Education Commons^™

Torch : Tests Of Reading Comprehension, Leila Mossenson, Andrew Stephanou, Margaret Forster, Geoff Masters, Margaret Mcgregor, Prue Anderson, Peter Hill

Prue Anderson

This set of twelve reading tests is designed to assist teachers of students from Year 3 to Year 10 in their assessment of students' reading comprehension skills. Each of the twelve reading tests consists of a reading passage and a corresponding answer sheet.

Review Of International Longitudinal Research On Youth Pathways From School And Its Relevance To Youth Policy Development In New Zealand, Gary Marks, Maurice Walker

Maurice Walker

Report for Research Division, Ministry of Education, New Zealand.

Torch : Tests Of Reading Comprehension, Leila Mossenson, Andrew Stephanou, Margaret Forster, Geoff N. Masters, Margaret Mcgregor, Prue Anderson, Peter Hill

Prof Geoff Masters AO

This set of twelve reading tests is designed to assist teachers of students from Year 3 to Year 10 in their assessment of students' reading comprehension skills. Each of the twelve reading tests consists of a reading passage and a corresponding answer sheet.

The Quality Teacher Program In New South Wales 2001-2003: Evaluation Report, Lawrence Ingvarson, Marion Meiers, Adrian Beavis

Marion Meiers

Executive Summary in the unpublished report prepared for the NSW QTP cross-sectoral Management Committe.

Aussies Schools Are Not So 'Undemocratic', John Ainley, Adrian Beavis, Gary Marks, Ken Rowe

Dr John Ainley

The underlying thesis in the recent book 'Undemocratic schooling' by Richard Teese and John Polesel is that social reproduction in Australia, that is the transmission of socioeconomic inequality from one generation to the next, is particularly strong. But Teese and Polesel have over-stated the case. Whereas socioeconomic background and schools do influence educational outcomes, and thus subsequent labour market outcomes, they are far from having a determining influence. The system is far more open than generally believed. Their thesis undervalues the importance of quality schooling and the contributions that teachers and schools make to the development of their students' abilities, …

Pisa : Providing International Comparisons, John Cresswell

Dr John Cresswell

The OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) aims to measure how well students nearing the end of their compulsory schooling are prepared for adult life. The assessment is forward looking, focusing on students' ability to meet real-life challenges, rather than testing whether they have mastered a particular curriculum. This article reports

Longitudinal Surveys Of Australian Youth, Gary Marks, Sheldon Rothman

Dr Sheldon Rothman

This article provides an overview of the Longitudinal surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) project. It discusses the surveys, samples and data, the survey content, the uses of the data, and how to make use of the data.

Declining Inequality? The Changing Impact Of Socio-Economic Background And Ability On Education In Australia, Gary Marks, Julie Mcmillan

Julie McMillan

The paper addresses several debates surrounding the reproduction of socioeconomic inequality: (i) the persistent inequality thesis, which maintains that despite the increases in educational participation socio-economic inequalities in education have not declined; (ii) the related thesis of maximally maintained inequality, which proposes that socio-economic inequalities decline only when participation levels for the most privileged socio-economic group approach saturation levels; (iii) the meritocracy debate on the importance of ability vis-à-vis socio-economic background and changes in its influence over time; and (iv) the effect of policy changes on socio-economic inequalities in education. These issues are addressed using data from six Australian youth …

Building A Direct Marketing Bridge To High Achieving Students: Introducing A Cost Effective Financial Aid Leveraging Model, Oscar T. Mcknight, Ronald Paugh

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Student Variables That Predict Retention: Recent Research And New Developments, Robert D. Reason

Robert D Reason

This article reviews recent research related to the study of college student retention, specifically examining research related to individual student demographic characteristics. The increasing diversity of undergraduate college students requires a new, thorough examination of those student variables previously understood to predict retention. The retention literature focuses on research conducted after 1990 and emphasizes the changing demographics in higher education. Research related to a relatively new variable— the merit-index—also is reviewed, revealing potentially promising, but currently mixed results.

