ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Reshaping Content Validation: A Case Study of a Reading Achievement Test for Third-Year English Majors
Author: Nguyen, Huu Thanh Minh
Date: 2022-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Achievement,Reading Tests,Achievement Tests,Majors (Students),Scores,Content Validity,Undergraduate Students,Universities,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Foreign Countries,Test Content,Language Tests,Comparative Analysis,Factor Analysis,Correlation,Reading Skills

Combining Bachman's (1990) conceptualization of content validity with Messick's (1989) unifying model of construct validity, this study attempted to fill the gap in researching content validation in the context of a university reading achievement test by (a) examining traditional content validity evidence and (b) analyzing the test scores to either back-up or rebut the evidence and explore the construct of the underlying test structure. On a sample of 477 third-year English-majored test takers at a Central Vietnamese University (CVU), the study was conducted in the pre-test stage where the test content was compared with the test specification and the post-test stage where the test scores were processed via Rasch and CFA competing model analyses. Results showed that while content relevance was satisfactory and the test construct was to a large extent not threatened by construct-irrelevant variance, content coverage of the test remained problematic with instances of construct underrepresentation. Moreover, the study supported the one-factor model of general reading ability as the underlying structure of the reading achievement test over the correlated three sub-skill and higher-order factor models. The study bears implications for both test writers in designing and test takers in performing the L2 reading test.
Teachers&apos; Conceptions of Language Assessment: Affective and Theoretical Knowledge Dimensions of Language Assessment Literacy Model
Author: Mohammadkhah, Ebrahim
Date: 2022-03-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Language Teachers,Teacher Attitudes,Language Tests,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Knowledge Level,Second Language Instruction,English (Second Language),Foreign Countries,Assessment Literacy,Factor Analysis,Construct Validity,Test Reliability

The contemporary era of learning-oriented assessment (LOA) demands teacher professional efforts to appropriately and accurately assess learners' attainment and use the assessment results for the enhancement of learning. In second/foreign language (L2) discipline, this has recently brought language assessment literacy (LAL) to the forefront, emphasizing what assessment competencies L2 teachers with special needs, such as English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, require to possess to be assessment literate. Given this, teachers' mastery of assessment practical and technical skills, as prescribed by the exiting LAL models, could not be entirely complete nor enhanced without their conceptions of assessment knowledge base and attitudes or beliefs about language assessment system. In light of this importance, the development of a LAL framework that helps better measure EFL teachers' affective and theoretical/conceptual dimensions of assessment is required. To illuminate these dimensions, the present study took insight from Xu and Brown's (2016) LAL model into the development and validation of a LAL scale which could have relevance to Iranian EFL contexts. To provide empirical support for the utility and validity of the scale, both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA with SPSS and AMOS) were performed on data obtained from a sample of 213 Iranian EFL teachers. The results showed satisfactory internal consistency and construct validity of the scale, suggesting that it has the potential to be used for assessing EFL teachers' LAL conceptions and levels. The paper concludes with the importance of teachers' conceptions of LAL dimensions, and finally presents implications of the findings.
Connecting Assessment with Teaching through Faculty Capacity Building: An Example of an Oral Communication Assessment Project
Author: Hill, Yao Zhang
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Capacity Building,Speech Communication,Program Implementation,Evaluation Methods,Teaching Methods,Faculty Development,College Faculty

Connecting assessment with teaching through faculty capacity building can be a design principle in any assessment project aimed at improving student learning. This design principle is supported by the evaluation capacity-building literature, backward design curriculum approach, research on learning, and inquiry-driven assessment-for-learning framework. This paper provides an example of how this design principle guided the implementation of an institutional oral communication assessment project at a large public research-intensive university throughout an assessment cycle, from developing learning outcomes to using assessment results. Steered by five operating principles (be transparent, provide teaching support, foster shared understanding, form collaborations and value faculty expertise, and offer technical support), our center and campus groups carried out major strategies such as building and restructuring a project website, providing pedagogy workshops and panels for faculty, compiling and publicizing teaching and assessment resources, organizing faculty study groups on assessment, and collaborating with and motivating stakeholders and faculty to use assessment results. We advocate that connecting assessment with teaching should be intentional in the design and implementation of an assessment project to maximize the meaning and usefulness of assessment, ideally, through capacity-building activities.
Grand Challenges Initiative: Producing Actionable and Accessible Results That Drive Innovation and Improvement
Author: Dear, Carley P.
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,Evaluation,Educational Strategies,Stakeholders,Visual Aids,Data Use,Educational Innovation,Educational Improvement

