ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Teamwork in Relation to Quality of E-Learning: Business Education Context
Author: Magzan, Masa
Date: 2010-09-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Student Attitudes,Quality Control,Foreign Countries,Business Education,Teamwork,Educational Quality,Program Descriptions,Correlation,Participant Satisfaction,Team Training,Technology Uses in Education,Influence of Technology,Teaching Methods,Teaching Models,Quality Assurance,Educational Practices,Instructional Innovation

This paper describes several models of teamwork used in business curricula at Zagreb School of Economics and Management (ZSEM) in Croatia. Since its foundation in 2002, ZSEM has been implementing best academic practices for quality assurance. This is done both in terms of integrating ICT in teaching and learning, as well as applying contemporary methods of teaching such as group projects and teamwork. The result is so-called hybrid model of education which combines classroom teaching with intensive e-learning. The focus of research is on the relationship between different models of teamwork and the overall quality of education in the academic year 2009/2010. Special emphasis is given to the correlation between teamwork and students' satisfaction. Besides developing the team skills, the role of teamwork in business education is seen as facilitator for the challenges posed by innovation and communication in the global economy. The study examines whether application of teamwork consequently raises the quality of e-learning. (Contains 5 figures.)
The Role of Discussion Boards in Facilitating Communities of Inquiry: A Case of ICT and Sociology Courses at Zagreb School of Economics and Management
Author: Aleksic-Maslac, Karmela
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Communities of Practice,Inquiry,Distance Education,Sociology,Electronic Learning,College Instruction,Discussion,Asynchronous Communication,Computer Uses in Education,Internet,Courses,Comparative Analysis,College Students,Interaction,Discourse Analysis,Constructivism (Learning),Computer Mediated Communication,Educational Technology,Social Experience,Learning Experience,Cooperative Learning,Content Analysis,Statistical Analysis

The study focuses on the use of technology to design an electronic learning community for students. The importance of social experience in education and social participation through communication is examined through discussion boards of two different freshmen courses offered at Zagreb School of Economics and Management (ZSEM). Effectiveness and communication dynamics of discussion boards is analyzed through comparison of students' participation rates according to the topic, discussion type and quality of discussion. The focus is not on individual student learning and achievement outcomes, but on student digital interaction from a pedagogical perspective. Based on social constructivist principle and the assumption that knowledge creation is a shared, rather than individual experience, the study examines how and why online discussion represents a valuable tool for enhancing online collaborative learning experience. (Contains 5 figures and 5 tables.) [This paper was published in: &quot;The Proceedings of the 5th WSEAS/IASME International Conference on Educational Technologies (EDUTE' 09),&quot; p104-109. ISBN: 978-960-474-092-5. ISSN: 1790-5109.]
Is the Earth Flat or Round? Primary School Children's Understandings of the Planet Earth: The Case of Turkish Children
Author: Ozsoy, Sibel
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary School Students,Urban Schools,Grade 1,Childrens Literature,Childrens Art,Cartoons,Semi Structured Interviews,Concept Formation,Misconceptions,Freehand Drawing,Qualitative Research,Astronomy,Elementary School Science

The purpose of this study is to explore primary school children's understandings about the shape of the Earth. The sample is consisted of 124 first-graders from five primary schools located in an urban city of Turkey. The data of the study were collected through children's drawings and semi-structured interviews. Results obtained from the drawings showed that only one third of the participants have drawn scientifically acceptable images of the earth. However, the subsequent semi-structured interviews revealed that more children have scientific knowledge about the shape of the Earth. The results also revealed that cartoons, story books and daily life experiences are the reasons for children's misconceptions. (Contains 3 figures.)
What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review: &quot;Academic Music: Music Instruction to Engage Third-Grade Students in Learning Basic Fraction Concepts&quot;
Author: What Works Clearinghouse (ED)
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Music Education,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics,Mathematical Concepts,Grade 3,Elementary School Students,Intervention,Instructional Effectiveness,Educational Research

The study examined the effectiveness of an intervention designed to teach mathematical concepts through music. Specifically, it investigated the effect of the intervention on third-grade students' understanding of fractions. Sixty-seven students from one northern California elementary school participated in the study over a period of six weeks; of those, about half received both music instruction and mathematics instruction, while the other half received regular mathematics instruction. The study reported that students in the music intervention had greater understanding of fraction computation, but not fraction concepts, than students who did not receive the music intervention. The results reported in the paper are based on an analysis that &quot;does not meet WWC (What Works Clearinghouse) evidence standards&quot; because a required statistical adjustment for initial differences between the students who received the music intervention and those who did not was not included. The authors described an additional analysis which may have included the statistical adjustment, but the results of that analysis were not presented in the paper. A more thorough review (forthcoming) will examine whether this analysis may &quot;meet WWC evidence standards with reservations.&quot; [The following study is reviewed in this What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review: Courey, S. J., Balough, E., Siker, J. R., &amp; Paik, J. (2012). &quot;Academic music: Music instruction to engage third-grade students in learning basic fraction concepts.&quot; &quot;Educational Studies in Mathematics,&quot; 1-28. doi:10.1007/s10649-012-9395-9.]
Using an Experimental Evaluation of Charter Schools to Test Whether Nonexperimental Comparison Group Methods Can Replicate Experimental Impact Estimates. NCEE 2012-4019
Author: Fortson, Kenneth
Date: 2012-04-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Charter Schools,Middle School Students,Educational Research,Research Design,Experimental Groups,Control Groups,Comparative Analysis,Validity,Regression (Statistics),Data Analysis,Computation,Replication (Evaluation)

