ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Test Length and Sample Size on Item Parameters in Item Response Theory
Author: Sahin, Alper
Date: 2017-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Length,Sample Size,Item Response Theory,Test Construction,Language Tests,Accuracy,Models,Test Items,Correlation,College Freshmen,Factor Analysis

This study investigates the effects of sample size and test length on item-parameter estimation in test development utilizing three unidimensional dichotomous models of item response theory (IRT). For this purpose, a real language test comprised of 50 items was administered to 6,288 students. Data from this test was used to obtain data sets of three test lengths (10, 20, and 30 items) and nine different sample sizes (150, 250, 350, 500, 750, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 and 5,000 examinees). These data sets were then used to create various research conditions in which test length, sample size, and IRT model variables were manipulated to investigate item parameter estimation accuracy under different conditions. The results suggest that rather than sample size or test length, the combination of these two variables is important and samples of 150, 250, 350, 500, and 750 examinees can be used to estimate item parameters accurately in three unidimensional dichotomous IRT models, depending on test length and model employed.
The Effect of Portfolio Assessments on Metacognitive Skills and on Attitudes toward a Course
Author: Gencel, Ilke Evin
Date: 2017-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Portfolio Assessment,Metacognition,Preservice Teachers,Student Teacher Attitudes,Mixed Methods Research,Pretests Posttests,Control Groups,Experimental Groups,Comparative Analysis,Foreign Countries,Evaluation Methods,Education Courses,Semi Structured Interviews,Multivariate Analysis,Content Analysis

The aim of this study is to determine through teacher candidates' thoughts the effects of a portfolio assessment implementation on their metacognitive skills and attitudes towards a course on measurement and evaluation. Exploratory sequential mixed-methods design is employed within the study. The pretest/posttest control group design was used in the qualitative phase of the study and a semi-structured interview form in the quantitative phase. The study was conducted with the participation of 42 teacher candidates. Data has been gathered using the metacognitive skills scale, an attitude scale on the measurement and evaluation course, and a semi-structured interview form. While analyzing quantitative data, assumptions were detected using the SPSS 17.0 program (multi-normality, extreme values, emission, covariance matrices' homogeneity, linearity, absence of multi-link issues); descriptive statistics and MANCOVA analysis were also been made. The NVivo 8 program was used in the analyzing the quantitative data gathered from the semi-structured interview form. Portfolio assessments were determined to have positive effects on attendants' metacognitive skills and attitudes towards the course, and the implementation positively affected their attitudes.
School Buildings for the 21st Century -- Some Features of New School Buildings in Iceland
Author: Sigurðardóttir, Anna Kristín
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,School Buildings,Change,Building Design,Architecture,Ideology,School Policy,Technology,Municipalities,Educational Practices,Teacher Surveys,Classroom Environment,Teacher Collaboration,Teaching Methods,Observation,Content Analysis,Photography,School Space,Elementary Schools,Secondary Schools

The aim of this study is to identify features of change in the recent design of school buildings in Iceland, and how they might affect teaching practices. Environmental and architectonic features characterising school buildings designed and built at the beginning of the 21st century are examined in light of challenges involving architecture, educational ideology, school policy and digital technology. The sample for the study consists of 20 schools located in four municipalities. Four of the school buildings were developed and built in this century, while the other 16 were designed in the 20th century. The design of all of the buildings was explored and reviewed by a multidisciplinary team. Data was collected by observations and photography at each school site, as well as by reviewing technical documents. The relationship between school design and school practices was studied through a questionnaire survey among all teachers, in order to find out whether teachers working in new environments differ from teachers in more traditional classroom settings. The results indicate a clear shift in the design of educational buildings. Flexibility, flow, openness and teamwork seem to guide recent school design. Clusters of classrooms or open spaces, transparent or movable boundaries, as well as shared spaces allowing for manifold interactions in flexible groups seem to be replacing traditional classrooms along confining corridors. Teachers working in open classroom environments collaborate more often than their counterparts. Teaching practices are also characterised by more opportunities for pupils to choose between tasks and enjoy more variation regarding group division and workspace arrangements.
Off to School: A Comparative Study of Schools in the U. S.
Author: Theodoropoulos, Eftyhia
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Comparative Analysis,Private Schools,Day Schools,Vocational High Schools,Socioeconomic Background,Qualitative Research,School Buildings,Physical Environment,Differences,Student Experience,Educational Environment,Personal Autonomy,Self Concept,Educational Experience,Elementary Secondary Education