To produce actionable and accessible assessment findings that drive innovation and improvement, strategies should be implemented at the national and local level throughout each stage of the assessment process. Fostering these findings is the need to authentically engage stakeholders throughout the assessment process. Done well, the engagement of stakeholders' aids in the creation of relevant outcomes, and, importantly, sharing results using strong data visualization techniques with data storytelling elements. This paper is a summary of the strategies and tactics compiled to address the Grand Challenges in Assessment initiative. The authors listed in this project contributed many hours of discussion, literature review, professional scholarship, and shared personal experiences at their institutions. The product is a collaboration that cannot be attributed to one person or to rank the efforts of team member contributions. The first two listed authors cochaired the group, and the team members are listed as authors in alphabetical order.
Making Assessment Actionable through Assessor Training: A Tool for Building Trust through Moderation and Calibration
Author: Karnas-Haines, Colleen
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Higher Education,Outcomes of Education,Student Evaluation,College Faculty,Training,Evaluation Methods,Alignment (Education),Standards,Educational Change

In order to use assessment findings for learning improvement, it is essential to improve the validity of these data. When an assessment is distributed across numerous course sections with multiple faculty members acting as assessors, issues arise concerning validity and calibration. To address these concerns, we created a training program to better transmit student learning outcome definitions, provide practice activities aimed at calibration, and promote social moderation among our assessment community. This training, hosted on our university's learning management system, explicitly defines outcomes, establishes common indicators to inform the rating of student proficiency levels, and provides quizzes with sample student work to practice and refine assessment calibration. This training was developed by the assessment team, is given to an assessor shared across all sections, and is modified annually by faculty and program leadership.
Supporting University Faculty with Online Assessments during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities
Author: An, Heejung
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: COVID-19,Pandemics,Online Courses,College Faculty,Computer Assisted Testing,Distance Education,Evaluation Methods,Student Evaluation,Teacher Attitudes,Educational Technology,Barriers

The rapid shift to an online instructional mode necessitated by COVID-19 has been a formidable challenge for most institutions but particularly for those in which online learning was not widely implemented before the pandemic. Assessment has been an additional challenge, coupled with the accreditation requirements that higher educational institutions currently face. Remote instruction caused the Senate Assessment Council (SAC) at a mid-sized state university in New Jersey to envision assessment-related issues in the new online context to create an effective instructional system for online learning. In the spirit of continuous improvement, members of the SAC developed and disseminated a survey to the faculty to identify the kinds of assessment support they would need and to improve assessment for Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) in online instruction. This article shares the findings from the survey, along with suggestions for other institutions that might face similar challenges.
Alignment of School Discipline with Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports: The Case of One Disadvantaged Urban South African Primary School
Author: Gagnon, Joseph Calvin
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Positive Behavior Supports,Alignment (Education),Punishment,Discipline,School Policy,Elementary Schools,Behavior Problems,Student Behavior,Elementary School Students,Program Implementation,Crisis Management,Intervention,Prevention,Disadvantaged Schools,Evidence Based Practice,Teamwork,Progress Monitoring

Background: Positive behavioural interventions and supports (PBIS) is a framework that aligns with the South African Department of Education's Alternatives to Corporal Punishment. Aim: The aim of this study is to provide a snapshot of the extent to which policies and practices in a disadvantaged South African primary school align with PBIS. Setting: The study was conducted at a South African primary school with grades kindergarten to Grade 7 in an urban disadvantaged community. Methods: Twenty-eight teachers, administrators and non-educational school staff completed a survey that addressed: (1) common behaviour problems; (2) the extent to which the school implements five core features of PBIS and (3) the existence of a crisis prevention and intervention plan. Results: In this disadvantaged school, there is little evidence that (1) a cohesive, evidence-based school-wide behaviour plan exists that includes multi-tiered systems of support; (2) staff have the expertise to implement a positive and proactive behaviour plan or are provided adequate professional development; (3) staff follow the plan and are held accountable for following it and (4) a representative leadership team provides oversight and direction regarding the plan by using learner behaviour data. Conclusion: The results indicate that there is a lack of multi-tiered systems of behavioural support and a continued reliance on reactive and punitive approaches to learner behaviour. Moreover, staff do not adhere to the school-wide behaviour plan, are not held accountable for doing so, and need training in key areas of behaviour management.
Bullying Prevalence and Numeracy Performance among Primary School Children in Johannesburg: Implications for School-Based Interventions
Author: Pillay, Jace
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Bullying,Incidence,Numeracy,Elementary School Students,Grade 1,Grade 2,Grade 3,Grade 4,Grade 5,Grade 6,Grade 7,Socioeconomic Influences,Geographic Regions,Mathematics Achievement,At Risk Students

