Education Commons^™

National Assessment Program : Ict Literacy Years 6 & 10 Report 2014, Julian Fraillon, Wolfram Schulz, Eveline Gebhardt, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

Literacy in information and communication technology (ICT) is critical to students as they progress through schooling and enter a world in which information technology will be ubiquitous. Work, health care, family finances, learning and social interaction will all depend on competence in ICT. To assess progress in this crucial part of student learning, ACARA conducts a National Assessment Program (NAP) aimed at measuring ICT literacy. Every three years since 2005, a sample of Year 6 and Year 10 students from across Australia have been tested to determine their ICT knowledge, understanding and skills and their ability to use ICT creatively, …

International Computer And Information Literacy Study: Icils 2013: Technical Report, Julian Fraillon, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman, John Ainley, Eveline Gebhardt

Dr John Ainley

The International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) studied the extent to which young people have developed computer and information literacy (CIL) to support their capacity to participate in the digital age. ICILS systematically investigated differences in CIL outcomes across the participating countries and looked at how these countries provide CIL-related education. The study also explored differences within and across countries with respect to the relationship between the outcomes of CIL education and student characteristics and school contexts. Chapter 1 of this report presents an overview of the International Computer and Information Literacy Study. Chapters 2 and 3 are concerned …

Overview Of Icils, John Ainley, Julian Fraillon

Dr John Ainley

No abstract provided.

Icils Questionnaire Development, Wolfram Schulz, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Intended Participation Of Young Adolescents As Future Citizens, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon

Dr John Ainley

In many Western countries there is concern about the level of participation of their citizens in civic life and the apparent lack of interest and involvement among young people in public and political life (Curtice & Seyd, 2003). The development of knowledge, understanding, skills, and dispositions that prepare young people to comprehend the world, hold productive employment, and be informed active citizens are among the characteristics that educational systems, schools, and teachers value and attempt to foster. However, countries vary in the status accorded to civic and citizenship education as part of school education and the relative importance of developing …

Early Science Learning Experiences: Triggered And Maintained Interest, Mary Ainley, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

A key question for science educators is how to sustain interest in novel or intriguing scientific phenomena so that interest in science is maintained, with the potential to develop into a more enduring interest as manifested in choice of studies in senior high school and tertiary programs. According to Hidi and Renninger (2006), progress through the phases of interest development depends on the availability of opportunities to engage and re-engage with content of the interest, and on support for taking up those opportunities. In this chapter, The authors investigate the validity of this proposition, examining evidence from early childhood studies, …

Preparing For Life In A Digital Age: The Iea International Computer And Information Literacy Study International Report, Julian Fraillon, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman, Eveline Gebhardt

Dr John Ainley

The International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) studied the extent to which young people have developed computer and information literacy (CIL) to support their capacity to participate in the digital age. ICILS is a response to the increasing use of information and communication technology (ICT) in modern society and the need for citizens to develop relevant skills in order to participate effectively in the digital age. It also addresses the necessity for policymakers and education systems to have a better understanding of the contexts and outcomes of CIL-related education programs in their countries. ICILS is the first crossnational study …

Understanding Equity Through Research Data, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

Large-scale assessments over several years reveal that reading achievement has improved in primary schools, while reading and maths achievement in middle secondary school has declined. John Ainley explains.

Session E - Perspectives On Quality And Equity From Large-Scale Assessment Studies, John Ainley, Eveline Gebhardt

Dr John Ainley

Concurrent Session Block 1

Influences On Children’S Numeracy Skills, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

John Ainley reports on an analysis of the impact of background characteristics on young children's numeracy skills.

Informing Policy And Practice, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

Comparing results from large-scale assessments can usefully inform education policy and planning, and educational practice in schools and classrooms, as John Ainley explains.

National Assessment Program : Ict Literacy 2008 : Year 6 And Year 10 : Technical Report, Chris Freeman, John Ainley, Julian Fraillon, Eveline Gebhardt, Kate O'Malley, Wolfram Schulz

Dr John Ainley

This report describes the technical aspects of the National ICT Literacy Sample Assessment and summarises the main activities involved in the data collection, the data collection instruments and the analysis and reporting of the data. Chapter 2 summarises the development of the assessment domain and describes the process of item development and construction of the instruments. Chapter 3 reviews the sample design and describes the sampling process. Chapter 3 also describes the weighting procedures that were implemented to derive population estimates. Chapter 4 summarises the field administration and data management procedures, including quality control and the cleaning and coding of …

Iccs 2009 Encyclopedia : Approaches To Civic And Citizenship Education Around The World, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman

Dr John Ainley

The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2009) investigated the ways in which countries prepare their young people to undertake their roles as citizens. It studied student knowledge and understanding of civics and citizenship as well as student attitudes, perceptions, and activities related to civics and citizenship. ICCS also examined differences among countries in relation to these outcomes of civic and citizenship education, and it explored how differences across countries relate to student characteristics, school and community contexts, and national characteristics. Thirty-eight countries participated in ICCS 2009. Among these were five from Asia, 26 from Europe, six from Latin …