This study compares the physical structure of two schools of differing socioeconomic backgrounds: one is a private day school servicing the children of some of the most affluent families in one of the biggest urban cities in the southwest; the other is a technical or vocational high school with the majority of the students living in &quot;economically disadvantaged&quot; homes. The research has been carried out with traditional qualitative methods, as well as with the aid of photography. The juxtaposition of photographs of the built environment of the two schools creates a concrete visual manifestation of the differences in the daily experience of the students who attend the schools. The visible differences lead to the emergence of research questions such as whether the experiences are different for the students in the two locations and, if so, in what way, as well as the question as to why both of the locations are termed &quot;schools&quot; when they are evidently so vastly different. The photographs give the viewer the impression that the educational experiences of the students attending the vocational school are detrimental to their development of autonomy and a sense of identity and self, while the private day school provides an environment much more conducive to the fostering and development of both autonomy and a sense of identity and self. The research is important because it indicates how the educational experience of the students might have implications for future mobility within the existing hierarchical social structure, thus making an important contribution to social pedagogy.
Hypothetical Art and Art Education: The Educational Role of the Method of Hypothetical Artwork Modelling
Author: Selan, Jurij
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Art Education,Art Products,Vignettes,Models,Color,Persuasive Discourse,Painting (Visual Arts)

A hypothetical artwork is an artwork that exists only as a fictional creation of an art theorist. The explicatory powers of such hypothetical artworks are mainly used by an art theorist to reflect on an art theoretical issue under consideration. Such an artwork has an intriguing and paradoxical nature. On the one hand, it is only fictitious, but, on the other hand, it tries to function as a real token, persuading the reader to trust it &quot;as if it were a real artwork&quot;. Even though this kind of argumentation can be deceiving, as it presents a statement of real art on the basis of fiction, it has some important explicatory abilities that can be put to good use in the art educational process. In this case, the construction of the hypothetical artwork is handled as the construction of a theoretical model. The author calls such theoretical construction the &quot;method of hypothetical artwork modelling&quot;, and its result the &quot;hypothetical artwork model&quot;. Such a hypothetical artwork model can be usefully employed when one wishes to encourage the student to become fictionally involved in the process of creation of an artwork, thus giving him or her more personal experience of problems that accompany the process of creating a real artwork. When such hypothetical experience is gained, the student can more efficiently learn about the considered art issue. In the paper, the author demonstrates how the explicatory powers of the method of hypothetical artwork modelling can be put into educational practice regarding an issue taken from colour theory (i.e., the primary colours fallacy).
The Field Trip as Part of Spatial (Architectural) Design Art Classes
Author: Batic, Janja
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Field Trips,Architectural Education,Art Education,Building Design,Elementary Education,Spatial Ability,Teaching Methods

Spatial (architectural) design is one of five fields introduced to pupils as part of art education. In planning architectural design tasks, one should take into consideration the particularities of the architectural design process and enable pupils to experience space and relationships within space through their own movement. Furthermore, pupils should have an opportunity to play the roles of (critical) users as well as co-creators or spatial planners. In this respect, the field trip plays a vital role, as it allows pupils to experience (architectural) space through their own movement, their senses and in a real environment. The architectural experience that the pupils gain differs from their everyday experience of moving through space, as the former is based on education and training, and thus helps pupils develop architecture appreciation.
Education as a Factor of Intercultural Communication
Author: Gojkov, Grozdanka
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Intercultural Communication,Constructivism (Learning),Instruction,Foreign Countries,Gifted,Cultural Differences,Competence

The paper considers alternative constructivism as a possibility of theoretical starting point regarding education as a factor of intercultural communication. The introductory part of the paper deals with Kelly's personal construct theory permeating the arguments in favour of the theoretical research thesis referring to the issue of the extent the pluralism of European culture space interferes with national culture through education. Furthermore, the paper considers the way pedagogy has been searching for more comprehensive self-observation, self-reflection and self-determination on its way to self-change in order to ensure freedom of personal action according to contemporary philosophical discussions. The importance of education as a factor of intercultural communication has been supported by the outcomes of an explorative empirical research, which is an element bonding all the reflections in the text. Finally, the key competences for intercultural communication have been stated in the paper.
Determination of Type I Error Rates and Power of Answer Copying Indices under Various Conditions
Author: Yormaz, Seha
Date: 2017-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Statistical Analysis,Cheating,Multiple Choice Tests,Sample Size,Test Length,Duplication