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are widely considered to be the gold standard in evaluating the impacts of a social program. When an RCT is infeasible, researchers often estimate program impacts by comparing outcomes of program participants with those of a nonexperimental comparison group, adjusting for observable differences between the two groups. Nonexperimental comparison group methods could produce unbiased estimates if the underlying assumptions hold, but those assumptions are usually not testable in practice. Prior studies generally find that nonexperimental designs fail to produce unbiased estimates. However, these studies have been criticized for using only limited pre-intervention data, measuring outcomes and covariates inconsistently for different research groups, or drawing comparison groups from dissimilar populations. The present study was designed to address these challenges. We test the validity of four different comparison group approaches--OLS regression modeling, exact matching, propensity score matching, and fixed effects modeling--comparing nonexperimental impact estimates from these methods with an experimental benchmark. The analysis uses data from an experimental evaluation of charter schools and comparison data for other students in the same school districts in the baseline period. We find that the use of pre-intervention baseline data that are strongly predictive of the key outcome measures considerably reduces but might not completely eliminate bias. Regression-based nonexperimental impact estimates are significantly different from experimental impact estimates, though the magnitude of the difference is modest. In this study, matching estimators perform slightly better than do estimators that rely on parametric assumptions and generate impact estimates that are not significantly different from the experimental estimates. However, the matching and regression-based estimates are not greatly different from one another. These findings are robust to restrictions on the comparison group used, the modeling specifications employed, and the data assumed to be available. Appended are: (1) Sample Weights; and (2) Supplemental Tables. (Contains 20 tables, 1 figure and 35 footnotes.)
Construct Validity and Measurement Invariance of Computerized Adaptive Testing:   Application to Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis
Author: Wang, Shudong
Date: 2012-04-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Construct Validity,Factor Structure,Adaptive Testing,Computer Assisted Testing,Factor Analysis,Measurement,Reading Tests,Mathematics Tests

The purposes of this study are twofold. First, to investigate the construct or factorial structure of a set of Reading and Mathematics computerized adaptive tests (CAT), &quot;Measures of Academic Progress&quot; (MAP), given in different states at different grades and academic terms. The second purpose is to investigate the invariance of test factorial structure across different grades, academic terms and states. Because of the uniqueness of CAT data (different student receive different items), traditional factor analysis based on fixed form data is no longer practically possible at the item level. This study illustrates how to overcome the difficulty of applying factor analysis in CAT data and study results provide evidences for valid interpretation MAP tests scores across grades at different academic terms for different states. The CFA [confirmatory factor analysis] Measurement Model and the CFA Measurement Model in the Multiple Group are described in an appendix. (Contains 3 figures and 9 tables.)
Acquisition of Alphabet Knowledge in Kindergarten: Impact of Multiple Means of Representation
Author: Evans, La'Tondra
Date: 2011-12-15
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Action Research,Alphabets,Observation,Orthographic Symbols,Goal Orientation,Teaching Methods,Statistical Significance,Word Recognition,Kindergarten,Emergent Literacy,Beginning Reading,Learning Activities,Cognitive Style,Parents,Instructional Effectiveness,Gender Differences,Racial Differences,Socioeconomic Status,Public Schools,Preschool Education

Learning the alphabet is essential to learning how to read. This study focuses on teaching Kindergarten students the alphabet using multiple means of representation. The 24 Kindergarten students in this study have been exposed to activities that reflect their learning styles, interaction among various group settings, and they have been allowed to self-monitor, using goal setting strategies. The data collected for the study, demonstrated that letter identification did not show a statistical significance, however, a statistical significance was shown in the components of sounds and word recognition. The treatment that the teacher researcher implemented within the classroom was beneficial and did impact the students' learning. Implications for practice are discussed. Six appendixes present: (1) Learning Style Inventory Survey; (2) Marie Clay Observation Survey; (3) Goal Setting Contract; (4)   Student Goal Sheet; (5) Weekly Parent Informational Goal Sheet; and (6) Classroom Observation Rubric. (Contains 8 figures and 1 table.) [This classroom action research project was supported by the Gheens Institute for Innovation and Spalding University.]
Examining the Technical Adequacy of Second-Grade Reading Comprehension Measures in a Progress Monitoring Assessment System. Technical Report # 08-08
Author: Alonzo, Julie
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Reading Comprehension,Reading Tests,Grade 2,Elementary School Students,Formative Evaluation,Student Evaluation,Test Construction,Pilot Projects,Multiple Choice Tests,Statistical Analysis,Test Items,Difficulty Level,Error of Measurement,Goodness of Fit

