ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Examining Teachers' Views on the Implementation of English as L3 into Primary Schools: A Case of Kazakhstan
Author: Zhetpisbayeva, Bakhytgul A.
Date: 2016-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary School Teachers,Elementary Education,English (Second Language),Multilingualism,Second Language Instruction,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Policy,Faculty Development,Questionnaires,Age Differences,Educational Resources,Public Policy

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan changed the State Educational Program for primary education and the curriculum for teaching English as a third language (L3) to grades 1-4 in 2013. As with many changes in the curriculum, English language teaching has also been changed and the starting age for learning of English language has been lowered to 6-7 years of age (Grade 1). However, implementation of the curriculum requires readiness on the part of the teachers and teachers' views about teaching English in primary school is important for successful implementation of English language policy. Thus, this research aims to investigate the teachers' views about the starting age for L3 learning, teachers' professional development, teaching materials and problems of implementation of a language policy in primary schools in Kazakhstan. The data for the study was gathered from 105 English teachers working in different primary schools. The study revealed that most have not yet made a transition to the organized system of teaching English languages in primary school.
An Exploratory Study of the Relationships between Reading Comprehension Competence, Reading Attitude and the Vividness of Mental Imagery among Turkish Fourth-Grade Students
Author: Kocaarslan, Mustafa
Date: 2016-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Correlation,Reading Comprehension,Reading Attitudes,Imagery,Grade 4,Elementary School Students,Statistical Analysis,Questionnaires,Attitude Measures,Student Attitudes,Surveys,Regression (Statistics),Predictor Variables

This study aimed to establish the possible relationships between reading comprehension competence, reading attitude and the vividness of mental imagery among Turkish fourth-grade students. Participants were fourth grade students, selected using convenience sampling from two different public schools (n=103) in Bartin, Turkey. The research was designed as a correlational study to describe the degree to which two or more quantitative variables are related; this was achieved by using a correlation coefficient. The data gathering tools used in this study were (1): the Reading Comprehension Test (RCT), which was developed by the researcher and which includes both factual and inferential questions; (2) the Vividness of Imagery Questionnaire (VIQ), developed by Sheveland (1992); (3) the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS), developed by McKenna and Kear (1990). Multiple linear regressions were used for data analysis. The analysis revealed that reading attitude and vividness of mental imagery were significant predictors for students' reading comprehension competencies. In addition, the results indicated that approximately 14% of the variance in reading comprehension competence could be explained by reading attitude and vividness of mental imagery [R=0.369, R[superscript 2]=0.136, F[subscript (2-96)]=7.578, p&lt;0.01]. [This paper was originally presented at the International Conference on New Horizons in Education (INTE). Barcelona, Spain, 10-12 June, 2015.]
Cognitive Interviews as a Tool for Investigating the Validity of Content Knowledge for Teaching Assessments. Research Report. ETS RR-13-19
Author: Howell, Heather
Date: 2013-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Interviews,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Test Validity,Elementary School Teachers,Mathematics Teachers,English Teachers,Scores,Coding,Inferences,Language Arts,Grade 4,Grade 5,Grade 6

This report provides a description of a cognitive interview study investigating validity of assessments designed to measure &quot;content knowledge for teaching&quot; (CKT). The report is intended both to provide information on the validity of the CKT measures and to provide guidance to researchers interested in replicating the design. The study takes an argument-based approach to investigating validity by first articulating interpretive arguments that are central to the CKT measurement theory and then using the cognitive interview data to evaluate these arguments (Kane, 2006). The study is based on 30 interviews of elementary mathematics teachers and 30 interviews of elementary English language arts teachers. Teachers were selected using previous CKT assessment scores to represent high- and low-scoring groups for each subject. The cognitive interviews were conducted separately for each subject and responses were coded and then analyzed to investigate the scoring and extrapolation inferences for the validity argument. Findings strongly support the scoring inference, providing evidence that the item keying for the items is correct. Results also indicate that the participants reasoned about the item in ways that conformed with the reasoning outlined in the &quot;task design rationales&quot; (TDR) for each item. These TDRs represent what reasoning should look like for each of these items for a respondent drawing on the desired CKT knowledge. As such, conformity with the TDRs supports the extrapolation inference, providing evidence that the reasoning used by the participant represents the underlying knowledge and skill domain we intend to measure through CKT assessments. The study design, instruments, methods, and results are described in detail, with discussion included to support researchers interested in replicating or capitalizing on the study design.
The Use of Quality Control and Data Mining Techniques for Monitoring Scaled Scores: An Overview. Research Report. ETS RR-12-20
Author: von Davier, Alina A.
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Quality Control,Data Analysis,Trend Analysis,Scaling,Scores,Educational Assessment,Testing Programs,Evaluation Research,Comparative Analysis,Markov Processes,Charts,Item Response Theory,Correlation,Equated Scores,Regression (Statistics)