This study aims to determine the Type I error rates and power of S[subscript 1] , S[subscript 2] indices and kappa statistic at detecting copying on multiple-choice tests under various conditions. It also aims to determine how copying groups are created in order to calculate how kappa statistics affect Type I error rates and power. In this study, option-matrices were obtained by using five choices of multiple choice test data generation. R-3.0 software was used for data generation and analysis. The effects of sample size, test length, and source ability level on Type I error rates and also amount of copying on power according to nominal a-levels were investigated. The findings indicated that Type I error rates for S[subscript 1] and S[subscript 2] indices were lower in all conditions, while the same error rates were relatively higher for copy detection using kappa statistics. Kappa statistics were seen to be more powerful than S[subscript 1] and S[subscript 2] indices under all conditions. As sample size, test length, and amount of copying increased, the S[subscript 2] index was also revealed to be more sensitive than the S[subscript 1] index. Type I error rates and power results of the kappa statistics were similar to each other.
Determining Studies Conducted upon Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using High-Tech Devices
Author: Eliçin, Özge
Date: 2017-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Literature Reviews,Autism,Pervasive Developmental Disorders,Children,Computers,Handheld Devices,Computer Software,Telecommunications,Teaching Methods,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,Instructional Effectiveness,Communication Skills,Social Development,Skill Development

This study explores 67 experimental research articles written about children with Autism Spectrum Disorder using high-tech devices. The studies in this research were accessed through EBSCO, Academic Search Complete, ERIC, and Uludag University online search engines using keywords such as &quot;autism and technology&quot;, &quot;autism and computer&quot;, &quot;autism and tablet&quot;, and &quot;autism and portable devices&quot;. The studies have been categorized based on their scope: studies conducted using computers and studies conducted using smart portable devices. The software programs used in these studies are described in a separate table. Research findings indicate that studies conducted on children with ASD using high-tech devices found them to be effective for teaching academic skills, communication skills, and social-emotional skills.
Testing Measurement Invariance of the Students' Affective Characteristics Model across Gender Sub-Groups
Author: Demir, Ergül
Date: 2017-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Measurement,Student Characteristics,Comparative Analysis,Mathematics Achievement,Achievement Tests,International Assessment,Secondary School Students,Models,Gender Differences,Regression (Statistics),Factor Analysis,Questionnaires,Statistical Analysis

In this study, the aim was to construct a significant structural measurement model comparing students' affective characteristics with their mathematic achievement. According to this model, the aim was to test the measurement invariances between gender sub-groups hierarchically. This study was conducted as basic and descriptive research. Secondary level analyses were conducted on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 Turkish student questionnaire data. The sample consisted of 4,848 fifteen-year-old students from 170 schools and 12 statistical territories. For analysis techniques, regression analysis, exploratory, and confirmatory factor analyses were executed in order to construct a significant initial measurement model. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was executed to analyse the invariance between gender sub-groups. According to the results, taking into consideration the limitations of the model which was constructed in this study, it was observed that strong invariance between gender sub-groups was provided. This finding indicates that there are similarities of affective characteristics for fifteen-year-old Turkish students across gender sub-groups. The results can be evaluated as evidence that the possibility of bias or prejudice in students' affective characteristics toward mathematics is not high.
School Belonging of Adolescents: The Role of Teacher-Student Relationships, Peer Relationships and Family Involvement
Author: Uslu, Fatma
Date: 2017-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Role,Teacher Student Relationship,Family Involvement,Peer Relationship,Prediction,Student School Relationship,Gender Differences,Elementary School Students,Regression (Statistics),Foreign Countries,Measures (Individuals),Student Attitudes,Correlation,Factor Analysis

This study examines the extent to which teacher-student relationships, peer relationships, and family involvement can be used to predict a sense of school belonging among adolescents, according to gender. The sample of the study consists of 815 students enrolled in nine state primary schools in the central districts of Mersin, Turkey. The data was gathered with &quot;Sense of School Belonging,&quot; &quot;Teacher-Student Relationships,&quot; &quot;Peer Relationships,&quot; and &quot;Family Involvement&quot; sub-scales, after adapting these into Turkish, and then analyzed through a stepwise regression analysis statistical method. The results of the analyses for the total sample revealed that teacher-student relationships, peer relationships, family involvement at home, and family involvement at school are the respective significant predictors of a sense of school belonging among adolescents. The results also indicated that both teacher-student relationships and the peer relationships play a significant role in the ability to predict a sense of school belonging for both genders. However, it was also found that family involvement at school has a significant predictive role in a sense of school belonging among boys, whereas family involvement at home has a significant predictive role in a sense of school belonging among girls.
Pre-Service Physics Teachers' Argumentation in a Model Rocketry Physics Experience
Author: Gürel, Cem
Date: 2017-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Preservice Teachers,Persuasive Discourse,Space Sciences,Aerospace Education,Physics,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Knowledge Level,Models,Inquiry,College Students,Data Collection,Video Technology,Credibility,Transcripts (Written Records),Content Analysis,Science Laboratories,Case Studies,Science Process Skills