La Evaluación De La Heterogeneidad De Los Perfiles Académicos Por Medio De Un Programa De Estímulos Al Personal Académico: Experiencia De Una Universidad Pública Estatal, Graciela Cordero-Arroyo, Jesús F. Galaz-Fontes, Juan J. Sevilla-García, Kiyoko Nishikawa-Aceves, Evelyn Gutiérrez-Villegas

Jesús Francisco Galaz Fontes

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo ejemplificar la relación existente entre la concepción del trabajo académico y los procedimientos e instrumentos de evaluación de su desempeño a partir de la experiencia de la última década de la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) en la aplicación del programa de estímulos al personal académico. El artículo está estructurado en cinco apartados: en primer término se presenta el surgimiento de los programas de estímulos (merit pay) en la universidades públicas en México; en un segundo apartado se analizan dos conceptualizaciones del trabajo académico. En tercer término se presentan los objetivos y estructura metodológica …

The Changing Landscape: E-Learning In Schools, Gerald White

Dr Gerald K. White

This paper explores key initiatives over the last decade which have contributed towards building the foundations of an e-learning environment. What is e-learning? What are the key characteristics of e-learning? What are the benefits, requirements and rewards are also discussed. Exemplary e-learning services, managed by education.au, built to meet some of the requirements of e-learning are described as well.

Response To 'Cautions On Oecd's Recent Educational Survey (Pisa), Ray Adams

Prof Ray Adams

This paper refers to the work of S J Prais who questioned the outcomes of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's PISA survey of the reading, mathematics and science attainments of fifteen year-olds. Prais suggested that methodological flaws in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) had resulted in an apparent improvement in the attainment of British students, particularly when compared to their Swiss and German counterparts. This paper responds to Prais's criticisms, noting that when Prais's conjectures are tested with empirical data they are not supported. The author argues that many of Prais's criticisms are due to an incomplete …

Innovation In Practice : From Consumption To Creation, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

This paper focuses on three aspects of innovation: its purpose of supporting lifelong learning during and after schooling, the ways that information and communications technology (ICT) supports learning and knowledge creation, and digital portfolios as an example of learning and innovation. Digital portfolios, containers of multimedia forms of evidence of activities, achievements and reflections, are just one way in which technology can support lifelong learning and the creation and sharing of knowledge.

The Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy Research And Dissemination Network Academic Year 2002-03 Final Report To The Smithsonian Institution, Steven R. Rogg

Steven R Rogg

This document is a status report on the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy’s (IMSA) Research and Dissemination Network, which is funded as a contract with the Smithsonian Institution. In response to significant recent changes in project organization and activities, this report traces key developments of the project over its ten-year history. The report concludes with a summary of accomplishments during the current 2002-03 academic year.

Operationalising The Construct Of Scientific Literacy, Gayl O'Connor, Mark Hackling

Gayl O'Connor

No abstract provided.

Probing Whole Number Dominance With Fractions, Max Stephens, Catherine Pearn

Catherine Pearn

Children's whole number schemes can interfere with their efforts to learn fractions. To what extent do these schemes persist for secondary school students? This paper reports on the development and piloting of an interview designed to identify and probe inappropriate whole number strategies for working with fractions among secondary students. The interview showed that these strategies are still prevalent among Year 8 students. Among others who use appropriate multiplicative strategies the interview showed that some of these are still not confident in challenging instances of inappropriate whole number thinking. [Author abstract]

Improving Assessment Practice, Gayl O'Connor, Mark Hackling

Gayl O'Connor

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Introduction To Engineering And Problem-Solving Course, Joni E. Spurlin, Jerome P. Lavelle, Mary Clare Robbins, Sarah A. Rajala

Sarah A. Rajala

At North Carolina State University, the freshmen’s first course in engineering is E101, Introduction to Engineering and Problem-Solving. It is offered each fall to over 1,100 first year engineering students. In an effort to continuously improve the course, we put into place a plan to assess the course's learning outcomes. Assessment data collected in fall 2001 and fall 2002 through surveys, rubrics, and class assignments were evaluated to determine how well students met learning outcomes related to communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. This paper presents the assessment methods used in this course and provides examples of how the assessment findings were …

Psychological Predictors Of The Propensity To Omit Short-Response Items On A High-Stakes Achievement Test, Gabrielle Matters, Paul Burnett

Dr Gabrielle Matters

This article presents the findings of a study of the psychological variables that discriminate between high and low omitters on a high-stakes achievement test using a shortresponse format. Data were obtained from a questionnaire administered to a random sample (N = 1,908) of students prior to sitting the 1997 Queensland Core Skills (QCS) Test (N = 29,273). Fourteen psychological variables were measured including test anxiety (four subscales), emotional stability, achievement motivation, self-esteem, academic self-concept, self-estimate of ability, locus of control (three subscales), and approaches to learning (two subscales). The results were analyzed using descriptive discriminant analysis and suggested that the …