Maintaining comparability of test scores is a major challenge faced by testing programs that have almost continuous administrations. Among the potential problems are scale drift and rapid accumulation of errors. Many standard quality control techniques for testing programs, which can effectively detect and address scale drift for small numbers of administrations yearly, are not always adequate to detect changes in a complex, rapid flow of scores. To address this issue, Educational Testing Service has been conducting research into applying data mining and quality control tools from manufacturing, biology, and text analysis to scaled scores and other relevant assessment variables. Data mining tools can identify patterns in the data and quality control techniques can detect trends. This type of data analysis of scaled scores is relatively new, and this paper gives a brief overview of the theoretical and practical implications of the issues. More in-depth analyses to refine the approaches for matching the type of data from educational assessments are needed.
From Biology to Education: Scoring and Clustering Multilingual Text Sequences and Other Sequential. Research Report. ETS RR-12-25
Author: Sukkarieh, Jane Z.
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Scoring,Multilingualism,Test Items,Role,Item Analysis,Guidelines,Simulation,Intelligent Tutoring Systems,Statistical Analysis,Content Analysis,Natural Language Processing,Translation,English,Spanish,Biology,Genetics,Graphemes,French,Japanese,Tests,Computer Assisted Testing

This document describes a solution to a problem in the automatic content scoring of the multilingual character-by-character highlighting item type. This solution is language independent and represents a significant enhancement. This solution not only facilitates automatic scoring but plays an important role in clustering students' responses; consequently, it has a nontrivial impact on the refinement of the items and/or their scoring guidelines. Furthermore, though designed for a specific problem, the proposed solution is general enough for any educational task that can be transformed into a sequential one. To name a few: It can be used for a set of actions expected from a student in simulations or learning trajectories as projected by a teacher, inside an intelligent tutoring system, or even in a game--or it can simply be used for a set of student clicks, button selections, or keyboard hits expected to reach a correct answer. This solution provides flexibility for existing automatic-scoring techniques and potentially could provide more flexibility if coupled with statistical data-mining techniques.
Mental Health Facilitator (MHF) Service Implementation in Schools in Malawi, Africa: A Strategy for Increasing Community Human Resources
Author: Luke, Melissa
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Community Health Services,Program Implementation,Facilitators (Individuals),Stakeholders,Beliefs,Mental Health Programs,Mental Health Workers,Participant Satisfaction,Ethnography,Interviews,Focus Groups,Semi Structured Interviews,Community Resources,Community Needs,Community Education,Cultural Context

The Mental Health Facilitator (MHF) program utilizes a population-based curriculum and has been implemented in Malawi for the past seven years. This article reports findings from an ethnographic study that explored how 40 MHF stakeholders have experienced the MHF program. This transdisciplinary program is a 30-hour training in community mental health that focuses on fundamental helping skills; identification of stress, distress and mental disorders; and appropriate community referral and follow-up. Results indicated four interrelated themes representing participants' beliefs about their experiences with the training, including the curriculum's responsiveness to the Malawian context, the availability and limitations of resources, the processes involved, and a variety of identified outcomes. Implications for community implementation and future directions are identified.
Topical Trends in a Corpus of Persuasive Writing. Research Report. ETS RR-12-19
Author: Heilman, Michael
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Writing Evaluation,Scoring,Prompting,Responses,Correlation,Trend Analysis,Essays,Computational Linguistics,Word Frequency,Persuasive Discourse,College Students

Many writing assessments use generic prompts about social issues. However, we currently lack an understanding of how test takers respond to such prompts. In the absence of such an understanding, automated scoring systems may not be as reliable as they could be and may worsen over time. To move toward a deeper understanding of responses to generic issue prompts, we analyzed topical trends in test takers' responses and correlated these trends with those found in the news. We found evidence that many trends are similar across essays and the news. However, we also observed some interesting differences. Based on these analyses, we make recommendations in this paper for developers of writing assessments and automated scoring systems.
The Benefits of Implementing a Feedback Informed Treatment System within Counselor Education Curriculum
Author: Yates, Chad M.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Counselor Training,Feedback (Response),Program Implementation,Curriculum Enrichment,Psychometrics,Questionnaires,Rating Scales,Symptoms (Individual Disorders),Case Studies,Educational Practices,Outcomes of Treatment,Information Systems,Management Information Systems,College Programs