This technical report describes the development of reading comprehension assessments designed for use as progress monitoring measures appropriate for 2nd Grade students. The creation, piloting, and technical adequacy of the measures are presented. The following are appended: (1) Item Specifications for MC [Multiple Choice] Comprehension - Passage Criteria; and (2) Suggested Guidelines for Ordering Items for Test Pull and Test Form Development. (Contains 49 tables.)
Examining the Technical Adequacy of Fifth-Grade Reading Comprehension Measures in a Progress Monitoring Assessment System. Technical Report # 08-07
Author: Alonzo, Julie
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Reading Comprehension,Reading Tests,Grade 5,Multiple Choice Tests,Formative Evaluation,Student Evaluation,Public Schools,Pilot Projects,Item Response Theory,Statistical Analysis,Test Items,Difficulty Level,Error of Measurement,Goodness of Fit

This technical report describes the development and piloting of reading comprehension measures developed for use by fifth-grade students as part of an online progress monitoring assessment system, http://easycbm.com. Each comprehension measure is comprised of an original work of narrative fiction approximately 1500 words in length followed by 20 selected response questions that sample literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension. All measures were piloted with fifth-grade students attending public schools in the Pacific Northwest, and results were analyzed using Item Response Theory (IRT). Complete results of the pilot testing are presented and discussed. Appended are: (1) Item Specifications for MC Comprehension; (2) Suggested Guidelines for Ordering Items for Test Pull and Test Form Development; and (3) Item Ordering Tables for Fifth Grade, Story 1 and 2. (Contains 42 tables.)
Instrument Development Procedures for Silent Reading Measures. Technical Report Number 08-03
Author: Liu, Kimy
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Silent Reading,Reading Fluency,Reading Tests,Test Validity,Public Schools,Grade 3,Grade 4,Grade 5,Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8,Pilot Projects,Test Items,Item Response Theory,Difficulty Level,Elementary School Students,Middle School Students

The purpose of this study was to develop and gather validity evidence for silent reading fluency passages. A number of passages were written following a traditional story grammar structure (character, setting, events) and placed on a computer for students to read silently. We describe in detail, the manner in which content-related evidence was established and then present a number of statistical analyses conducted to evaluate the technical adequacy of these measures. The outcomes support the test development process and reflect a series of measures that have potential for use in measuring elementary and middle school students' silent reading fluency. Appended are: (1) Internal Review Rating Form; (2) Directions for Administration; (3) Comparison of Word Counts: Hand-Counted versus Algorithm-Counted; (4) Mean, Minimum and Maximum Words per Minute for Each Test Item; and (5) Estimated Item Difficulty Obtained from Rasch Item Response Model. (Contains 13 tables and 1 footnote.)
Instrument Development Procedures for Mathematics Measures. Technical Report Number 08-02
Author: Jung, Eunju
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Item Analysis,Test Construction,Test Theory,Mathematics Tests,Student Evaluation,Test Items,Statistical Analysis,Test Validity,Elementary School Mathematics,Middle Schools,Secondary School Mathematics,Difficulty Level,Computation,Scores

The purpose of this study was to develop general outcome measures (GOM) in mathematics so that teachers could focus their instruction on needed prerequisite skills. We describe in detail, the manner in which content-related evidence was established and then present a number of statistical analyses conducted to evaluate the technical adequacy of these measures. The outcomes support the test development process and reflect a series of measures that have potential for use in elementary and middle school mathematics programs. Appended are: (1) Directions for Administration; (2) Estimates of item difficulty under Classical Test Theory (CTT) model; (3) Estimates of Item Difficulty Under Rasch Model; (4) The Scores Files for Grades 3-8 Mathematics Measures under the 2PL model; (5) The Parameter files of Grades 3-8 measures under the 2PL model; and (6) Item analysis of problematic items. (Contains 33 tables.)
Instrument Development Procedures for Maze Measures. Technical Report # 08-06
Author: Liu, Kimy
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Test Construction,Cloze Procedure,Multiple Choice Tests,Reading Tests,Reading Comprehension,Pilot Projects,Test Items,Difficulty Level,Computation,Public Schools,Grade 3,Grade 4,Grade 5,Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8,Test Theory,Item Response Theory