Item Format Types And Their Influence On Cross-National Comparisons Of Sudent Performance, Alla Routitsky, Ross Turner

Dr Alla Routitsky

An important decision to be made in the design and implementation of large-scale assessments is the appropriate balance of item types — in particular the balance between objectively coded multiple-choice type items and item types that require coding by trained professionals. Decisions made in this regard depend upon finding an appropriate balance in the light of cost and construct validity concerns. Given the importance of this decision there are surprisingly few international studies that consider the effect of item format on achievement and the results of these studies are not consistent. Some of these studies do, however, illustrate that item …

Education Network Australia - Discover, Communicate, Collaborate, Gerald White

Dr Gerald K. White

This paper is about an innovative collaborative venture of the Australian Commonwealth and State/Territories Education Governments, initiated in the mid ‘90s. The initiative was a response to the emerging need of the education and training communities for a coordinated approach in optimising the potential of information and communications technology (ICT) in teaching and learning at all levels – early childhood, schools, adult and vocational education and training, and higher education. The project is managed by education.au limited, a national Australian ICT agency established by a ministerial council of all Australian Ministers of Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) for …

Valores En Disputa E Identidad En Conflicto En La Educación Superior En México, Imanol Ordorika, Kenneth Kempner

Imanol Ordorika

No abstract provided.

Power And Politics In University Governance: Organization And Change At The Universidad Nacional Autónoma De Mexico, Imanol Ordorika

Imanol Ordorika

No abstract provided.

La Educación Superior En El Mercado. Configuraciones Emergentes Y Nuevos Proveedores, Roberto Rodríguez-Gómez

Roberto Rodríguez-Gómez

La emergencia de nuevos actores y proveedores en el ámbito universitario es un proceso de gran interés para comprender la dirección de la educación superior en el futuro inmediato. El panorama es complejo y la dinámica es muy viva. A la par de procesos de cambio racionales y programados, están ocurriendo auténticas mutaciones en este campo. En esta presentación examinaremos algunas tendencias, como el modelo de educación superior empresarial y las universidades corporativas, la oferta de educación superior virtual, los consorcios y otras alianzas estratégicas, los nuevos flujos público-privado, y el mercado secundario de proveedores. Desde luego, se trata de …

Education And Development In Mexico: Middle And Higher Education Policies In The 1990s, Roberto Rodríguez-Gómez, Lorenza Villa-Lever

Roberto Rodríguez-Gómez

This chapter is comprised of four sections. The first considers the characteristics of “knowledge society” and the educational changes that developing countries must undertake if they are ever to close the gap with the industrialized world. The next section assesses secondary edu-cation in Mexico, and the third examines the higher educational system. The final part offers a series of reflections on the tendencies that we are now witnessing, outlining the changes that are required to achieve better articulation between middle and higher education policy and Mexico’s options for growth and development in the near future.

La Evaluación Institucional De Las Universidades Españolas, Roberto Rodríguez-Gómez

Roberto Rodríguez-Gómez

Se describen y comentan las políticas de educación superior en España en el periodo 1995-2000

Translation Events In Cross-Language Information Retrieval: Lexical Ambiguity, Lexical Holes, Vocabulary Mismatch, And Correct Translations, Anne R. Diekema

Anne Diekema

Cross-Language Information Retrieval (CLIR) systems enable users to formulate queries in their native language to retrieve documents in foreign languages. Because queries and documents in CLIR do not necessarily share the same language, translation is needed before matching can take

place. This translation step tends to cause a reduction in the retrieval performance of CLIR as compared to monolingual information retrieval.

The prevailing CLIR approach and the focus of this study is query translation. The translation of queries is inherently difficult due to the lack of a one-to-one mapping of a lexical item and its meaning, which creates lexical ambiguity. …

The Development Of Mathematical Strategies In The Early Years, Catherine Pearn

Catherine Pearn

Current research has shown that children develop a repertoire of mathematical strategies by progressing though five 'counting stages'. These are: perceptual - students are limited to counting those items they can perceive; figurative - students count from one when solving addition problems with screened collections; initial number sequence - students can now count on to solve addition and missing add-end problems with screened collections; implicitly nested number sequence - students are able to focus on the collection of unit items as one thing, as well as the abstract unit items; explicitly nested number sequence - students are simultaneously aware of …

New Roles For Knowledge Builders : What Teachers Tell Us About Working In The 21st Century., Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

The author explores the current roles of teachers in classrooms using computers, and identifies ways in which anticipated changes in practice are actually occurring.