Counselor education departments have a unique opportunity to implement feedback informed treatment (FIT) systems that serve as continual assessment procedures by informing counselors, clients, supervisors and educators about client functioning and progress toward goals. These systems hold potential benefits within counselor training such as a positive impact on supervision, student development and student learning outcome evaluation. This article contains an overview of what a FIT system is, reviews of the psychometric properties and steps for administering and scoring three main FIT systems, and a synopsis of the potential benefits and utility of FIT systems within counselor education. Implications for counselor education are discussed.
An Investigation of the Efficacy of Criterion Refinement Procedures in Mantel-Haenszel DIF Analysis. Research Report. ETS RR-13-16
Author: Zwick, Rebecca
Date: 2013-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Bias,Statistical Analysis,Simulation,Educational Testing,Sample Size,Test Items,Difficulty Level

Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis is a key component in the evaluation of the fairness and validity of educational tests. Although it is often assumed that refinement of the matching criterion always provides more accurate DIF results, the actual situation proves to be more complex. To explore the effectiveness of refinement, we conducted a simulation study consisting of 40 conditions that varied in terms of amount and pattern of DIF, sample sizes, and ability distributions. We found that the effectiveness of refinement was heavily dependent on whether DIF was balanced (with positive DIF values compensating for negative DIF values) or unbalanced (all in one direction). In balanced conditions, the unrefined method generally produced better results, whereas, in unbalanced conditions, the opposite was true. In the absence of information about the pattern of DIF, it is probably best to choose the refined method because it is only slightly disadvantageous in balanced conditions, whereas the unrefined method can be substantially disadvantageous in certain unbalanced conditions.
Adult Attachment and Parental Bonding: Correlations between Perceived Relationship Qualities and Self-Reported Anxiety
Author: Ambruster, Ellen W.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Correlation,Attachment Behavior,Parent Child Relationship,Self Disclosure (Individuals),Anxiety Disorders,Early Experience,Undergraduate Students,Psychology,Questionnaires,Likert Scales,Check Lists,Proximity,Anxiety,Severity (of Disability),Measures (Individuals),Symptoms (Individual Disorders),Statistical Analysis,Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Adult attachment and parental bonding have been linked to anxiety disorders, but rarely have these associations been demonstrated in the same study. To fill this gap in the research literature, we utilized several different self-report measures to examine the relationships among adult attachment style, memories of early bonding experiences, and five types of anxiety in a sample of 201 undergraduate psychology students. Significant correlations were found between early bonding memories and secure, preoccupied and fearful attachment styles, but not between early bonding memories and dismissing attachment style. Secure attachment style negatively correlated with every type of anxiety, whereas preoccupied and fearful attachment styles positively correlated with every type of anxiety. Dismissing attachment style did not correlate with any anxiety type. Results also indicated correlations between early bonding memories and both post-trauma and social anxiety symptoms, but there was no relationship between bonding and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, panic or worry.
A Note on the Choice of an Anchor Test in Equating. Research Report. ETS RR-12-14
Author: Sandip, Sinharay
Date: 2012-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Equated Scores,Test Items,Correlation,Item Response Theory,Difficulty Level

Anchor tests play a key role in test score equating. We attempt to find, through theoretical derivations, an anchor test with optimal item characteristics. The correlation between the scores on a total test and on an anchor test is maximized with respect to the item parameters for data satisfying several item response theory models. Results suggest that under these models, the &quot;minitest,&quot; the traditionally used anchor test, is not optimal with respect to anchor-test-to-total-test correlation; instead, an anchor test with items of medium difficulty, the &quot;miditest,&quot; seems to be the optimum anchor test. This finding agrees with the empirical findings of Sinharay and colleagues that the miditest mostly has higher anchor-test-to-total-test correlation compared to the minitest and mostly performs as well as the minitest in equating.
The Effects of Rater Severity and Rater Distribution on Examinees' Ability Estimation for Constructed-Response Items. Research Report. ETS RR-13-23
Author: Wang, Zhen
Date: 2013-11-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Format,Test Items,Responses,Computation,Item Response Theory,Models,Multiple Choice Tests,Ability,Test Reliability,Test Bias,Accuracy,Comparative Analysis,Markov Processes,Monte Carlo Methods,Maximum Likelihood Statistics

The current study used simulated data to investigate the properties of a newly proposed method (Yao's rater model) for modeling rater severity and its distribution under different conditions. Our study examined the effects of rater severity, distributions of rater severity, the difference between item response theory (IRT) models with rater effect and without rater effect, and the difference between the precision of the ability estimates for tests composed of only constructed-response (CR) items and for tests composed of multiple-choice (MC) and CR items combined. Our results indicate that rater severity and its distribution can increase the bias of examinees' ability estimates and lower test reliability. Moreover, using an IRT model with rater effects can substantially increase the precision in the examinees' ability estimates, especially when the test was composed of only CR items. We also compared Yao's rater model with Muraki's rater effect model (1993) in terms of ability estimation accuracy and rater parameter recovery. The estimation results from Yao's rater model using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) were better than those from Muraki's rater effect model using marginal maximum likelihood.
Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: Analysis of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey Trends
Author: Emelianchik-Key, Kelly
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Trend Analysis,Adolescent Attitudes,Self Destructive Behavior,Risk,Gender Differences,Cultural Differences,Research Needs,Behavior Rating Scales,Clinical Psychology,National Surveys,Secondary School Students,Incidence