National Assessment Program : Information Communication And Technology Literacy : Year 6 And Year 10 : Technical Report 2005, John Ainley, Julian Fraillon, Chris Freeman, Martin Murphy

Dr John Ainley

This report describes the technical aspects of the National ITC Literacy Sample Assessment and summarises the main activities involved in the data collection, the data collection instruments and the analysis and reporting of the data. Chapter 2 summarises the development of the assessment domain and describes the process of item development and construction of the instruments. Chapter 3 reviews the sample design and describes the sampling process. Chapter 3 also describes the process of weighting to derive population estimates. Chapter 4 summarises the field administration and data management procedures, including quality control and the cleaning and coding of the data. …

National Assessment Program : Ict Literacy 2011 : Year 6 And Year 10 : Technical Report, Eveline Gebhardt, Julian Fraillon, Wolfram Schulz, Kate O'Malley, Chris Freeman, Martin Murphy, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

This report describes the technical aspects of the National Assessment Program – ICT Literacy (NAP – ICTL) 2011 sample assessment and summarises the main activities involved in the data collection, the data collection instruments and the analysis and reporting of the data. Chapter 2 summarises the development of the assessment domain and describes the process of item development and construction of the instruments. Chapter 3 reviews the sample design and describes the sampling process. It also describes the weighting procedures that were implemented to derive population estimates and calculation of participation rates. Chapter 4 summarises the field administration of the …

Iccs 2009 Asian Report : Civic Knowledge, Attitudes, And Engagement Among Lower Secondary Students In Five Asian Countries, John Ainley, Julian Fraillon, Wolfram Schulz

Dr John Ainley

This report describes results from the Asian regional module of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS). The five countries from the Asian region that participated in the international study—Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand—also participated in the Asian regional module. Each of these countries is located in either eastern or southeastern Asia. The report focuses on aspects of particular relevance for this geographic region, and should be viewed as part of the broader set of publications from ICCS. ICCS investigates the ways in which countries prepare their young people to undertake their …

National Assessment Program : Ict Literacy Years 6 And 10 Report 2011, John Ainley, Julian Fraillon, Eveline Gebhardt, Wolfram Schulz

Dr John Ainley

Under the National Assessment Program, national samples of Year 6 and Year 10 students were assessed to determine their levels of confidence, creativity and skill development in the use of information and communication technologies. This report compares the results of Australian school students by state and territory and student sub-groups, and provides details of their achievement against an ICT literacy scale. It also enables the most recent achievements of students to be compared against those from the previous national assessments of ICT literacy, conducted first in 2005 and again in 2008. In addition, a survey of student access to and …

Overview Of The Iea International Civic And Citizenship Education Study, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz

Dr John Ainley

The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) studied the ways in which young people are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens. ICCS was based on the premise that preparing students for citizenship roles involves developing relevant knowledge and understanding as well as helping them form positive attitudes toward being a citizen and participating in activities related to civic and citizenship education. It also examined differences among countries in relation to these outcomes of civic and citizenship education, and it explored how differences among countries relate to student characteristics, school and community contexts, and national characteristics. This technical report …

Children’S Numeracy Skills, Galina Daraganova, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

This chapter uses data from the K cohort of Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) to examine the numeracy skills demonstrated by children at different ages, and whether levels of numeracy skills vary for children from different socio-demographic backgrounds. The socio-demographic groups examined in this chapter are categorised by: child gender; socio-economic characteristics including family socio-economic position (SEP) (lowest 25%, middle 50%, highest 25%); mother’s working hours including mothers not working (those unemployed, on maternity leave, and not in the labour force), working less than 35 hours per week, or working 35 hours or more …

The Role Of Civic Participation In National And School Curricula, John Ainley, Tim Friedman

Dr John Ainley

Civic and citizenship education is increasingly conceptualized in national curricula within a lifelong learning perspective that encompasses formal curricula (that specify content and approaches in a subject or set of subjects), non-formal curricula (through co-curricular activities in schools) and informal curricula (through a school and classroom ethos that embodies citizenship values). One review of education policies in Europe documents attempts to encourage ‘active citizenship’ supported by ‘democratic schools’ offering a ‘participatory school culture’. However, there is evidence of a gap between declarations of principle and the implementation of these principles in schools as well as between policies and practices. This …

Analysis Of Year 12 Or Certificate Ii Attainment Of Indigenous Young People – Stage 1 : A Report Prepared For The Council Of Australian Governments Reform Council, John Ainley, Sarah Buckley, Adrian Beavis, Sheldon Rothman, Alice Tovey

