because of the differences between VTQs. In this article, we look at what happened in summer 2020 with VTQs typically taken in schools and colleges. The breadth and diversity of VTQs meant that what works for one type of VTQ would not necessarily work for another, either due to the purpose, design and delivery of the qualifications. The regulator therefore produced an Extraordinary Regulatory Framework with the aim to ensure as much consistency in approach as possible and that included three options: calculate results, adapt assessments, and delay assessments. This article explores each of these options and looks at how and why they were implemented.
Attitudes to Fair Assessment in the Light of COVID-19
Author: Shaw, Stuart
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: COVID-19,Pandemics,Student Evaluation,Evaluation Methods,Foreign Countries,Grading,Grades (Scholastic),Barriers,Public Opinion,Standards,Test Validity,Test Reliability,Standardized Tests,Educational Opportunities

Was the approach proposed for calculating exam grades in summer 2020 fair? Were the grades eventually awarded (after policy changes) fair? What is a fair arrangement for 2021? These questions have been at the heart of debate in the UK in the light of COVID-19. After schools were closed in the spring of 2020 and the decision was made not to proceed with summer exams, it was judged unfair to deny students the grades they needed to progress to the next stage in their lives. The task was to find a fair way to award grades in the absence of exams. The approaches developed in all four parts of the UK--and the Republic of Ireland--were thought by the regulators and Ministers to be the fairest possible, but in the event the grades initially awarded were widely decried as &quot;unfair&quot; and instead all the UK countries switched to awarding Centre Assessed Grades (CAGs). The result was not only significant grade inflation (compared to previous years) but unequal treatment of different subjects and groups of candidates. In this article, we shall briefly recall the conceptual map of &quot;fairness&quot; that we have offered elsewhere and outline received views of assessment fairness before 2020. We shall then discuss five challenges to those received views raised by the COVID-19 experience, particularly in the UK.
Connections: Exploring Charles Moravia&apos;s &quot;Le fils du tapissier&quot;: &quot;episode de la vie de Molière&quot; in the Introductory French Language Classroom
Author: Abell, Jacob
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: French,Introductory Courses,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,French Literature,Course Descriptions,Cultural Pluralism,Drama,Peer Relationship,Authors,Grammar,Vocabulary,Textbooks,Units of Study,Educational Objectives,Doctoral Students,Literary Genres,Language Proficiency,Standards,Communicative Competence (Languages),Undergraduate Students,Instructional Materials

This paper describes one approach to focusing on Connections, one of the five Cs from the World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages, as a means of exposing introductory language students to culturally diverse authentic texts through drama-based pedagogy. Our approach focuses on an instructor working within an established departmental curriculum for introductory language courses. Despite these constraints, the instructor was able to create a two-day instructional sequence that allowed students to interact with each other through their engagement with the work of the Francophone playwright Charles Moravia (1875-1938). The activity sequence was embedded in the grammar and vocabulary presented in the assigned textbook chapter, aligned with the communicative goals for the unit, and also integrated the graduate student instructor's own doctoral research interests in a way that was energizing for instructor and students alike. The authors demonstrate the viability of expanding a given syllabus to offer novice language students a more culturally diverse range of authentic texts, including a range of genres, all while consistently serving the needs of a proficiency-based classroom.
Identifying and Placing Spanish Heritage Speakers: One Program&apos;s Placement Test Approach
Author: Moreno, Oscar
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Placement,Language Tests,Spanish,Heritage Education,Grammar,Second Language Learning,Spanish Speaking,Sociolinguistics,Language Variation,Hispanic American Students,Native Speakers,Student Needs,Multiple Choice Tests,State Universities,Test Construction,Language Attitudes,Standards,Kindergarten,Elementary Secondary Education,Higher Education

Despite the increasing number of U.S. born Latinos, placing heritage and native speakers in the Spanish curriculum is still a challenge (MacGregor-Mendoza &amp; Moreno, 2020). The present article: (1) addresses the unique needs of heritage speakers in the Spanish curriculum; (2) problematizes traditional grammar-based placement exams; and (3) describes a multiple-choice placement exam (free upon request) designed and used at Georgia State University (GSU), a major urban university in the Southeastern U.S. Taking a sociolinguistic approach to the dialectical nature of Spanish, the GSU Spanish Language Program Coordinator developed a placement test based on what students--heritage, native, and non-native--do when asked to perform language tasks. The placement test design is outlined using distinctions of linguistic norms, both local/ regional and general. Reference is made to the ways in which diverse types of Spanish speakers align linguistically with general Spanish. This essay responds to the call for language standardization studies that recognize diglossia within a single named language by examining the role of heteroglossia to challenge monolingual language standardization ideologies (McLelland, 2021). Pedagogical implications for identifying and placing K-16 learners in a meaningful Spanish for Heritage Speakers classroom are discussed. [Note: The publication year (2020) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct publication year is 2021.]
L2 Classroom Willingness to Communicate as a Predictor of Participatory Behavior
Author: Shaffer, Ashley
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Second Language Learning,Language Usage,Student Attitudes,Predictor Variables,Student Participation,Peer Relationship,Personality Traits,Spanish,College Students

In the context of language instruction and learning, willingness to communicate (WTC) is an important factor in learners' language use. It is viewed as a volitional process influenced by individual, social, linguistic, and situationally dependent factors. Foundational research focused on trait and state WTC-influencing factors as separate entities. Current research considers the dynamic relationship that occurs between the two and particularly how it manifests in classroom interaction. This study investigated such differences by examining learners' self-reported WTC as trait-related and observed WTC as state-related. It compared WTC in both a teacher led and a peer led activity. Triangulated data were gathered using questionnaires, video recordings, and stimulated recall interviews. The importance of the study's findings lie in the investigation of how learners' self-perception relates to L2 classroom participation. Results showed that WTC may be boosted based on activity and peer group type, emphasizing the necessity of careful lesson planning by language instructors.