Issues regarding the diagnosis and treatment of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) continue to be of increasing concern to practitioners in educational and mental health settings. Given this rising concern, it is important to note that the majority of research regarding self-injury has focused on the symptomology and treatment of Caucasian females; little work has been done regarding the prevalence, presentation and treatment of self-injury with other populations (Marchetto, 2006). This article provides a rationale for addressing gender, culture and other issues of diversity in relation to self-injurious behaviors, including analysis of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey to provide empirical evidence for why additional issues of diversity need to be addressed. Implications for clinical counseling practice are discussed.
Automated Scoring of Mathematics Tasks in the Common Core Era: Enhancements to M-Rater in Support of &quot;CBAL&quot;™ Mathematics and the Common Core Assessments. Research Reports. ETS RR-13-26
Author: Fife, James H.
Date: 2013-12-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mathematics,Scoring,Educational Assessment,Academic Standards,State Standards,Research Reports,Mathematics Education,Scoring Rubrics,Algebra,Arithmetic,Equations (Mathematics),Common Core State Standards,Mathematical Formulas,Test Items

The m-rater scoring engine has been used successfully for the past several years to score &quot;CBAL&quot;™ mathematics tasks, for the most part without the need for human scoring. During this time, various improvements to m-rater and its scoring keys have been implemented in response to specific CBAL needs. In 2012, with the general move toward creating innovative tasks for the Common Core assessment initiatives, in traditional testing programs, and with potential outside clients, and to further support CBAL, m-rater was enhanced in ways that move ETS's automated scoring capabilities forward and that provide needed functionality for CBAL: (a) the numeric equivalence scoring engine was augmented with an open-source computer algebra system; (b) a design flaw in the graph editor, affecting the way the editor graphs smooth functions, was corrected; (c) the graph editor was modified to give assessment specialists the option of requiring examinees to set the viewing window; and (d) m-rater advisories were implemented in situations in which m-rater either cannot score a response or may provide the wrong score. In addition, 2 m-rater scoring models were built that presented some new challenges.
Mental Health Practitioners' Perceived Levels of Preparedness, Levels of Confidence and Methods Used in the Assessment of Youth Suicide Risk
Author: Schmidt, Robert C.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Risk,Risk Assessment,Suicide,School Counseling,School Counselors,Mental Health Programs,Career Readiness,Self Efficacy,Caseworker Approach,Caseworkers,School Psychologists,Skill Development,Counselor Attitudes,Counselor Qualifications,School Surveys

Mental health practitioners working within school or community settings may at any time find themselves working with youth presenting with suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Although always well intended, practitioners are making significant clinical decisions that have high potential for influencing a range of outcomes, including very negative (e.g., completed suicide) to very positive (e.g., on path to recovery). This study used an exploratory descriptive survey design to determine practitioner levels of preparedness, levels of confidence and methods used to assess suicide risk in youth. Practitioner respondents (N = 339) to a 23-item survey included professional counselors, school counselors, social workers, school psychologists and psychologists. Key findings indicate insufficient and inconsistent levels of preparedness and confidence, with respondents predominantly using an informal, non-structured interview method to obtain suicide risk level. Implications suggest a need for increased graduate training, supervision and ongoing skill development in suicide prevention and assessment.
Fostering Non-Cognitive Development of Underrepresented Students through Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy: Recommendations for School Counselor Practice
Author: Warren, Jeffrey M.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: School Counseling,School Counselors,Behavior Modification,Affective Behavior,Evidence,Intervention,Counseling Techniques,Experiential Learning,Community Involvement,Social Support Groups,Disadvantaged,Preferences,Goal Orientation,Leadership,Self Concept,Student Development

The non-cognitive factors (NCFs) endorsed by Sedlacek (2004) appear to align with the core values of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). This article explores theoretical and empirical evidence that suggests REBT fosters the development of NCFs. School counselors can promote non-cognitive development by embedding REBT throughout direct and indirect student services. REBT-based strategies and interventions can aid school counselors in their efforts to close the achievement gap and foster college and career readiness among students, especially those from historically underrepresented populations. Recommendations for school counseling practice are provided.