Dr John Ainley

The purpose of this paper is to assist the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Reform Council to analyse performance information relating to the Year 12 or Certificate II attainment of Indigenous young people and to understand better variations in performance across jurisdictions. As part of these analyses variations over time within each jurisdiction have been reported. The analyses use existing data sources. No new data have been collected. There are four strands to this work: a statistical overview of educational attainments and participation; multivariate analyses of influences on attainment; a review of literature intended to inform an understanding of trends …

Iccs 2009 Technical Report, Wolfram Schulz, John Ainley, Julian Fraillon

Dr John Ainley

The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) studied the ways in which young people are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens. ICCS was based on the premise that preparing students for citizenship roles involves developing relevant knowledge and understanding as well as helping them form positive attitudes toward being a citizen and participating in activities related to civic and citizenship education. It also examined differences among countries in relation to these outcomes of civic and citizenship education, and it explored how differences among countries relate to student characteristics, school and community contexts, and national characteristics. This report is …

International Civic And Citizenship Education Study : Assessment Framework, Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon, John Ainley, Bruno Losito, David Kerr

Dr John Ainley

The aim of ICCS is to report on student achievement on a test of conceptual knowledge and understandings in civic and citizenship education. It also intends to collect and analyze data about student dispositions and attitudes relating to civic and citizenship education. This publication contains the ICCS assessment framework, which provides the blueprint for the assessment of the outcomes of civic and citizenship education. An important feature of ICCS is the establishment of regional modules. Regional modules compromise groups of countries from the same geographic region that together administer additional instruments to assess region-specific aspects of civic and citizenship education. …

Technological Issues For Computer-Based Assessment, Beno Csapó, John Ainley, Randy Bennett, Thibaud Latour, Nancy Law

Dr John Ainley

This chapter reviews the contribution of new information-communication technologies to the advancement of educational assessment. Improvements can be described in terms of precision in detecting the actual values of the observed variables, efficiency in collecting and processing information, and speed and frequency of feedback given to the participants and stakeholders. The chapter reviews previous research and development in two ways, describing the main tendencies in four continents (Asia, Australia, Europe and the US) as well as summarising research on how technology advances assessment in certain crucial dimensions (assessment of established constructs, extension of assessment domains, assessment of new constructs and …

Examining The Use Of Ict In Mathematics And Science Teaching, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

Australian science and mathematics teachers are leaders in the useof ICT in school education according to an international comparativestudy, and ACER is set to lead further research in this area.John Ainley explains.

Can Improving Working Memory Prevent Academic Difficulties? A School Based Randomised Controlled Trial., John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

Low academic achievement is common and is associated with adverse outcomes such as grade repetition, behavioural disorders and unemployment. The ability to accurately identify these children and intervene before they experience academic failure would be a major advance over the current 'wait to fail' model. Recent research suggests that a possible modifiable factor for low academic achievement is working memory, the ability to temporarily store and manipulate information in a 'mental workspace'. Children with working memory difficulties are at high risk of academic failure. It has recently been demonstrated that working memory can be improved with adaptive training tasks that …

Ict In The Teaching Of Science And Mathematics In Year 8 In Australia: Report From The Iea Second International Technology In Education Study (Sites) Survey, John Ainley, Frances Eveleigh, Chris Freeman, Kate O'Malley

Dr John Ainley

The IEA Second International Technology in Education Study (SITES) is an international comparative research program studying the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in education. Its central focus is on understanding how ICT affects the way teaching and learning takes place in schools. In many educational systems there is a desire to use ICT to support changes in teaching and learning and policies have been implemented to promote the use of ICT by equipping schools with computers and network connections, training teachers in the use of ICT and providing digital resources. Although there is a growing body of research …

A Cultural Perspective On The Structure Of Student Interest In Science, John Ainley, Mary Ainley

Dr John Ainley

In this article, the authors examine the nature of interest in science as represented in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006 data. They discuss the interconnections between measures of knowledge, affect, and value as components of interest in science. Working from a perspective acknowledging that many of the models of motivation represented in the literature have been developed in Western countries, the authors investigated whether the ways that knowledge, affect, and value combine in the structure of students' interest in science might vary in line with historical and cultural traditions. Four countries were chosen to represent contrasting cultural …

What Can Australian Students Do With Computers?, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

This article describes the latest findings of the National Assessment Program- ICT Literacy, conducted by ACER for the Australian government, which show some mixed results in Australian students’ proficiency with computers.

National Assessment Program : Ict Literacy Years 6 & 10 Report 2008, John Ainley, Julian Fraillon, Chris Freeman

Dr John Ainley

This report presents the findings from the National Assessment Program –ICT literacy assessment conducted in 2008 under the auspices of the national council of education ministers, the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA). National samples of Year 6 and Year 10 students were assessed to determine their levels of confidence, creativity and skill development in the use of information and communication technologies. This report compares the results of Australian school students by state and territory and student sub-groups, and provides details of their achievement against an ICT literacy scale. It also enables the most recent …