Background: Research has provided evidence about the negative impact of school bullying on the academic performance of primary school children, but studies on the prevalence of school bullying and numeracy performance of children are very scant. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of school bullying and numeracy performance among primary school children, and its implications for school-based interventions. Setting: The sample comprised 435 children (56.3% females and 43.7% males; Grades 1-7; median age = 11 years) attending six primary schools in three different education districts in Johannesburg, South Africa. Method: The children self-reported their experience of bullying by peers through a questionnaire. In addition, they completed numeracy tests. For children aged 6 to 9 years, the questionnaire was completed with the assistance of trained field workers. Results: The results following a linear regression with multiple predictors indicated that numeracy was significantly associated with contextual variables such as grade and home language. Bullying was strongly associated with socio-economic indicators such as school quintile and regional situation. These variables are important in early school support interventions directed at improving learner numeracy performance in the primary school. Conclusion: The results show a relatively high percentage of bullying in primary schools in the Johannesburg region. The performance in numeracy was significantly associated with the grade and home language of the learner. Contextual variables related to socio-economic situation of learners such as school quintiles and regional situation had strong associations with bullying.
Foundation Phase Teachers&apos; Views of the Involvement of Male Caregivers in Young Children&apos;s Education
Author: Mncanca, Mzoli
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary School Students,Teacher Attitudes,Elementary School Teachers,Males,Sex Role,Child Rearing,Parent Teacher Cooperation,Gender Differences,Gender Bias,Fathers,Parent School Relationship,Young Children

Background: Studies in South Africa show a high prevalence of male caregiver absence in the lives of children under the age of 9 years. In this respect, foundation phase teachers are well positioned to provide input and shed light on how schools can contribute towards improving male caregiver involvement in their children's early education. Aim: This study aimed to explore foundation phase teachers' views of the involvement of male caregivers in the education and development of young children. Setting: The paper reports on the qualitative phase of a mixed methods study conducted in three township schools near Johannesburg. Methods: Focus group interviews involving a sample of 17 foundation phase teachers were conducted in three schools. An iterative coding process within a generic qualitative data analysis approach was carried out to articulate overarching ideas and themes. Results: The results highlight how teachers' taken-for-granted gendered assumptions about the roles of females and males in the education and development of foundation phase children and about the children's care arrangements influence how they communicate with parents, unconsciously alienating male caregivers. Conclusion: Although teachers had not considered the role of male caregivers in the early years of children's education, they acknowledged that such an undertaking would be beneficial to the learners and the school. Therefore, the authors argue for training aimed at capacitating foundation phase teachers with the essential competencies necessary to galvanise and increase meaningful involvement of male caregivers in the education of learners in pre-service and in-service teacher professional development.
Teenage Motherhood and Child Outcomes: Evidence from South Africa
Author: Anakpo, Godfred
Date: 2021-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Early Parenthood,Adolescents,Well Being,Socioeconomic Status,Child Health,Body Composition,Body Weight,Body Height,Early Adolescents,Children,Mothers,Child Development,Grade Repetition,Individual Characteristics,Family Structure,Predictor Variables