This study investigates the quality of argumentation developed by a group of pre-service physics teachers' (PSPT) as an indicator of subject matter knowledge on model rocketry physics. The structure of arguments and scientific credibility model was used as a design framework in the study. The inquiry of model rocketry physics was employed in accordance with the model by two groups of participants through model rocketry design and development experience, as well argumentation sessions. The participants were 21 PSPTs from a public university in Turkey. Data were collected through video recordings of the argumentation sequences, which were then transcribed and analyzed using the structure of arguments and scientific credibility model. One of the major results was that PSPTs had a low quality of argumentation. Moreover, this study suggests that designing inquiry-oriented laboratory environments enriched with critical discussion would provide discourse opportunities that support argumentation. Also, PSPTs can be encouraged to support and promote argumentation in their future physics classrooms if they engage in argumentation-based inquiry-oriented laboratories.
Fourth-Grade Primary School Students' Thought Processes and Challenges Encountered during the Butter Beans Problem
Author: Sahin, Neslihan
Date: 2017-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary School Students,Grade 4,Cognitive Processes,Mathematical Models,Elementary School Mathematics,Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research,Focus Groups,Mathematical Applications

In parallel with mathematical modeling studies that have gradually drawn interest in recent years, the aim of this study is to investigate the thought processes of fourth-grade students in the Butter Beans Problem and to identify possible challenges in this process. For this purpose, a qualitative study was conducted at a university-foundation primary school in the city center of a large province in Turkey during the 2013-2014 academic year. After applying a four-week preliminary study to a fourth-grade classroom, three students included in the focus group were selected using the criterion sampling technique. A focus group of three students was videotaped as they worked on the Butter Beans Problem. The conversations of the group were transcribed, examined along with the students' written work, and then analyzed through the lens of Blum and Ferri's modeling-process cycle. The results showed that primary fourth-grade students can successfully work with model-eliciting problems; however, they did encounter some difficulties during the modeling process.
Analysis of Sixth Grade Students' Think-Aloud Processes While Solving a Non-Routine Mathematical Problem
Author: Özcan, Zeynep Çigdem
Date: 2017-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Problem Solving,Protocol Analysis,Cognitive Processes,Grade 6,Qualitative Research,Foreign Countries,Middle School Students,Mathematics Education,Computation

Problem solving is highlighted in many mathematics curricula and has recently become one of the most investigated topics in the field of mathematics education. Extensive studies report that developing students' problem solving skills enhances their understanding of mathematics. Therefore, there is a focus on investigating problem solving processes of students. These processes are analyzed using various measurement techniques where data are collected in written or verbal forms. One of the techniques using verbal data is the &quot;think-aloud method.&quot; This study investigates sixth grade students' think-aloud processes while solving a mathematical problem verbally. The study group consists of 24 sixth grade students selected according to the results of a problem solving test developed by the researchers. The think-aloud process of each student was videotaped and transcribed. Collected data were coded and categorized. Frequencies of categories were determined and compared according to students' performance at solving mathematical problems. Results indicate that students have difficulty in expressing their thoughts during problem solving. Most students attempted operations with the numbers given, spending almost no time on understanding the problem. Some of the students who did the necessary computations correctly could not reach the solution because they could not interpret the result of the operation.
Exploring the Impact of and Perceptions about Interactive, Self-Explaining Environments in Molecular-Level Animations
Author: Falvo, David A.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Animation,Interaction,Molecular Structure,Majors (Students),Nonmajors,Mixed Methods Research,Spatial Ability,Retention (Psychology),Transfer of Training,College Freshmen,Pretests Posttests,Multivariate Analysis

This mixed-method study investigates the effects of interactivity in animations of a molecular-level process and explores perceptions about the animated learning tool used. Treatments were based on principles of cognitive psychology designed to study the main effects of treatment and spatial ability and their interaction. Results with students (n = 189) showed that science majors scored higher than non-science majors in retention measures (i.e., structure and function) but not in transfer. Significant main effects were found for treatment in function questions and spatial ability in structure questions. There was a significant interaction between treatment and spatial ability in structure questions. Additionally, in this study participants believed the key and the motion of ions and molecules were the most helpful parts of the animation. This study shows that students perceive the animations as being supportive of their learning, suggesting that animations do have a role in science classrooms.