Education Commons^™

Early Years Of English, Margaret Forster, Prue Anderson, Andrew Stephanou

Prue Anderson

No abstract provided.

Alls Survey Update : Initial Messages Regarding Numeracy, Dave Tout

David (Dave) Tout

In the initial analysis and results coming out from the first wave of the 2003 Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALLS) countries, the data seem to be indicating that numeracy plays a more important role in economic returns for individuals than do prose or document literacy, and seem to confirm that men outperform women in the area of numeracy and mathematics. Some of the outcomes stemming from the results that will be of interest when the Australian results are released late in 2007 include: the overlap between respondents' abilities in literacy and numeracy was lower than expected; early school leavers …

Selecting Open Source Software For Use In Schools, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle

Schools are places where the choices made about computing technologies not only reflect their technical requirements but also reflect the philosophical priorities directing those choices. Schools can deploy a startling range of software (i.e., operating systems, databases, office productivity software, and applications software) for specifc teaching and learning purposes. Applications software deployed in schools must be suitable for use by students who are young and often have limited reading and fine motor skills. Back-end software must be robust enough to handle hundreds and sometimes thousands of users concurrently. One issue that faces schools interested in deploying open source software is …

Video-Based Reseach Made "Easy" Methodological Lessons Learned From The Timms Video Studies, Jennifer Jacobs, Hilary Hollingsworth, Karen Givvin

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

In this article, the authors share some of the methodological lessons learned from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1995 and TIMSS 1999 Video Studies. They focus on their experiences overseeing these large-scale, video-based, cross-national surveys of teaching. The article documents some of the progress the authors made, as well as some of the obstacles they encountered. The authors hope that the ideas shared here help prevent possible missteps, enhance the quality of projects, and encourage researchers to advance the use of video as a methodology.

Researching ‘What Works’ In Boys Education: Teachers Take The Lead, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, Greg Neal

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

Accountability in education is often effected through mandated standards for curriculum, teacher performance and student outcomes at national or state levels, and this has increasingly occurred in Australia over the past decade. In order to make decisions regarding the achievement of these standards, evidence must be collected from sample sites or segments of the relevant populations. Funding is often linked to accountability, through reward mechanisms ‘after the event’ or through grants made a priori and requiring comprehensive reports. The evidence base is large-scale, but can lack detail. In conjunction with these levers for schools to act on current issues, their …

Building Sustainable Networks For Young Women And Icts Throughout Australia, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle

No abstract provided.

Ameliorating Culturally Based Extreme Response Tendencies To Attitude Items, Maurice Walker

Maurice Walker

No abstract provided.

Pisa In Brief From Australia's Perspective : Highlights From The Full Australian Report : Exploring Scientific Literacy : How Australia Measures Up : The Pisa 2006 Assessment Of Students' Scientific, Reading And Mathematical Literacy Skills., Sue Thomson, Lisa De Bortoli

Lisa De Bortoli

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Equating Methodology On Reported Trends In Pisa, Eveline Gebhardt, Ray Adams

Prof Ray Adams

In 2005 PISA published trend indicators that compared the results of PISA 2000 and PISA 2003. This paper explores the extent to which the outcomes of these trend analyses are sensitive to the choice of test equating methodologies, the choice of regression models and the choice of linking items. To establish trends, PISA equated its 2000 and 2003 tests using a methodology based on Rasch Modelling that involved estimating linear transformations that mapped 2003 Rasch-scaled scores to the previously established PISA 2000 Rasch-scaled scores. This paper compares the outcomes of this approach with an alternative, which involves the joint Rasch …

The Transformation To A Learner-Centered Community As A Result Of University-Wide Assessment, Michele Kieke, Karen Moroz, Amy Gort

Karen Moroz

The Impact Of Differential Investment Of Student Effort On The Outcomes Of International Studies, J Butler, Ray Adams

Prof Ray Adams

International comparative assessments of student achievement, such as Trends in Mathematics and Science (TIMSS) and Programme for International Student Achievement (PISA) are becoming increasingly important in the development of evidence-based education policy. The potentially far-reaching influence of such studies underscores the need for these assessments to be valid and reliable. In education, increasing recognition is being given to motivational factors which impact on student learning. This research considers a possible threat to the validity of such studies by investigating the influence the amount of effort invested by test-takers has on their outcomes. Reassuringly, it is found that the reported expenditure …