The purpose of this study was to document the instrument development of maze measures for grades 3-8. Each maze passage contained twelve omitted words that students filled in by  choosing the best-fit word from among the provided options. In this technical report, we describe the process of creating, reviewing, and pilot testing the maze measures. We use three analytic approaches for estimating item difficulty of the test items sampled. The findings of content review and data analysis provide evidence supporting this instrument development process. We conclude that these maze measures are a viable reading comprehension assessment for students in grades 3-8, based on the convergence of evidence. Appended are: (1) GOMs Maze Measure Internal Review; and (2) Directions for Administration. (Contains 53 tables.)
The Development of Fifth-Grade Passage Reading Fluency Measures for Use in a Progress Monitoring Assessment System. Technical Report # 43
Author: Alonzo, Julie
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Reading Fluency,Reading Tests,Grade 5,Test Construction,Formative Evaluation,Student Evaluation,Difficulty Level,Test Items,Pilot Projects

This technical report describes the development of fifth grade progress monitoring measures in the area of Passage Reading Fluency. This measure was designed to target the fluency component of a developmental model of reading. Twenty alternate forms were written by graduate students and reviewed by the lead author. The passages were piloted and mean scores were compared as a measure of difficulty. In response to these data, the passages were brought into closer alignment by identifying nine passages that showed similar difficulty level and adjusting the remaining passages to match this level. Data on the difficult of each passage and a summary of revisions are presented. Appended are: (1) Test Specifications for Creating Passage Reading Fluency Measures; (2) Example Fifth Grade Passage Reading Fluency Test: Student Copy; and (3) Example Fifth-Grade Passage Reading Fluency Test: Assessor Copy. (Contains 4 tables.)
The Development of Middle School Passage Reading Fluency Measures for Use in a Progress Monitoring Assessment System. Technical Report # 46
Author: Alonzo, Julie
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Middle School Students,Reading Tests,Reading Fluency,Reading Comprehension,Formative Evaluation,Student Evaluation,Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8,Test Items,Difficulty Level,Test Construction

This technical report describes the development of progress monitoring measures in the area of Reading Comprehension. Measures were developed for grades 6 through 8. Twenty alternate forms of each measure were created. Passages were written by graduate students and reviewed by the lead author, as well as teachers and panels of graduate students. The consistency of the alternate forms was analyzed using classical statistics, including differences and mean correlations. Information about the relative difficulty of the passages was used to identify nine passages that were of similar difficulty levels. The other passages were adjusted to be better aligned with this set in terms of difficulty. Data on the difficulty of each passage and a summary of revisions are presented. Appended are: (1) Test Specifications for Creating Passage Reading Fluency Measures; (2) Example Fifth Grade Passage Reading Fluency Test: Student Copy; and (3) Example Fifth-Grade Passage Reading Fluency Test: Assessor Copy. (Contains 10 tables.)
The Reliability of Teacher Decision-Making in Recommending Accommodations for Large-Scale Tests. Technical Report # 08-01
Author: Tindal, Gerald
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Teachers,Reliability,Decision Making,Testing Accommodations,Reading Tests,Mathematics Tests,Grade 3,Grade 5,Grade 8,Elementary School Students,Middle School Students

In this paper we review different methods for teachers to recommend accommodations in large scale tests. Then we present data on the stability of their judgments on variables relevant to this decision-making process. The outcomes from the judgments support the need for a more explicit model. Four general categories are presented: student proficiency, ease of completing various (test relevant) activities, benefit from the use of various accommodations, and provision of accommodations in the classroom. Both mean level of ratings and stability of ratings argue against continued use of informal systems. (Contains 25 tables.) [This research was supported by Project AVAD--Adding Value to Accommodations Decision-Making through a contract with South Carolina Department of Education, as part of a 2006 Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grant funded by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, U. S. Department of Education.]
Instrument Development Procedures for Rapid Reading Rate Measures. Technical Report # 08-05
Author: Liu, Kimy
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Test Construction,Speed Reading,Reading Rate,Sentences,Reading Comprehension,Reading Tests,Item Response Theory,Test Theory,Test Items,Difficulty Level,Grade 3,Grade 4,Grade 5,Grade 6,Grade 7,Grade 8,Public Schools

In this study, we describe the development of rapid reading measures, sentences presented to students in a nearly subliminal manner, with a literal comprehension question asked following their removal. After administering alternate forms of these measures to students, we present the results from three statistical analyses to ascertain their technical adequacy: classical test theory, 1-parameter Item Response Theory (IRT), and 2-parameter IRT. We conclude by noting considerable similarity of the results and recommend all analyses as offering valuable information. Appended are: (1) Estimates of item difficulty under the Classical Test Theory (CTT) Model; (2) Item Parameters Using the Rasch Item Response Model; (3) Item Parameters Using the 2PL Model; (4) Item Scale Scores Using the 2PL Model; and (5) Final Item Order. (Contains 23 tables.)