Background: Child development and life outcomes are partly linked to prenatal and maternal conditions such as mother's age at birth. Thus, the issue of teenage motherhood has attracted significant concern from researchers and policymakers because of its potential implications for children. The existing literature on effects of teenage motherhood on children is typically limited to weight at childbirth. Other studies are mainly descriptive in nature and do not account for selection bias associated with teenage mothers and their deprived environment resulting in their children also being brought up in similar environment. Aim: This article examined the effects of teenage motherhood on child outcomes, specifically on children's education, economic well-being, reported health status and body mass index (BMI). Setting: Children (0-14 years) of teenage mothers (less than 20 years at first birth) in National Income Dynamics Survey (NIDS) data constitute the subjects under investigation in this study. Methods: Using NIDS data, the study applied pooled regression, random effects model and propensity score matching (PSM) technique to examine the effect of teenage motherhood on child outcomes. Results: The study confirms that the PSM method is more robust to selection bias than pooled regression and random effect techniques. The findings from this study reveal that teenage motherhood significantly increases child grade repetition and economic dependency. However, teenage motherhood association with child health and BMI is found to be insignificant. Conclusions: Teenage motherhood has far-reaching effects on children outcomes, thus proactive, reactive and post-active policies and programmes focusing on minimising the effect of teenage motherhood and enhancing children's welfare are recommended.
Elevating Natural Science Learning Achievement: Cooperative Learning and Learning Interest
Author: Suendarti, Mamik
Date: 2022-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Natural Sciences,Science Education,Science Achievement,Cooperative Learning,Junior High School Students,Cognitive Style,Foreign Countries,Science Interests,Test Results,Effect Size,Problem Solving

Natural science learning achievement is an essential factor in learning outcomes. This research investigated an experimental study that aimed to improve concept science test result in online learning through Jigsaw cooperative learning model and learning style. The research involved the sample of 80 students from junior high school in South Jakarta, Indonesia divided into two groups: the experimental class and the class control. Raw data were statistically analyzed using the two-way variance technique at the .05 significance level. The findings revealed an effect between cooperative learning on natural science learning achievement, learning interest in natural science learning achievement, and interaction between cooperative learning and learning interest in natural science learning achievement. As a result, cooperative learning type Jigsaw shows a significant impact and had a good test result on natural science learning achievement. Therefore, the research suggests that Jigsaw cooperative learning is well suited to use as a learning model among junior high school students based on effect size test results.
The Relationship between Wellbeing and Job Satisfaction of Instructors in English Programs
Author: Adeka, Gizem
Date: 2022-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Well Being,Job Satisfaction,English Teachers,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,College Faculty,Foreign Countries,Teacher Characteristics,Correlation,Educational Attainment,Barriers,Teaching Conditions

This study investigated the relationship between the wellbeing and job satisfaction of English instructors working at language preparatory programs offered by Turkish universities. The study also attempted to explore if any difference between these two variables existed in relation to the teachers' characteristics, i.e. years of experience, the proficiency level taught and educational degree. Finally, the reflections of the participants about the influential factors on their wellbeing and job satisfaction were further explored in this study. The quantitative data were obtained from 168 participants though teacher wellbeing survey and teacher job satisfaction survey, whereas the qualitative data came from semi-structured interviews carried out with 10 volunteers. The results revealed that there was a statistically significant, positive and moderate relationship between the participants' job satisfaction and their wellbeing. Besides, no difference was found between the participants' wellbeing and their teacher characteristics. Similarly, there was no difference between teachers' predefined characteristics and their job satisfaction. As for the results of the qualitative data, personal, organizational, student-related and pandemic-related factors were found to be influential on the wellbeing and job satisfaction of the participants. The obtained findings provide pedagogical implications and suggestions for further research in language education and teacher development.
Use of Drones as Pedagogical Technology in STEM Disciplines
Author: Yepes, Igor
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: STEM Education,Aviation Technology,Robotics,Teaching Methods,Foreign Countries,Technology Uses in Education,Workshops,High School Students,High School Teachers,Computer Science Education,Programming,Program Effectiveness

With the growing search for qualified professionals in the exact area, teaching in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) areas is gaining importance. In parallel, it appears that drones are an increasingly present reality in the civil area; however, there are few scientific studies of their application in the pedagogical environment, and their insertion is still practically nil in the school environment. Thus, this work aims to analyze the feasibility of using a set of technologies based on drones, designed based on the theory of significant learning through the use of active methodologies. The study was carried out with 30 high school students and followed a line of quali-quantitative analysis, in which the quantitative data were collected from the results obtained in a pre and post-test and the qualitative ones through recordings during the interventions, observations of the researcher, and a semi-structured press interview. Finally, a triangulation between the methodologies was carried out, looking for congruent aspects between the different techniques used. As a result, it was found that the workshops with the platform based on drones helped in the understanding, construction, and interpretation of the content covered, and it can be concluded that there is a significant relationship between the use of the technological set proposed in the pedagogical process and the possibility of significant learning in the STEM areas by the students.